The Next Best Book Club discussion

Hey Jackie...really good and got it from a friend at work.

Finished the audio version of Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T Chang – 3*** (Audiobook read by Susan Ericksen)
Chang, a Chinese-American, spent several years following two young women, migrant workers who left their rural Chinese villages for big-city factory jobs. The events in their lives illustrate the plight of the hordes of workers just like them. Personalizing the story in this way made it highly readable and interesting. However the book bogs down when Chang explores her own family history and the parallels to the political history of modern-day China.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Was reading The Passage, was at 6%, but GR lists basking made me switch to another book, unintentionally... o_O

Just finished Kafka on the Shore
Here's the review..
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Now will get back to The Passage.. (:

Finished The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, which was a great short read:

I have this childhood memory of spending the day at my Indian grandmother's house. She had just cleaned the sliding glass patio door, which I then slammed into, face first and full force, while my brother was chasing me. My grandmother, a slight woman with nonetheless great strength, bodily lifted me onto the kitchen table where I thrashed about in terror, making it very difficult for her to stop my nosebleed. Recounting that story once to my father, my brother happened to be in the room. Frowning, he said, "No, no. It was you who was chasing me. It was my nosebleed."

Barnes's novel brought this childhood story to mind so many times. Though in my case, the confusion was harmless, in Barnes's story it was very much the opposite. Memory cannot be trusted after muddling through a lifetime of relationships and experiences. It becomes confused and tangled with the memories of others. And yet, we inevitably use those tainted recollections to make judgments, even after great lessons of humility that teach us to do otherwise. And worse, we act upon them.

And also read the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles.

About to start What We Talk about When We Talk about Love by Raymond Carver. I can't believe I've never read anything by him, but better late than never!

(copy pasta! copy pasta!)

Started 'The sense of an ending' in the evening, small book, slept and had faceless dreams twice in between (now at around 90%); will finish rest of it after dinner. Maybe the book needed more time, coffee and blank pages from me but couldn't give it (the much I wanted to) for those philosophical cliches camouflaged by emotional blog-type-memoir-ohno-bs. WHY!! I don't know if people love it just because it won a Booker prize; I don't see any other reasons (care to explain?!)...

"History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation."

Yo! That's the only good quote I found so far..but it can't be a reason to love this book. Besides it bored the crap out of me !

Currently reading The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, a YA on loan from my sister and BIL.

Finished reading A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams – 3.5***
This is a captivating beach read with more secrets and efforts at obfuscation than many soap operas. Lily’s story alternates between the fall and winter of 1931-1932, and the summer of 1938, teasing the reader with dribs and drabs of information, innuendo, gossip and outright lies. The big drama that ends the story is based on the all-too-true Hurricane of 1938 which devastated the Northeast, but it reads like a B-movie. Still, Williams kept me turning pages to the very end.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Going to start reading Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

Jackie wrote: "Hi Karen

I don't think I even know what steam punk is, what is it?"

GoodReads definition: Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality.

Aren't you glad you asked! LOL

Lol yes thanks for that Karen!

On my last used bookstore visit I picked up Serpico by Peter Maas
I finished 11/22/63 last night.

Now reading by James Patterson

Just going to start Citadel by Kate Mosse, the last in the Languedoc trilogy.

Finished the audio version of Under Orders by Dick Francis – 3.5*** (Audiobook read by Martin Jarvis.)
Sid Halley is a former steeplechase jockey turned detective. He and his former father-in-law are at the track as guests of Lord Enstone but the events of the day draw him into an investigation that involves race-fixing and big-stakes gambling. I really enjoyed this murder mystery. Francis gives enough explanation of technicalities of the sport so as not to leave the novice completely in the dust. The plot was sufficiently intricate to keep me guessing, and Halley is a likeable, intelligent protagonist. This was my first Dick Francis novel; it won’t be my last
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Inferno by Dan Brown

I started Georgiana Darcy's Diary: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Continued today.

I just finished Tales of the Otherworld and I really
enjoyed it, definitely one of my favourites of the series

Finished reading My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George – 2.5***
12-year-old Sam Gribley leaves his crowded New York City apartment for his family’s remote land in the Catskills, intent on living off the land. Reading his story we learn about the uses of various plants and animals found in this natural habitat. Sam is resourceful and intelligent and shows great courage and creativity. I was disappointed in the ending, which felt contrived. The book lost a ½ star there. I can certainly see why it continues to appeal to young readers, however.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I just finished Death of a Salesman:

All around me people are having conversations about the meaning of life, voicing a general cliché admission that material goods and status can’t bring us happiness, yet we say this even as we know we are addicted to them both. While reading this play, I was overwhelmed and frustrated by Willy’s inability to see even this simple truth, the fact of his own addiction, which is the core of this tragedy. He always looks outward rather than inward. A lifetime of so much goodness and possibility trashed by his stubborn refusal to see beyond the narrow scope of his own pain, terrible because there was never any real reason for such pain.

About to start The Stranger by Camus :).

I'm reading Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton.

Reading by JT Ellison, #2 in the Samantha Owen Series

Inferno by Dan Brown

Haven't read a Dean Koontz in a long while, but I am going to try Odd Thomas.

Me Talk Pretty One Day a lot of fun

Dawn wrote: "Haven't read a Dean Koontz in a long while, but I am going to try Odd Thomas."

Read it a few months ago and quite enjoyed it.

