Reading 1001 discussion
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Karen's 2019 Randomised Reading List
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Yes! I have one that is in English! It sounds quite interesting as well :)
I finished Loving by Henry Green. 3 stars.Loving is set in a country house in Ireland during the Second World War. The focus of the novel is on the servants of the house, their daily lives and loves, but there are some scenes focusing on the owner and her daughter-in-law. The claustrophobic atmosphere is heightened as none of the main characters are Irish, but English, and consider themselves better than their fellow workers. The cook will not let the maids associate with the Irish delivery drivers (but is this because they are actually also delivering her alcohol supply?) The threat of the IRA and their campaign of terror is present and the characters respond to the war in intriguing ways; some are worried that Ireland may be invaded by the Germans, even though a neutral country, or wanting to go and fight, or others want to sit out the war.
The plot, such as it is, feature small incidents which are continually hashed over and discussed - an appearing and reappearing ring, peacocks(more specifically the corpse of one), a visiting insurance salesman. The dialogue is unusual but the characterization is a little flat. It also has fairytale links, particularly the start and end.
I was expecting to love this and I am a little disappointed. But I would like to try one of the author's other works. Also, I think this would benefit from a second reading, to make sense of some of the themes and the details that the author has added.
May I have a new book please?
I finished Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus by John Arbuthnot, Alexander Pope etc. 3 stars.Martinus Scriblerus (also published just as Scriblerus) was written by a group of eighteenth century writers who came together from 1714 until the 1740s. Martinus Scriblerus was a character created to further their satirical aims and in particular, in this work to satirise the abuse of learning and society's dependence on tradition. The "hero" grows up a bit of a mess! Included in the satire is the legal profession as Martin falls in love with a conjoined twin and is taken to court.
If you love Tristram Shandy, you will love this book. I enjoyed it, but would have benefitted from picking an edition with some notes as I could not translate all the Latin and a few of the references went over my head. But I liked it and would read it again.
May I have a new book please?
May I use my points to swap out The Time Machine please? I read it last year and did not like it much.
I finished Flowers for Mrs Harris (US title is Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris) by Paul Gallico. 4 stars.I wanted to read Randomizer books to find great books that I would not normally read, but have been on a run of 3 star picks lately. This book has broken that run. I loved it.
The plot originally sounded a little ludicrous to me (I dislike clothes shopping though). A London char sees a £450 Dior dress in her employer's wardrobe and longs to own a dress like it herself. We follow her through the years it takes her to save up the funds and her trip to Paris. Along the way she makes new friends, overcomes some of her own prejudices and both changes other people's lives and allows them to change hers. The ending is sad, happy and satisfying, all at once. Goals can be realized, with determination, hardwork and bravery.
The book is a quick read but that is partly because it is so hard to put down. I highly recommend it.
May I have a new book please?
Mod
Mod
Smiley's People John le Carre
I have read:1. Loving by Henry Green
2. Scriblerus by John Arbuthnot etc
3. Flowers for Mrs Harris (Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris ) - Paul Gallico
I swapped out
1. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
2. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Plus various sadly untranslated ones.
So the four remaining should be:
1. At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
2. City Sister Silver by Jàchym Topol
3. The Holder of the World - Bharati Mukherjee
4. Smiley's People by John Le Carre
Mod
I need an incentive to start reading these books again. May I swap out The Holder of the World - Bharati Mukherjee as this is the one I am least interested in. I have the points. Hopefully I can get a nice piece of pre-twentieth century literature that I am interested in reading. Here is where I get Ulysses...
Mod
I finished The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino. 3 stars.2019 seems to be the year I read weird books. Titus Groan, The Young Bride, this book...
So we have two books within a book that parallel each other as two groups of travellers find themselves at a castle/inn, find themselves unable to speak and try to tell their stories using tarot cards. The concept is brilliant, the execution less so.
The stories vary; some seem folkloric in origin, some are classic tales retold - Hamlet, Lear and Macbeth for example. It is interesting to see how the different cards are reused in different stories. I was just expecting something more...
I have never read Calvino before, but I definitely want to read something else by him.
May I have a new book please?
Mod
✔ 2) Scriblerus by John Arbuthnot etc
✔ 3) Flowers for Mrs Harris (Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris ) - Paul Gallico
4)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway5)
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells6) At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
7) City Sister Silver by Jàchym Topol
8) The Holder of the World - Bharati Mukherjee9) Smiley's People by John Le Carre
✔ 10) The Castle of Crossed Destinies Italo Calvino
11) Murphy Samuel Beckett
-9 PP book swap