30 Days of Book Talk discussion

Currently I am listening to David Copperfield narrated by the excellent Richard Armitage.

I like it, but not that much. It seems to be one of my bookish idiosyncrasies that I prefer Dickens novels with an omniscient third person narrator (with the exception of my favourite Dickens: Bleak House, but there is a mixture of 1st and 3rd person narration).

My very first Dickens was Great Expectations at university and I disliked it quite vehemently. (I should give it another try, though), so I avoided D for quite a long while. Then I decided I should really give him another chance, so I read Dombey and Son next, which I liked a great deal better. Then came Our Mutual Friend and Bleak House, both of which I loved.

The other book I am reading is I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (author of the The 101 Dalmatians). I find it absolutely lovely. They made a film of it some years ago which I loved and reading the book now, I think the filmmakers did credit to the novel.

I am currently almost done with quite a lenghty non-fiction work that is coursing at 4 stars: Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present. The parallels to the modern world are uncanny

Sounds very interesting, Henk!

Listening to "Sanditon" by Jane Austen, and then comes The Watsons. I believe Sanditon was the book she was working on just before her death. She gives the characters their full names at the beginning and then they become "Lady D." or "Mr P." If she had lived to finish it I think it would have outshone some of her finished novels.

RE: Great Expectations, you're not alone. I started reading Dickens when I was rather too young for the exercise (like 9 or 10) and my first was Oliver Twist. I don't remember if I chose it because of the movie--probably not. But GE is standard assigned reading for university level Eng Lit courses, and I too found it dire. The first chapter really sets the tone for it, all those graves.

Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) wrote: "Listening to "Sanditon" by Jane Austen, and then comes The Watsons. I believe Sanditon was the book she was working on just before her death. She gives the characters their full names at the beginn..."

But how can you bear the fact that the book’s unfinished?

Melindam wrote: "Currently I am listening to David Copperfield narrated by the excellent Richard Armitage.

I like it, but not that much. It seems to be one of my bookish idiosyncr..."

I loved the movie “I capture the castle” as well. I haven’t read the book yet though. I’m reading several books right now, but the one that has captured my attention most is a none fiction theory on complex systems written by a very interesting Iranian scholar in Farsi.

I really wish I could find a book to get lost in.

But how can you bear the fact that the book’s unfinished?

These are the trials and tribulations of a completionist. If I never read these fragments I'd never really be easy in my mind.

Melindam, I read "I Capture the Castle" a few years ago and was less charmed than I hoped to be. But then I know for a fact I read 101 Dalmatians and The Starlight Barking as a kid and really liked them, while when I dipped into them last year I just couldn't. So it's me, I guess.

Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) wrote: "But how can you bear the fact that the book’s unfinished?

These are the trials and tribulations of a completionist. If I never read these fragments I'd never really be easy in my mind.

Melindam,..."

Cassandra is a very verbose storyteller and her narration is all over the place, undoubtedly. :D
But right now I am in a frame of mind that rather appreciates it.

Just finished David Copperfield, FINALLY, I should add.

I gave it 3 stars in the end. There were parts I loved and others that I was completely bored with.

But now that I boarded the Dickens train, I will be rereading Dombey and Son.

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I can’t believe it but the book I’m reading is here on goodreads too.

Melindam, I think you’ve already read Cold comfort farm, but in case you haven’t, I think you might like it.

Well, Melindam, Dickens is pretty verbose too, esp. in Dombey and Son. I don't think I actually finished that one. I remember my brother was in the play "Dracula" in highschool and one of the women is looking for a book to take to bed. "Oh, Dombey and Son! That will put me to sleep right away!"

"It"

As if I'd only be reading one book at a time. I'm actively in the middle of five books, and have a few more I intend to finish when I get back to them.

:) Sounds "normal" to me, Bill. :)

Bill wrote: ""It"

As if I'd only be reading one book at a time. I'm actively in the middle of five books, and have a few more I intend to finish when I get back to them."
I hear that! Sometimes I have to take a firm grip of myself and make me finish a few of the books I start. Especially with an ebook reader, it's so easy to "taste" a book and then another and another.

I made some progress on my currently-reading pile over the holiday weekend. I'm down to five that I'm 'actively reading' and another four gathering dust with bookmarks in them. I'm happy to see the 'gathering dust' pile getting smaller.

I finished a book that's been on my ereader for ages, not stunning but I had a bout of insomnia and didn't want to think very hard. Armadillos and Old Lace filled the bill I guess.

Currently tackling this monster: Capital and Ideology by Thomas Piketty. It's very interesting but also very large

I like large books from time to time. I just got The Normans in Sicily in the mail.