All About Books discussion

I started The Comforters by Muriel Spark.

Evelyn wrote: "Yes Chrissie, and yet I still went out today. The sky is so blue, not a cloud in it, sun shining brightly and down by the river the steam was billowing off the water and had covered the trees in th..."

Evelyn, that sounds lovely! It's a lot like some scenes I've been reading in Doctor Zhivago! Here in Vancouver, winter is back with a vengeance after a fairly mild spell! Snow in the next few days, yuck! Just not my thing, haha!

Alice I hear you, that damp cold is quite different than our dry cold

I have begun Brooklyn. So far I am liking it.

An Unquiet Ghost by Linda Stratmann and The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis

I've started The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 3, more specifically I'm now reading The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.

dely wrote: "I started The Comforters by Muriel Spark."

Oooooh, I have not read that one. I wonder how it will be.

Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "I started The Comforters by Muriel Spark."

Oooooh, I have not read that one. I wonder how it will be."

Till now the story is weird and I don't know where the author wants to lead the reader.

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "I started The Comforters by Muriel Spark."

Oooooh, I have not read that one. I wonder how it will be."

Till now the story is weird and I ..."

Hmmm, I have never heard of the one you are reading, Is it a short story? She usually keeps you thinking, to figure put what in the world could be going on!

Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "Hmmm, I have never heard of the one you are reading, Is it a short story? She usually keeps you thinking, to figure put what in the world could be going on!
"

No, it has 200 pages. A few strange things happen but the reader still doesn't know how they are linked. Till now the connections are feeble (to tell the truth I couldn't see any connections till now) and those things are so different from each other that I don't have a clue about what will happen. And after 100 pages, half of the book, I start getting impatient and annoyed by not knowing what is going on. It also isn't a mystery where the reader is curious to know what will happen. It hasn't the involvement of a mystery (though I'm not a mystery fan for this same reason: I don't have patience to wait till the end to know who the murder is).

Will be starting The Italian Party.

dely, my favorites have been A Far Cry from Kensington and Loitering with Intent, both of which I gave five stars. I should also point out there are plenty of hers I have given three stars........it is just that I keep returning in the case I will hit another winner.

She always has a mystery element in her stories. I don't usually go for mysteries, but the are not your typical mysteries. She is clever. She is witty. Usually she also has an interesting theme. She does not force religion down your throat. Do you see the humor? If you are not seeing the humor she may not be for you, but I have not read the one you are reading so I really cannot judge!

Try not to be inpatient. The thing is that as I am thinking about how all the pieces hang together I am enjoying the humor. ......and if you do not see the humor well then I guess I can understand your boredom.

Chrissie wrote: "dely, my favorites have been A Far Cry from Kensington and Loitering with Intent, both of which I gave five stars. I should also point out there are plenty of hers I have ..."

For me it's her first book. I decided to read it because of my Novel-Cure-Challenge because it is recommended to people that think to be crazy (I don't think this about me, but seen that a lot of you like her books and seen that I liked the plot, I decided to give it a try).

Yes, there is religion. One of the characters converted to Catholicism but I can see that it isn't a book about religion because it isn't preachy.
I could see the humor at the beginning, now I don't find it anymore funny :/ I continue reading because I want to know how all the events and people are linked and because I hope that the end will give me some satisfaction.

Diane S ☔ wrote: "Will be starting The Italian Party."

I'm always curious to know if such books set in Italy tell the truth! But I'm also afraid so I avoid books by foreign authors that write about Italy.

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely, my favorites have been A Far Cry from Kensington and Loitering with Intent, both of which I gave five stars. I should also point out there are plent..."

My fingers are crossed that it will satisfy you.

Chrissie wrote: "My fingers are crossed that it will satisfy you.
"

I finished it and it was a real disappointment. I've read some reviews to see if I missed something, but the book doesn't make sense to me. Maybe the author wanted to talk about good and evil? How the evil can be disguised behind good and viceversa? I have to think about it but I didn't enjoy it at all. I also didn't like the characters, not even one. Most of them had a hidden life and the reader isn't able to understand their behaviour, which was the truth. I'm pretty confused. The book also hasn't a real plot and there is no depth. I've also read that it is in part autobiographical, before the author's conversion to Catholicism.

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "My fingers are crossed that it will satisfy you.
"

I finished it and it was a real disappointment. I've read some reviews to see if I missed something, but the book doesn't make ..."

Good to know that that is not a good one by Spark. On the religious theme I think you are looking for something different than I am.

Chrissie wrote: "Good to know that that is not a good one by Spark. On the religious theme I think you are looking for something different than I am. "

Before starting it, I didn't know it could have a religious theme so I was not looking for it.

I have completed Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín.

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

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Good to know that that is not a good one by Spark. On the religious theme I think you are looking for something different than I am. "

Before starting it, I didn't know it could h..."

Which Spark book are you guys talking about? A Far Cry... or Loitering...?

Nichole wrote: "Which Spark book are you guys talking about? A Far Cry... or Loitering...? "

We are talking about The Comforters.

It's set in Sienna, Dely in 1956 and so far it is atmospheric and fun. Quite witty.

Does anyone know if I can add a note to a book on my To Read shelf?
I’d like to add a note reminding me to seek out a specific audiobook version.

Joan wrote: "Does anyone know if I can add a note to a book on my To Read shelf?
I’d like to add a note reminding me to seek out a specific audiobook version."

