Readers and Reading discussion

September-October Reads.

You know I'm in a book slump when it takes me two months to read five books.

Heroic Measures - Jill Ciment. A short and sweet novel about an aging couple in New York who, within the period of one weekend, have to deal with selling their apartment, taking care of their sick dachshund and avoiding a terrorist who might be at large in their neighborhood. B+

Guinea Pig Diaries - AJ Jacobs. I still love Jacobs, but I had to struggle to finish this book. Instead of taking on one challenge, he attempts several here. He pretends to be his nanny and sets her up on an online dating site, he outsources all of his daily activities, he passes himself off as a celebrity at a red carpet event etc. I didn't laugh out loud at this book the way I have at his others, but that might have been my problem and not Jacobs'. B-

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts - Neil White. When White was sentenced to a year in federal prison for bank fraud, he was surprised to learn that the facility he was sent to was also a hospital for patients with leprosy. At first he was afraid, but he learned to like and respect several of the patients, as well as several of his fellow prisoners. Interesting nonfiction. A-

The Middle Place - Kelly Corrigan. In this memoir, Corrigan tells about her life growing up with a father she adores, and also dealing, in her adult life, with a breast cancer diagnosis. Although she makes it clear that she feels like her father hung the moon, I didn't like him very much at all, which affected my opinion of the book. For the most part I enjoyed her humor and her storytelling ability and I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this book. I just wouldn't encourage them either. B

Await Your Reply - Dan Chaon. A well-written, well-constructed literary thriller. Three people, in three parts of the country, leave their lives behind and assume new identities, and it's not until the very last page (DON'T PEEK!) that you learn how the three stories are tied together. A very good read. A

There were a few other books that I started but could not finish, including South of Broad by Pat Conroy and Perfection by Julie Metz. Although I'm a huge Conroy fan, I thought SoB `was awful. The guy can write glorious prose, but his characters were obnoxious and unrealistic and the dialogue he put in their mouths was ridiculous. When I decided to quit reading, I skimmed to the back of the book to see how the story ended, and the over-the-top, soap-operaish ending made me glad I didn't finish reading it. Perfection is the memoir of a woman who, when her husband dies unexpectedly, finds out he'd been unfaithful to her. A few weeks after he dies, she has the feeling that his spirit is trying to contact her but without a body, they can't make a connection. So she asks a young, handsome South American friend of the family if he will have sex with her because she thinks that in that way, her deceased spouse can connect with her. He does. Guess when I quit reading Perfection.

Three Tall Women- Albee - 2 stars - fiction
Read it for GR Book Nook Cafe's Play selection. It was ok. It is about the stages of life one goes though.


Mozart- Peter Gay - 2 stars -
nonfiction
I read this for a f2f group. As it turns out I won't be able to attend. I gave the book only 2 stars because this biography was so dry. The movie Amadeus shows the subject matter can be highly entertaining in the right hands. The writing was almost text book like.


Unchosen- Hella Winston - 3+ stars -nonfiction
I found this book engrossing. Winston writes about a handful of people who wish to leave the Satmar Hasidic sect in NY and the troubles they encounter.

Love your lists, Connie, and wish you posted more often! And thanks for starting the October books topic/thread.

I read two good non-fiction books in October:

1. Calder at Home: The Joyous Environment of Alexander Calder by Pedro Guerrero --5 stars --

What an interesting book! It is an intimate look into the life and lifestyle of Alexander Calder. The book has 13 years of photos of Calder's "joyous environment", taken as Guerrero repeatedly visited the places where the sculptor lived and created. To someone who loves order the way I do, this was a glimpse into a world of total disorder and creativity, where every item in his crowded studios and homes had some significance. It was just fascinating. We have been fans of Calder's for 30 years and this book just added to my appreciation of this wonderful artist.

2. Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges-And Find Themselves -- 5 stars -- by David Marcus

This book was very quick reading because, to me, this is a fascinating subject. As I said before, in a previous life I think I was a high school college counselor! The main character in this book had had a long career in the business of getting kids into colleges, but he did even more....he tried to get them to find themselves and find the right college for them. He conducted a full semester essay-writing class where the students polished and re-wrote their essays. Very interesting.

After the applications were all done in January, he brought in a banker to explain credit cards and checking accounts to them, taught them basics of cooking, and also about laundry. He had heard too many stories over the years (from grads) to assume that the kids knew these skills.

This was in a public school in Oyster Bay, NY. My experience with public-school HS guidance counselors is that most of their time and effort goes into the kids with problems (or troublemakers), with little time left over for actual "guidance" ---let alone doing what this guy did.

