Bailey's/Orange Women's Fiction Group discussion

This is a thread to discuss any books you are currently reading.

i have two books i began reading yesterday:
* Jonah's Gourd Vine, by Zora Neale Hurston, and
* Land of Love and Drowning, by Tiphanie Yanique

the hurston is interesting, so far. the yanique is... odd.

lately, i seem to be experiencing a run of 'meh' reads, which is putting me in a bummer of a book mood!

i would love to read an excellent, sweeping saga - something that is wonderfully written and easy to get lost in. do you have any suggestions? i would be so happy to hear your recommendations! something like The Signature of All Things, which i found meaty, interesting and a wonderful escape! :)

thanks for all of those recommendations, michelle! how awesome of you to take the time!! did you glance at my shelves? i have read some of them already. others mentioned i own so will look at them. would you say any of the ones you have suggested have that epic/sweeping nature to them (family stories over long periods of time)?

Hi Jennifer! the book that came to mind for me when reading this is The Son, which I thought was great.

A few other ideas, none of which I've read (yet), are classic family sagas like Roots: The Saga of an American Family or The Thorn Birds.

I had other ideas but see you've read them :)

Jen wrote: "Hi Jennifer! the book that came to mind for me when reading this is The Son, which I thought was great..."

ooh - thanks, jen! i own 'the son'. hmm.... i was talking to my mum about colleen mccullough last year - i have not read her since i was in my late-teens, so i was wanting to revisit her. her recent death was so sad, and made me kick myself for not acting sooner on the rereads. your suggestion is a great one!

Michelle wrote: "This might be the type of book that you are looking for, Jennifer. I started this novel, but have not finished it, but it does seem to have some similiarities to "The Signature of All Things." It..."

i had not heard of this book before, michelle. thank you for putting it on my radar - sounds great!! and i love debut novels. i really appreciate your suggestion.

so for my light relief from epic tomes, freezing temperatures and names I can't pronounce! I have been reading some more of Edward Marston's Home Front series. He writes crime but set in all different times - this one is during the first world war and a Conscientious Objector is murdered in the East End of London. But with thousands dying at the front why should anyone care? So in steps our faithful Inspector. These are very good for an engaging read that tests your whodunit skills without requiring a big commitment of time!
I have read
and and am now wandering through

sorry penny -- which book images did you share?

has it not come through to you Jennifer? On mine its OK. The books are A Bespoke Murder, Instrument of Slaughter and Five Dead Canaries .

these are providing light relief from Ice Road and after wading through The Goldfinch - which went on forever!!

Penny wrote: "has it not come through to you Jennifer?..."

sorry penny. the images don't come through on the app at all. they used to show as just a weird blob. then sometimes they showed as tiny boxes with a '?' in them. now there's just vacant space. periodically, i uninstall and reinstall, just to see if it's been fixed.

so it shows as, from your previous post:

i have read 
and and am now wandering 
through 

(i had to use the < pre > formatting so the spaces would hold, so you could see what i meant. the font usually looks normal on the app. not like typewriter font. heh!)

this is why i asked previously about using the word links for title and authors. i go back and forth between laptop and app on my iPhone. but many people on GR only use the app. so it makes for a challenge. the default for linking is the words, not the images. users have to change it to 'cover' or 'photo' (for the author), so i hoped that would be an easy thing for people to do, not click for images and just stick with the words. it's one of the biggest complaints for GR, well, among many of the problems with the app that people voice. they (GR) know about all the problems but, so far, it hasn't made the priority list.

********

and, ha!! i had to laugh. 'the goldfinch' really did go on forever. wow.

Jennifer wrote: "i would love to read an excellent, sweeping saga - something that is wonderfully written and easy to get lost in. do you have any suggestions?..."

One book I've just found in a secondhand bookshop is All That Swagger by Miles Franklin. I've been meaning to read it for a while.

It's an oldie - published in 1936 (not sure if older books appeal to you). It was one of Franklin's major literary successes (the other being My Brilliant Career). It spans several generations and I think it's a bit of an epic. But I'm yet to read it!

Could be tricky to track down, though. It's not as popular as My Brilliant Career.

FYI re Stella Miles Franklin, the GR info about the book notes that she "has had a long-lasting impact on Australian literary life through her endowment of a major literary award known as the Miles Franklin Award." She was a well known writer and feminist in Australia.

OK - I am still plodding through Ice Road - life is a bit hectic and crazy at the mo!! so I have switched to something much more light hearted - something about tea rooms and cake!!

Janine wrote: "One book I've just found in a secondhand bookshop is All That Swagger by Miles Franklin. I've been meaning to read it for a while...."

i seem to have completely missed your suggestions for me, janine! i am so sorry for taking so long to reply. i am totally familiar with the miles franklin award, but i have never read any of her stuff. i'll have to see what i can track down here.

i think i am going to start reading A Spool of Blue Thread, by Anne Tyler tonight. i have been patiently holding off until i finished my reading for black history month, and now i feel like a good, cozy time with tyler!

happy weekend, everyone! :)

Jennifer wrote: "i think i am going to start reading A Spool of Blue Thread, by Anne Tyler tonight. i have been patiently holding off until i finished my reading for black history month..."

Ooooh report back to us, Jennifer. I hope it's a good one.

i finished A Spool of Blue Thread yesterday and liked it. didn't giant-heart-love-it, but tyler does family dynamics and mortality so well. if you are already a fan, i think it will be an enjoyable read.

i am about to begin Euphoria, by Lily King now. :)

last night, i began reading one of the 2015 longlisted books, I Am China, by Xiaolu Guo. so far, quite interesting.

Michelle wrote: "I just got that book too, Jennifer. It sounded very good and I will be interested in hearing your thoughts after you finish the book."

while i knew of this author, i had not read any of her previous stuff. i have had A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers on my physical bookshelf for a while. too long, really.

Jennifer wrote: "last night, i began reading one of the 2015 longlisted books, I Am China, by Xiaolu Guo. so far, quite interesting."

This looks great to me, I'm on the library holds list for it. Let us know how it works out for you. I've never read her before either.

Jen wrote: "This looks great to me, I'm on the library holds list for it. Let us know how it works out for you. I've never read her before either."

so far, i am really engaged with the story - there is one bit of weirdness that i haven't quite figured out yet, but i am assuming it will make sense by the end. :)

i am just about to begin reading On Sal Mal Lane, by Ru Freeman.

yesterday, i began reading one of this year's longlisted books, A God in Every Stone, by Kamila Shamsie. i'm not sure about it yet (just over 100 pages in).

apart from our monthly group read of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, i began reading The Girl Who Was Saturday Night last night. it's on this year's longlist for the women's prize, so i am trying to read them. it's got a very snappy pace and the word that is stuck on my head is 'reckless' - there is no sense these characters are headed anywhere good and they are all a bit of a disaster. Heather O'Neill apparently has a thing for cats, and smilies. :)

So excited to start the newest In Death book by J.D. Robb, Shadows in Death