Joan, on your My Books page, select "settings" (top right) and tick the "Notes" box, then save.
A column will open up to allow you to add notes to a book.

I read 70% of Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee yesterday. I couldn't put it down!

Petra, thanks

Joan wrote: "Petra, thanks"

Glad it helped.

Currently listening to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I think I found it from Diane S and I'm glad I picked it up.

Joan wrote: "Does anyone know if I can add a note to a book on my To Read shelf?
I’d like to add a note reminding me to seek out a specific audiobook version."

What you can do is on the page where you write your review for the book, there is a box for private notes that are shown only to you. There you can remind yourself which narrator to choose for the audiobook.

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Good to know that that is not a good one by Spark. On the religious theme I think you are looking for something different than I am. "

Before starting it, I didn't know it could h..."

Well since she converted to being Catholic.......she never pushes religion down your throat. I am though reluctant to read The Mandelbaum Gate though. Religion has to play an important role there AND the audiobook narrator is one I detest consistently, i.e. Frederick Davidson.

Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Good to know that that is not a good one by Spark. On the religious theme I think you are looking for something different than I am. "

Before starting it, I didn't kn..."

I don't think I will read other books by her. At least not in the near future.

I started reading The Golden Ass by Apuleius. It is so funny!

Have to admit that title makes me grin, Dely.

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Good to know that that is not a good one by Spark. On the religious theme I think you are looking for something different than I am. "

Before startin..."

Your choice.

Diane S ☔ wrote: "Have to admit that title makes me grin, Dely."

Lol, not ass --> butt, but ass --> donkey :D

Till now I had always problems with ancient Latin authors, but this one is really good, flowing and well written.

I have begun Sing, Unburied, Sing. So many say the author writes well, so I wanted to see for myself.

I thought so, Dely. Still makes me smile though..

So curious what you will think, Chrissie.

Started Halsey Street

dely wrote: "Diane S ☔ wrote: "Have to admit that title makes me grin, Dely."

Lol, not ass --> butt, but ass --> donkey :D

Till now I had always problems with ancient Latin authors, but this one is really goo..."

LOL we have a running debate in my house. I use ass for animals, body parts and fools.
The four English speakers differentiate between asses and arses.
I can't even say arse the way they do - sort of ahhhss.

Diane S ☔ wrote: "I thought so, Dely. Still makes me smile though..

So curious what you will think, Chrissie.

Started Halsey Street"

Me too.

dely wrote: "I started reading The Golden Ass by Apuleius. It is so funny!"

Would you describe the humor. I am considering it.Maybe......

Chrissie wrote: "dely wrote: "I started reading The Golden Ass by Apuleius. It is so funny!"

Would you describe the humor. I am considering it.Maybe......"

I try to explain it. If in Sparks book there was humour, I wasn't able to see it and laugh. So it isn't the same humour as Spark's.
This one is about things that happen but above all how the author writes about it. There are sometimes things that told by different persons sound differently: one tells you a story in a neutral way, the other one tells you in a funny way the same event and you laugh.
In this book the homour is above all about weird events that happen. Though there could be nothing funny in witches that turn a person into a turtle killing his companion, the author writes about it in a funny way. When the next morning this companion stands up as if he was still alive, you laugh about the fright and shock of the other one. Apuleius really writes very well about such things.

I don't know if you could like this book. There is a plot (the main character himself will be turned into a donkey during one of his travels), but the main character meets a lot of people who tell him magical stories and events that "really" happened. It isn't stories in a story because those side-stories are very short, but I don't know if you may like these digressions. Till now I have met only one long side story (if it can be called side-story seen that is is also published as a story itself) but I really enjoyed it. It was the famous story about Cupid and Psyche.
As usual, we have to try a book to see if we like it though it has nothing of the things we usually like.

dely, you are very helpful. Nope not for me. It sounds similar to Don Quixote type humor.

Thank you.

Chrissie wrote: "dely, you are very helpful. Nope not for me. It sounds similar to Don Quixote type humor.

Thank you."

Yes, I remember that you didn't like Don Quixote while I loved it.

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "dely, you are very helpful. Nope not for me. It sounds similar to Don Quixote type humor.

Thank you."

Yes, I remember that you didn't like Don Quixote while I loved it."

I do not really undertand how different people react so differently. I mean, we are friends we agree on a lot but not here!

Chrissie wrote: "I do not really undertand how different people react so differently. I mean, we are friends we agree on a lot but not here! "

Lol, I know. I think it's impossible to find two persons, though with similar tastes, that like or dislike always the same books.
I think that in this case it depends on how we see humour.

Will now begin The Friend.

Please cross your fingers for me. My last book was terrible.

Disappointed for you, Chrissie, about your last book. Nothing can be so frustrating as a book you ate like that i.e. terrible.

I have started my book from the recommendation swap - Between Shades of Gray, a YA historical fiction about a Lithuanian girl whose family is sent to Siberia by the Russians in 1941.

B the BookAddict wrote: "Disappointed for you, Chrissie, about your last book. Nothing can be so frustrating as a book you ate like that i.e. terrible."

Mmmmnm. And the one I am reading now is not good either. It goes on and on and on and has no point at all.

I’m reading The Man Who Watched Trains Go By; it is very, very strange.
I picked it up at the library “blind date with a book” promotion. It was wrapped in brown paper with only a brief description of the story.