If you have any interest in this topic, or a child getting ready for the college application process, I would highly recommend this book.

I also read three novels, two of them thrillers and both disappointing:

3. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown -- 2 stars--

I was so annoyed with myself that I did not stop reading this after 100 pages. It was just awful. Way too much information, in a very lecturing kind of way. It was as if he had an outline for a really good thriller, and then he awkwardly inserted all this information. As if he wrote the info on sticky notes and then just put them on the pages, willy nilly.

Another review said it better than I: "Dan Brown chooses to use Langdon's inner monologues to tell us every single piece of research he's done for this book. Instead of weaving it into the story he decides to tell us everything rather than showing it to us."

The endless pages of detail about Masons and about Noetic science......snore!

BTW, I liked every other book of his, even the early ones without Robert Langdon. I actually fell asleep twice while reading The Lost Symbol....something I never do!

I was just reading some other GoodReaders' reviews of Brown's book and came upon this one, which made me LOL

"Is it still vaguely enjoyable in the way only a Dan Brown book can be? Yes. Does Dan Brown's copy editor need to be publicly humiliated? YES AND HIS NAME IS APPARENTLY JASON KAUFMAN (according to the Acknowledgements, so I'm not like, stalking anyone here)

Also, if I ever have to read the words "neutered sex organ" again, I will be forced to remove my eyeballs and then pour bleach directly onto my brain."

4. Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich ---2 stars---

I struggled to finish listening to this book....it was so improbable and almost ridiculous in its "convolutedness".

It was so "out there", so preposterous........two battling organizations are the Dept. of Defense and the CIA??? That was the point at which the story lost ANY believability/credibility. It is just ludicrous to posit or think that no one in these organizations would "blow the whistle" on these terrorist plans. I just could not buy into this.

Then this. the most ridiculous thing of all-->>>>>the leader of one of the groups (Austin) is doing this because he converted to Christianity? EGADS.

One reviewer said <> I could not agree more! I am not interested in people who blam America for all the ills in the world, even in fiction.

There was nothing about Jonathan Ransom that interested me. His character was barely developed. I cannot imagine such an undeveloped character "carrying" a series.

A good-reading friend tells me the next book is better, but I don't know if I will even try it.

5. Brilliant by Marne David Kellogg-- 4 stars

I was instantly drawn into the story, mainly because of the intriguing main character, Kick Keswick. I just love it when a book "hooks" me on the first page!

This would be classified as "reading lite", I suppose, but it was smart, interesting, entertaining, and what more could I ask for than a book about a high-end auction house, jewelry, antiques, wine, and food - and set in London and Provence?

Kick is a not-young American, elegant and refined, who has worked at the renowned and reputable Ballentine auction house in London for 30+ years. Her expertise encompasses art, antiques, and especially jewelry. She prefers to lead a very private life which protects her illegal secret activities and her distant past as a juvenile offender in Oklahoma.

The best part about this book is that Kellogg has written three more Kick Keswick books which I intend to read ASAP. The next one takes place in Provence and I cannot wait to "visit".

My October Reads Were:

A Yellow Raft In Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
Homicide In Hardcover by Kate Carlisle

I listened to two books in October:
1. Dallas, Sandra—Prayers for Sale Read by Maggi-Meg Reed. Finished 10/8/09. Fiction; audio; rating 6. The friendship between 86-year-old Hennie Comfort and newlywed Nit Spindle who both live in the mountains of Colorado develops after Nit notices the sign “prayers for sale” on Hennie’s house and stops to ask for her prayers for recently dead baby girl.

2. Jacobs, Kate—Comfort Food—read by Barbara Rosenblat. Finished 10/23/09. Fiction; audio; rating 6. Food host Gus tries to boost ratings by changing show to a live show which is then complicated by the addition of Carmen whom she doesn’t like. Book includes family life with her two young adult daughters. An enjoyable listen, but rather syrupy.


I read four books:

1. Jeffs, Brent W.—Lost Boy. Finished 10/6/09. Non-fiction; rating 8. Jeffs’ story of his childhood in a polygamous family (his father had 3 wives and over 20 children) as members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon sect. He was raped several times at ages 5-6 by the prophet Warren Jeffs, but was unable to tell about it until young adulthood. Like hundreds of other young boys in the sect who left or were forced out of the church at a young age, coping with free society was a difficult transition for him, but he married one wife and they have a child which has helped Jeffs as he copes with his childhood. He filed charges against Warren Jeffs who was finally sentenced to two consecutive terms of five years to life on charges of rape of Elissa Wall on November 7, 2007 and has other charges of sexual misconduct against him.

