Short & Sweet Treats discussion

Jessica wrote: "I just finished The Program by Suzanne Young. It was okay...not my favorite. I was drawn to the plot. However when I began reading it was more about teenage love triangles and angst. All of which j..."

Congrats, Jessica!

Rainbow-Sherbet wrote: "I've had Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch marked as currently reading for a week now and lately I just can't settle down to read it! I hear its good ..."

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is one of my absolute favorites, but then I'm a big Neil Gaiman fan :-) He and Terry Pratchett had such a great time writing it :-)

Rainbow-Sherbet wrote: "LaLaLa Laura wrote: "I just started Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children !"

Laura, that one looks good."

Ransom Riggs has come up with a truly original idea of building his story around actual "found" photographs--and the sequel, Hollow City, continues that journey, with more yet to come. The index to the pictures in each book is fascinating!

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "I just started Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children !"

Loved that book!

Oh such a great book!!!!

Halfway through the 2nd installment in the Maze Runner series, scorch Trials. Pretty good so far!

I'm thinking The Giver or Oryx and Crake next.

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "Jessica wrote: "I just finished The Program by Suzanne Young. It was okay...not my favorite. I was drawn to the plot. However when I began reading it was more about teenage love triangles and angst..."

Thanks! I just saw this so sorry for the delayed response. We had a boy! :) Already reading to him.

Jessica wrote: "LaLaLa Laura wrote: "Jessica wrote: "I just finished The Program by Suzanne Young. It was okay...not my favorite. I was drawn to the plot. However when I began reading it was more about teenage lo..."

Congratulations Jessica!! And good for you, reading to him! :)

I'm trudging through Tiffany Blues: A Martini Munrow Mystery. The title so far has absolutely nothing to do with the mystery and there are a few very unlikeable main characters.

a summer reading list for grownups!

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/559867...

I think I'll go for A Short History of Nearly Everything from the list!

Saw The Name of the Wind on there and I have to say hooray! If you are a fantasy lover of any kind this is a MUST read! I promise Rothfuss will not let you down. He's amazing!! Great storytelling, plot and amazing characters.

Great list too by the way. ;)

Good to see so many of the books I taught in my 31 years as a high school English teacher are still there. It would be nice to think of people reading them again as adults :-) Think I may revisit Fahrenheit 451, since I really enjoy Ray Bradbury.

Julia, have you checked out A Pleasure to Burn yet? It's an anthology of all of Bradbury's stories with the same themes as Fahrenheit 451, including a novella version that was later expanded into the full novel.

I've read about half of that list - a few of the ones I haven't read yet are on my to-read list, and a few more are on my never-read list.

Thanks, Melanti--I hadn't heard of A Pleasure to Burn: Fahrenheit 451 Stories. I'll definitely take a look.

Currently reading "Erotic Dysfunction". I downloaded it from amazon recently and It's quite a treat. The short stories range from totally sexy to totally absurd. Some of it made me cringe a little. There are a few duds but all in all I enjoyed the ride.

The author also placed in a few snippets of philosophical quotes which is odd for a humor book.

I am trying to read The Plague by Camus. It's my first Camus book to attempt. Anyone familiar with his work? Is he slow-paced or is it just this particular piece? I want to push through but man it's hard to without falling asleep. I might have to revisit it. If anyone has any words of advice for this one, please feel free.

In the meantime, I started Lord of the Flies. I read this my sophomore year of high school and have decided to reread it.

Jessica,
I haven't read anything by Camus, please let me know your thoughts on the author.

Currently reading The Book of Life and loving it!
Also reading my first Philippa Gregory book, The Red Queen, wonderful work!

Jessica wrote: "I am trying to read The Plague by Camus. It's my first Camus book to attempt. Anyone familiar with his work? Is he slow-paced or is it just this particular piece? I want to push throug..."

Since his stuff is highly philosophy-based, it isn't very plot heavy in the traditional sense. So although intellectually engaging and often interesting in the writing, I can see how it would feel pretty stagnant, like it isn't going anywhere. I think The Stranger is the most accessible of his books, partially because of the length.

Just finished Burial Rites, a beautifully written book about a murder that took place in Iceland in 1828.

Here is my full review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

what a very thoughtful and well written review Greg! thank you for sharing it with us!

Thanks Laura :)

I've finished Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for my f2f book club this evening. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I highly recommend Adichie's TED talk, "The Danger of a Single Story": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs...

Julia wrote: "I've finished Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for my f2f book club this evening. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I highly ..."

Sounds intriguing Julia despite the flaws. Did you have fun discussing it in your group last night?

We had quite a discussion, Greg--which started out with one man announcing loudly that he "hated" the book! I'm always reluctant to try and discuss anything with someone who begins that way--but by the end of an hour, the group of 7 had brought out the aspects of the novel that WERE done well.

I'm very glad I read the book--and as I looked at all of our Caucasian faces around that table, I can almost hear what Adichie would say about us!

I just started The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, and I'm intrigued by the alternating chapters about a 54 year old concierge and a 12 year old young girl! I find myself highlighting and laughing and pondering after only six chapters--eager to keep going :-)

This 2008 review by Michael Dirda in the Washington Postsaid:

"These two characters provide the double narrative of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and you will -- this is going to sound corny -- fall in love with both. In Europe, where Muriel Barbery's book became a huge bestseller in 2007, it has inspired the kind of affection and enthusiasm American readers bestow on the works of Alexander McCall Smith. Still, this is a very French novel: tender and satirical in its overall tone, yet most absorbing because of its reflections on the nature of beauty and art, the meaning of life and death."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...


