Constant Reader discussion

The Barbarian Nurseries by Hector Tobar – Audiobook performed by Frankie Alvarez – 4****
Tobar has written a social satire that examines the division and lack of understanding between two interdependent groups – the affluent suburbanites living in their gated communities versus the nearly invisible cadre of workers, mostly immigrants, many undocumented, who work to maintain the façade of perfection. The three main characters are all flawed, but each has his/her virtues as well. Tobar did get a bit preachy in the last third of the book, as he railed against the media, the injustices of the American legal system, and knee-jerk reactions of the politicians and populace. I liked that the story didn’t have a tidy resolution; the ending is realistic while being hopeful.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Outsiders by S E Hinton – Book on audio read by Jim Fyfe – 5*****
An extraordinary coming-of-age novel first published in 1967, when it touched a nerve in a generation eager for “relevant” literature. The narrator is 14-year-old Ponyboy, a member of a gang of greasers who frequently get into fights with the Socs (society kids from affluent homes). He wants desperately to be recognized for the individual that he is, not for the label attached to him. In the end the reader sees that adults are not always the enemy, “nice boys” can be cruel and hoodlums can become heroes. The audio book was capably performed by Jim Fyfe. He really brought Ponyboy, Johnny and the rest of the gang to life for me.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished reading Einstein's Dreams. ? It was a very enriching read.. Its a kind of book you would never like to finish and savour a chapter daily :) here's my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've started Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr by Nancy Isenberg. Apparently it goes against the grain of the usual take on Burr. Very readable, and interesting.

Just finished Carlos Ruis Zafon's "The Prisoner of Heaven". I am happy to have read this book. It did not seem as exquisitely crafted as the earlier two novels in this series and did not hold my attention as raptly. Perhaps there is still more to be revealed in this story of Fermin, Daniel Sempere, David Martin, and Isabella - characters whose lives were shaped and torn by events in Franco's Spain.

I picked up the May Book Page paper last time I was at the library, and just now decided to look thru it (go figure!) Anyway, right on page 7, in an article by Julie Hale, it says the TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS is Gone Girl.

So, I already know I am not going to read this based on comments here, but I have a request to one of you who did: please, please please tell me what the story-destriying twist is that is so objectionable! My curiosity is killing me!!

You could either put a big spoiler alert above the note, or just send it by Goodreads email, but really it will drive me nuts.

Tonya wrote: "II picked up the May Book Page paper last time I was at the library, and just now decided to look thru it (go figure!) Anyway, right on page 7, in an article by Julie Hale, it says the TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS is Gone Girl.

So, I already know I am not going to read this based on comments here, but I have a request to one of you who did: please, please please tell me what the story-destriying twist is that is so objectionable! My curiosity is killing me!!

You could either put a big spoiler alert above the note, or just send it by Goodreads email, but really it will drive me nuts. ..."

When I am as curious about a book as you are about this book, I read it and enjoy the complete unfolding of the story. Just telling a single twist is not only unsatisfying, but useless and flat. This particular book has many twists and turns that lead into each other. The last twist would be meaningless without context.

I don't often reread books but the moment is right, so I am just beginning GGM's One Hundred Years of Solitude which I read almost 35 years ago!

Earlier this month I finished Folly Du Jour, a book in Barbara Cleverly's series of mysteries featuring Joe Sandilands, former British Army in WWI, now at Scotland Yard. The first few books were all set in India (so he wasn't Scotland Yard then; I forget what force he was on) and I really loved them for the local color. The ones set in Europe (this one takes place in Paris) are not so hot.

I am now coming relatively close to the end of A Place of Greater Safety and although I did not like it initially, now I am finding it compelling (maybe addictive would be a better word?).

I'm also reading The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. Jury's out on this one, but if it goes the way I think it's heading, I may have to say a regretful au revoir to Armand Gamache, the soulful head detective of her Three Pines series.

Cateline wrote: "When I am as curious about a book as you are about this book, I read it and enjoy the complete unfolding of the story. Just telling a single twist is not only unsatisfying, but useless and flat. This particular book has many twists and turns that lead into each other. The last twist would be meaningless without context. "

Cateline, such a good statement.

Thanks, Larry. I feel pretty strongly about it.

I'm reading Mainstreaming Torture: Ethical Approaches in the Post-9/11 United States, by Rebecca Gordon. I rarely read nf(unless it's actually about fiction), but it's holding my interest remarkably well. I don't have a background in philosophy (or theology) but Gordon makes her discussion very accessible, explaining the different between consequentialist and deontological arguments for and against torture, and explaining the roots of the virtue ethics of recent philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre in Aristotle and Aquinas. And she argues convincingly that the ethics of torture can't be considered as though it were possible to torture a person in a single, isolated act, with the aim of getting information--the so-called ticking bomb scenario. Interesting.

