All About Books discussion

Greg wrote: "Pam wrote: "
I love your explanation Greg! And, I agree. I haven't read any of the authors you listed...yet. .."

Thanks Pam! :)

If you haven't read "Bliss" by Katherine Mansfield, I highly recom..."

I will check it out! Thanks Greg!

Starting Red Sky at Noon.

I gave up on the book with unicorn stories and am almost finished w God Emperor of Dune (#4 in the series). It's good but very different than the first 3- much more philosophical. I'm also reading Winter of the World (Bk2 in the Century Trilogy) and Berlin, Vol. 1: City of Stones (graphic novel set during the twilight years of the Weimar Republic). They work well together!

I'm also planning on reading Autumn, which several of you have mentioned. I guess it's popular since there is a long Hold list at my library!

I've started The Satyricon. I'm not enjoying it so far, but I decided to continue.

Marina wrote: "I've started The Satyricon. I'm not enjoying it so far, but I decided to continue."

I gave up with that one. It was so boring and seen that there are only pieces of the story, seen that the whole manuscript hasn't been found, I wasn't able to follow the story. There were also more notes than written lines of the book and after a while I had enough.

Marina wrote: "I've started The Satyricon. I'm not enjoying it so far, but I decided to continue."

That's too bad Marina and dely! I've always been curious to give that one a try.

I will now read Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf. I return to the classics when contemporary books fail me. Of course, classics can disappoint too.

Chrissie wrote: "I will now read Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf. I return to the classics when contemporary books fail me. Of course, classics can disappoint too."

I haven't read that one yet Chrissie!

Greg wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I will now read Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf. I return to the classics when contemporary books fail me. Of course, classics can disappoint too."

I ha..."

Right off the bat, I notice how much I appreciate Woolf's writing. In this book, at least so far, Woolf's stream of consciousness is not hard to follow. I am OK with stream of consciousness if I think as the person in the book thinks. Woolf's words are just plain magnificent. I do not know how I will view the bookk in the end b/c not just words make a novel. There is plot and character portrayal and humor and just so much more! Really, when you think of all that is involved in creating a novel, one cannot help but marvel.

Chrissie wrote: "Greg wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I will now read Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf. I return to the classics when contemporary books fail me. Of course, classics can disappoin..."

Thanks for letting me know Chrissie! Maybe this should be my next Woolf!

You get like a whirlwind of flash visions. There and then gone.Jacob's Room is not going to fit everybody. Hard to describe.

Chrissie- it sounds great, thanks I will be reading it.
Was the narration good?

Joan, re Jacob's Room, I just finished it two seconds ago. I liked it a LOT, so four stars is what I will give it.

Actress Juliet Stevenson narrates. Her performance is fantastic. Superb, could not be better.

Thanks Chrissie, I’ve learned that audiobooks are the better way for me to enjoy lyrically written books. A good narrator brings out the sounds and rhythms more than I do reading to myself.

Joan, I have noted that occasionally outdated writing found in some classics can be more easily swallowed in the audiobook format.Jacob's Room thought does not have outdated writing. It is the really old classics that can be troublesome in this way. I am still working on my review....... I have not had much time.

I have begun Restoration by Rose Tremain.

I'm close to finishing Conn Iggulden's Bloodline (War of the Roses series, #3). Very engaging read and I liked the copious amount of historical details and facts.

I have started The Shape of Water. This is a mystery and it is just supposed to be fun. I do not think such a book should require note-taking. Will I understand it?

The Shape of Water was not a book for me. I stopped listening after only a couple of chapters.I could not keep straight who was who. Inspector Montalbano didn't appeal to me. I guess I was expecting a character something like Marshal Guarnaccia in Magdalen Nabb's mystery series. Nabb's is set in Florence, Camerelli's in Sicily.

I will start Hag-Seed: The Tempest Retold by Margaret Atwood in stead.

Chrissie wrote: "The Shape of Water was not a book for me. I stopped listening after only a couple of chapters.I could not keep straight who was who. Inspector Montalbano didn't appeal to me. I guess ..."

My husband and I enjoyed Voice of the Violin , which is a later book in the series; although, we have not decided whether we want to read any more of them.

Joan, I felt no affinity for the inspector at all. And the Italian names were super confusing and on the whole mysteries are NOT my thing.......

Joan, I was just told a second ago that the first in the series is terrible. IF one chooses to read the Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri, one should start with the second, NOT the first.