Finished The Stranger by Camus:

Perhaps the most defining line of the book—a line that truly emphasizes the existential underpinning of the novel—is when Meursault is musing over the fact that his fate will be decided by “men who change their underwear.” All just men. In accepting his fate, Meursault acknowledges that he has no control over his life. As he says, it will all inevitably end in death, now or twenty years from now. Those men and women who deliberate over and ultimately decide the course of Meursault’s life have only the illusion of control as they spew empty notions of responsibility, remorse, and love, an illusion that allows them to bear this life, which they are incapable of comprehending. Meursault is at least aware of his ignorance, finally surrendering to the conclusion that there is no point to life—or if there is, it is so far beyond our grasp that it is also beyond faith and belief in God, or any sorts of discussions about it. His fate to die earlier rather than later perhaps saves him from more years of fumbling about, pretending that when or whether he lives or dies has any purpose or meaning at all.

Can't wait to read Positron by Margaret Atwood!

I started Death Never Sleeps, which is a mystery/thriller and is very good.

Finished the audio version of Shadows by Edna Buchanan – 4**** (Book on CD narrated by Robertson Dean.)
Buchanan started her writing career as a journalist working the police beat in Miami. She’s a great storyteller, making the city, itself, a character in her novels by including elements of Miami culture and history. Her characters are colorful, human, intelligent, flawed, and strong. The pace is unrelenting, though she does include a few moments of humor or tenderness to relieve the tension. I was engaged and entertained from beginning to end.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I'm taking a short one-book-break from YA at the moment, and a friend recommended Dissolution by C.J Sansom.

Dissolution

It's a murder-mystery set in Tudor England. I'm only a few chapters in, but enjoying it so far. Weird that there's no teenagers though. I keep expecting a handsome boy with chocolate eyes and a bad attitude to swagger around the corner!

Finished Citadel by Kate Mosse - blimey what a long one that was at over 900 pages! Could have easily been shortened by a couple of hundred in my opinion.

Going to start The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi now.

S.J. wrote: "...Weird that there's no teenagers though. I keep expecting a handsome boy with chocolate eyes and a bad attitude to swagger around the corner! ..."
I get that when I change from YA to adult paranormal. As a steamy scene starts I double-take and then remember it's for adults!

Finished a paranormal romance/urban fantasy book earlier today, Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson, and am about to start Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens for a classics group read.

I am reading Enders Game by Orson Scott Card.

Going to start One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson. Have enjoyed a couple of her other ones so hoping this one will be good too.

I'm starting It Happens in the Dark by Carol O'Connell.

I'm currently reading Red, White and Blue by Susan Isaacs. I have 2nd Chance by James Patterson waiting on my Kindle and I also have about 5 books waiting for me on my night stand.

Finished the audio book version of The Round House by Louise Erdrich – 4**** (Audio book narrated by Gary Farmer)
It is obvious from the dust jacket that this novel will deal with issues of justice, but the story touches upon much more than this central issue. Characters must come to grips with personal responsibility, PTSD, loyalty, alcoholism and domestic abuse. Erdrich also explores a rich cultural heritage and a loving nuclear family. Her prose is lyrical and flowing. I was a little put-off by the conspiracy of silence that envelopes the ending and would LOVE to discuss that with someone else who has read the book. The audio version is capably performed, mimicking the oral story-telling traditions of the characters.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Started reading Jasmine Nights by Julia Gregson

Gary wrote: "Reading by JT Ellison, #2 in the Samantha Owen Series"

finished it great.

Now reading by Chelsea Cain. Have read the first 5 in the series. I think its the best series I have ever read.

I am almost done with a book called icons. This is a scifi book that I would recommend for someone who is a big scifi fan.

Currently studying in Paris and reading A Moveable Feast at the same time. Does anyone else have books set in Paris to recommend? I love reading about where I am while I am traveling.

Finished reading Lookaway, Lookaway: A Novel by Wilton Barnhardt – 1.5*
When I first heard about this book I was immediately interested in it. There’s a good idea here: A once-great family slowly and inexorably declining – even disintegrating – but only on the inside, leaving an outside veneer that continues to give the impression of greatness. But I’m afraid that describes the novel as well. It has a great veneer, but it crumbles once you get inside it.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Finished the audio version of Cannery Row by John Steinbeck – 3*** (Book on CD performed by Jerry Farden.)
Steinbeck shines a light on the residents of Cannery Row – their hopes, dreams, disappointments, strengths and weaknesses. There are some hilarious moments of misadventure and some very poignant scenes that tug at the heart strings. I wish Steinbeck had made the book longer and delved deeper into Doc’s story. When I first finished, my reaction was: “Is that all?” In fact, I was going to rate the book lower, but as I write my review I find myself liking the book more.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Very different read for me as it was by audio. I'm thinking of joining and audio book club to try and get some extra reading hours in on the way to and from work.
Anyone got any audio club recommendations, I need to be able to use CDs in the li'l old Beetle!

I'm readingSomething Borrowed, Someone Dead: An Agatha Raisin Mystery, and The Driftwood Diaries, . Both good.

Finished reading Not Tonight, Honey: Wait 'Til I'm A Size 6 by Susan Reinhardt – 2**
Reinhardt has been called a “Southern Erma Bombeck.” I certainly see that comparison. This collection of essays touches on all areas of the life of the modern Southern woman – wife, mother, working woman. But like most such collections they are probably best enjoyed one or two at a time and spaced over several weeks or even months. Reading them as a book, I grew bored.
Link to my full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I am reading for an upcoming book discussion...THE PRINCE OF NANTUCKET by Jan Goldstein.

Going to start Back Spin by Harlan Coben - like his books. Myron Bolitar is a great character!

The book that has me stopping life and just reading is...Reason to Breathe