An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo – 5*****
A frail and elderly Lizzie tells the story of her youth in Dresden Germany during World War II. What a wonderful and heart-warming story! Inspired by true events, Morpurgo has crafted a tale of courage, perseverance, and kindness in the face of horrific deprivation. The author doesn’t dwell on the horrors of war, but he doesn’t skip them either. He shows people doing what they believe is best and morally right despite difficulty. I kept wanting to read it aloud; I could easily imagine a teacher capturing the attention of a class with this story.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished Susan Sontag's The Benefactor, and am mere pages away from finishing Michael Frayn's The Trick of It, and I have found both to be surpringly good. Neither is a life-changing experience or anything, but both are well worth picking up and reading if you've got a free afternoon for something like that.

I'm also still reading The Recognitions, which has taken on an unwieldy, InifiteJest-like place in my life. It's also more enjoyable than I expected, but man is that a long book. And too heavy for the tram, which isn't helping.

The Frayn novel sounds like my cup of tea, and the Sontag worth having a look. Gaddis, I fear, is beyond me.

The Gaddis is a committment, that's for sure. It's a long weekend here, so I'm hoping to make some progress. I realize that I am making it sound like a chore when in fact it's very enjoyable. It's just long, and also slower than I am used to.

Sometimes I think: I need to be a retired person, so that I can have the time I need to read all these books.

Nicole wrote: "The Gaddis is a committment, that's for sure. It's a long weekend here, so I'm hoping to make some progress. I realize that I am making it sound like a chore when in fact it's very enjoyable. It's ..." Sometimes I think: I need to be a retired person, so that I can have the time I need to read all these books.

Sometimes being retired doesn't help. I don't see how I ever had time to work. I stay so busy, but it's a fun busy.

To take a break from Hilary, I enjoyed My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes by Melanie Dunea. It was pure escapism. I didn't find any recipes to try in this book, but it was a great 45 minute vacation.

This is essentially what one of the women in my book group says: she's just as busy, and now she doesn't get to take vacations anymore.

And it's true that my days off seem extra delicious because I know I'm going back to work Monday. I just took a bath with Elizabeth Bowen, and it was great (Gaddis is also to bulky for a bathtime read).

On the other hand, she also says that retirement is amazing, and her comments were made when she was on her way to her engraving/printmaking class and I was heading to the office....

Just finished Sycamore Row An engaging read. I confess I haven’t read Grisham since The Firm and Sycamore Row makes me wonder why not. I’ll definitelyrevisit his ouvre. Sycamore Row is a fine legal thriller about a contested will. Grisham can invigorate even what may seem the dullest of topics. His command of dialogue and character description is fine-tuned.

I just finished Neverwhere this morning. I didn't think I was going to like this book, as much as I did. Gaiman is a skilled writer who tells a magical story. Weaving in and out, leaving you panting to catch up. Very enjoyable. I can see the attraction to audible. Is there a movie, if not there will be, because the book kept playing in my head.

There is a movie, but impossible to cram everything in the book into a movie so it was a tad disappointing.

Then my movie was better. Hehe!

I can't believe I have never readThe Age of Innocence. Well I am rectifing that right now. It is the kind of book and writing I like. Everything flows , and the characters are fascinating.

I love AGE OF INNOCENCE, Carol. I've read it a couple times. Also a big fan of HOUSE OF MIRTH.

I know I loved The House of Mirth, so having good thoughts about this one. I have read a few of her short stories also.

I really liked The Custom of the Country, too. She is a favorite of mine.

Sherry wrote: "I really liked The Custom of the Country, too. She is a favorite of mine."

Me, too.

Recently read The Interestings. Not terribly interesting, though I perservered, and there were a few good moments. I think I found the author's language to just be slightly awkward (kind of like the title).

Just finished The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, which I read because my f2f book group is reading it. Though I appreciate the values illustrated by the book's conclusion, I had to force myself through every page in the first half--this sort of thing is just not what I'm most interested in. (I found The Interestings far more interesting.) He has a funny but stereotypical portrait of a middle-aged librarian toward the beginning of the book, filled with ridicule, and I found myself thinking: Not only do I think librarians are much more valuable members of society than spies, I would much rather read about the life of one. Of course I get that I'm in the minority.

Kat wrote: "Of course I get that I'm in the minority. "

I'm with you. I heart librarians.

:). Oh well, without spies, librarians might not exist. Not to mention I find spies far more interesting than most civilians. I believe stereotypical forms exist for a good reason.

I am reading Slip and Fall by Nick Santora. It is a bit on the brutal side, a lawyer caught up with the Mob. Crisis of conscience. I'm wondering who will survive.

Reading Anita Shreve's Stella Bain. I love the way she writes. I am appreciating the WWI setting of this novel because I've been reading a lot of history about that time in recent months.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd – 4****
Kidd has crafted an excellent work of historical fiction inspired by the true story of the Grimke sisters, Sarah and Angelina, who were famous (and infamous) abolitionists and early pioneers in seeking equal rights for women. She balances Sarah’s story by imagining the life of one of her family’s slaves – a lady’s maid and seamstress named Handful. Slavery was an ugly institution and Kidd does little to soften the view. I admired the Grimke sisters, but I loved Handful, Charlotte and Sky; they were imprisoned in body, they were not imprisoned in mind. Jenna Lamia and Adepero Oduye take turns performing the audio book.
Link to my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just finished David Baldacci's THE TARGET. For those who like thrillers, this is terrific!

Marge