Muriel Barbery is a professor of philosophy and novelist in France. A film was made of this book in 2009 called The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson)

Here is a list from amazon of 100 children's books to read. http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&n...

I am reading Peter Pan right now. I have ambiguous feelings about it. How old is Peter Pan? Is he a spirit? I think I am getting confused with the Disney version.

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "I am reading Peter Pan right now. I have ambiguous feelings about it. How old is Peter Pan? Is he a spirit? I think I am getting confused with the Disney version."

The book is more eerie than the movie and odd too (otherworldly). If I remember correctly, the dog talked? I enjoyed it though, a quick read. One of those books that requires "suspension of disbelief."

Maybe it's closer to the Peter Pan presented in Once Upon A Time. He is a very dark character in the show.

yes, Greg. they refer to the dog as Nana and he takes care of them. it is a quick read. I'm not too far in yet.

I will check that out too Ashley! it definitely has an eerie-ness about it to me.

I just finished re-re-reading The Yellow Wallpaper. Now I'm halfway through A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf and a quarter way through The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. A totally accidental theme read - the books go well together.

For anyone who hasn't read A Room of One's Own, I highly recommend it, even if you're not generally a lover of Woolf's techniques. I'm a Woolf fan in general (and hence perhaps biased), but I'm thinking this essay may be accessible even to those who aren't. So far a really ingenious essay on women writers and the overall circumstances of women up to the time of her writing .. the exact opposite of dry or dull.

Ashley wrote: "Maybe it's closer to the Peter Pan presented in Once Upon A Time. He is a very dark character in the show."

That was a well done story line on part of OUAT. I was disappointed with the Wicked Witch and unsure of how they will do The Snow Queen.

you have a literary girl power theme going, Greg!

Greg wrote: "Jessica wrote: "I am trying to read The Plague by Camus. It's my first Camus book to attempt. Anyone familiar with his work? Is he slow-paced or is it just this particular piece? I wan..."

Thank you for the help! I have not given up on the book so that's good. I have had to take it bit by bit to digest what I read. I am a little over halfway through the book. My interest in the story/what Camus is discussing has picked up quite a bit. I have found it interesting to watch the way society and the characters are breaking down in their current situation of being faced with the plague. I will be reading The Stranger at some point for sure.

Have you read any of Pynchon's pieces? I would like to discuss that with someone if they have.

Greg wrote: "I just finished re-re-reading The Yellow Wallpaper. Now I'm halfway through A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf and a quarter way through [book:The Handmaid's Tale|3844..."

I love love love The Handmaid's Tale! It is such an amazing piece of literature. What's scary is, as you read it, you start to get paranoid because it could happen and is going on in some parts of the world. Reality can be some scary business, lol.

@Jessica, I've only read The Crying of Lot 49. I read it over 20 years ago though. Do you like Pynchon?

That's the piece I just read. I want to like him but I'm not sure I'm getting the full scope of his writing. I know there are layers upon layers to his work. I think I might have benefitted from reading The Crying of Lot 49 in a classroom setting. Having group discussion about it. Im in search of a guide or something of that nature about that piece.

I just received my copy of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami--stayed up late last night and will finish it today. My favorite of his remains the magical realism of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

@Jessica, I wasn't crazy about The Crying Lot of 49 to tell the truth. To me, Pynchon might be a bracing intellectual experience, but at least in this book, I didn't have much of an emotional connection to the characters or their stories. Maybe others have a better understanding of this author that can share? You can find some information about the novel on Wikipedia: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cr...

Julia wrote: "I just received my copy of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami--stayed up late last night and will finish it today. My favorite of ..."

Julia, do you think that's a good one start with for someone who hasn't read Murakami before? I did some research, but I haven't decided which book to start with yet?

Greg wrote: "Julia wrote: "I just received my copy of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami--stayed up late last night and will finish it today. M..."

I just finished the book, Greg, and have to say I was disappointed. This didn't feel like a Murakami book to me.

My favorite by him is Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, the one I recommend as a starting place. I'm a fan of magical realism, and consider him a master of that genre.

Thanks Julia!

@Julia have you read IQ84? I have it in audio format but haven't tackled the thickness if it yet. Do you feel the one mentioned above us better suited for beginners of his style/writing? I have heard good things about After Midnight. Have you read that one yet?

His work is so intriguing and I think I would love it. The size can be intimidating though. Although I've read stuff at that length, it never takes away the intimidation lol.

I just finished re-reading The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman & The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee and just finished reading A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. Almost done with re-reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Just started reading Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov.

Sounds like you had many enjoyable books to read, Greg!

Wow, Greg--take time to breathe lol! You still have The Amber Spyglass to look forward to--eager to hear what you think of the whole His Dark Materials trilogy when you're finished.

I'm reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich for two of my book clubs.

I enjoyed them Julia & Jen, all good books! :) I knew I'd like most of them, but I've very pleasantly surprised by Pale Fire, so clever and funny!

I finished A Room of One's Own on my plane trip to and from Seattle visiting my partner's sister & nephew. He's 2 years old now and calls me Uncle Greg. When they dropped us off at the airport to come back, he said "Uncle Greg no go." His mom explained that we had to go, and he said "no go home." So adorable! I had so much fun there .. we all went to the aquarium and blackberry picking.

I absolutely loved A Room of One's Own, but that didn't surprise me at all because I've never yet met a book by Woolf I didn't like!

And Julia I am also greatly enjoying my Pullman re-reads! Let us know what you think of Erdrich when you're done - I've had friends that loved her work and others that didn't.

Jen, when did you want to start the Penelopiad? I could start next week if you're ready. By then I should be done with The Handmaid's Tale. Only a couple chapters left.