That's sometimes the case, Chrissie. I don't read many mystery series but have that the second (and beyond) books in both the Three Pines series by Louise Penny and the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters are better than the first. That doesn't mean that the first books are terrible; just not as good as the rest of the series.
Perhaps it takes the author some time to get into the life of the characters?

Petra, I totally agree that the first in the Cadfael serie is not at all as good as the rest. Still, I could read it and give it three stars.

I've started reading Youth Without God. I'm liking it so far.

Marina wrote: "I've started reading Youth Without God. I'm liking it so far."

Wonderful book! I'm sure you will like it.

dely wrote: "Marina wrote: "I've started reading Youth Without God. I'm liking it so far."

Wonderful book! I'm sure you will like it."

I read your review and saw you loved it. I hope I'll like it as much as you did.

Started reading The story of a humble Christian by Ignazio Silone.

It's an old book I had at home and I don't remember if I've read it in the past or not. Till I don't receive the books I bought yesterday, I will read such old books I have at home.

I am listening to Augustown read by Dona Croll. The dialect has a strong impact on the telling of the story. The setting is Jamaica.

I'm reading The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Enjoying it so far :)

I'm reading Erasure by Percival Everett.

I could not finish Erasure. It will be added to my list of "abandoned" books.

I'm now starting Chemistry by Weike Wang.

I'm reading "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins

I've started Night Flight. It seems good, and the writing is wonderful.

That one I liked a lot. Excellent writing. I hope you enjoy it, Marina. Anything Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes will have you thinking.

That's good to know, Chrissie. I'm about halfway through it and really enjoying it.

Marina wrote: "That's good to know, Chrissie. I'm about halfway through it and really enjoying it."

Check out The Tale of the Rose: The Love Story Behind The Little Prince. I loved it. It is for those who love Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. When I read it, when it first came out, the reviews were terrible. The two fit each other; I do not think you can judge two in a couple separately.

Thanks, Chrissie. I loved The Little Prince. However, after reading your review I don't think I would like Consuelo's book. I think this would hit too close to home. As you know, I had a long-term relationship with a man who (you might not know this) was a poet, although by no means a famous one. However, he had the personality of an artist, he thought and acted as one. I'm not the best judge of his poetry, so I won't say anything about that. After reading your review and the blurb, I have a feeling that my ex acted a lot like Saint-Exupéry. I don't want to see myself in Consuelo. Obviously the story must be extremely different from mine, I'm sure of that, but I don't wish to hear echoes of my past. I hope you'll understand. Thanks for recommending the book to me anyway. Maybe one day I will be ready to read it.

Marina wrote: "Thanks, Chrissie. I loved The Little Prince. However, after reading your review I don't think I would like Consuelo's book. I think this would hit too close to home. As you know, I ha..."

No, I did not know your ex was a poet. Artists of all sorts are impossible to live with. I can understand completely why you would NOT want to read the book given your past experiences. Sorry, I did not know enough about your ex, other than his cruelty and obnoxious behavior, to understand that the book would be a bad choice for YOU! Books and people have to be properly matched.

Reading A Tangled Mercy and soon to start The Last Man in Europe.

Diane S, I look forward to learning your reactions to A Tangled Mercy.

No need to be sorry, Chrissie. You couldn't have known. I agree with you, books and people have to be properly matched. That's why something that works for someone might not work for someone else. But to me it's good that we're all so different!

I've now started The Willows. It's my second book by Algernon Blackwood and I hope I'll enjoy it as much as I did the first one (The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories).

I have chosen Thirteen Moons to do next. Probably I will not get around to finishing it until January.

Chrissie wrote: "Marina wrote: "Thanks, Chrissie. I loved The Little Prince. However, after reading your review I don't think I would like Consuelo's book. I think this would hit too close to home. As..."

My friend is married to an artist. They argue so much I often wonder how they can stand to be together but it doesn't seem to worry my friend at all.

I've started Reading the Ceiling for my around the world project. The author is from The Gambia.

I have started Winter by Ali Smith, the second in her seasonal series. I find it a bit weird, but I have just begun. It is too early to make a judgment.

Given the cold weather right now, I think I am going to hibernate and settle in with The Frozen Thames.

Marina wrote: "Thanks, Chrissie. I loved The Little Prince. However, after reading your review I don't think I would like Consuelo's book. I think this would hit too close to home. As you know, I ha..."

The opera adaptation of The Little Prince by Rachel Portman is wonderful
https://youtu.be/gZW2jZYG5B4