2. Perry, Michael—Coop—A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting. Non-fiction; rating 4. Perry describes his life on a small farm with his adult family as well as his life growing up in a large religious family. His current adventures include the home birth of his daughter as well as his acquisition of chickens and pigs.

3. Thayer, Terri—Ocean Waves—book 3 in Quilting Mystery series. Fiction; rating 5. Once again quilt owner Dewey Pellicano comes across a dead body. This time it is while attending a Sewing by the Sea Symposium. First she sees what appears to be the suicide of a woman jumping off a cliff. Next she sees the body of the conference organizer Mercedes Madsen.

4. Castillo, Linda—Sworn to Silence. Finished 10/22/09. Fiction; rating 10. Although parts of the book were especially terrifying and reminded me of the movie Silence of the Lambs and gave me concerns over my daughter’s safety, the book was well written. Former Amish Painters Mill, Ohio police chief Kate Burkholder is involved in an investigation of the horrible murders of three young women in the area which seem like murders that had occurred sixteen years ago in the community and bring back memories of a secret kept by her family all those years ago. Kate’s investigation is questioned by the political people in her area resulting in her being dismissed. She discovers who the murderer is, but nearly becomes a victim herself.

linreadsalot wrote: "My October Reads Were:

A Yellow Raft In Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
Homicide In Hardcover by Kate Carlisle"

I am looking forward to Sarah Addison Allen's new book, "The Girl Who Chased the Moon", due out in March.

Did you like "Garden Spells"? Have you read "The Sugar Queen" too?

Shirley wrote: "I listened to two books in October:
1. Dallas, Sandra—Prayers for Sale Read by Maggi-Meg Reed. Finished 10/8/09. Fiction; audio; rating 6. The friendship between 86-year-old Hennie Comfort and..."

Shirley, do you read all of Dallas's books? I did not know about this one, but it sounds interesting.

I think I've read all of Dallas's books. They aren't terrific, but often involved the subject I'm passionate about--quilting. Probably my favorite fiction author on quilts is Jennifer Chiaverini.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I am looking forward to Sarah Addison Allen's new book, "The Girl Who Chased the Moon", due out in March.
Did you like "Garden Spells"? Have you read "The Sugar Queen" too?


Garden Spells was the first book of hers for me. I am sure I will read her others. This book reminded me of Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.

Shirley wrote: "I think I've read all of Dallas's books. They aren't terrific, but often involved the subject I'm passionate about--quilting. Probably my favorite fiction author on quilts is Jennifer Chiaverini."

I read a quilt novel this year - it was set in Connecticut with "thread" in the title. I think you read it too, Shirley, and then read the author's next one and said it was full of errors. Or am I imagining this?

I spent 3/4ths of the month on The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, a classic that I'd missed over my years of reading. Like Schmerguls about another book, I'm glad I read (most of) it and glad I don't have to read it again. However, the writing was so exquisite, Mann probably ruined everything I tried afterwards.

The Guinea Pig Diaries by A. J. Jacobs - this book is like reading a column in the newspaper by a columnist whose writing you enjoy. Light, readable and somewhat informative. I'm definitely going to read The Know-It-All and smile all the way through it, I'm sure.

The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham - Loved this, although I thought it a bit sentimental of Maugham. This tale of a thoughtless girl who marries just to marry, one could say the wrong man, but considering the enlightening experience she suffers in China with him, he was the best thing to ever happen to her. Great characters - a good read.

Which brings me to The Help - Help!!! I guess I shouldn't have been reading "good" writers before I attempted this pathetic book. The writing is decent in that it flows. That's about it. I could not believe a white Southern woman had the arrogance to believe she knew how black women felt in the South while working for white women. There's no depth, no plot to speak of, just a bunch of "stories" hung together by the weakest of links. The black women are all saints, the white women almost all stupid (except our enlightened author, of course) and mean, the men, well, what few there are, unpleasant. Very distasteful book, condescending in the extreme. I note Amazon gives this 5 stars - where does that leave The Magic Mountain or The Painted Veil, I wonder. If one compares this to those, it's not a one star. It doesn't exist in the same universe those books do.

Gee, Bunny, I never even thought of the things you wrote about THE HELP.....and you are right about the arrogance/condescension and the "cardboard cutout" characters. I guess I got so caught up in the "mystery/thriller"
aspect that I did not think about anything else.

Bunny, the 5 stars at Amazon for THE HELP were a result of the 900+ readers/reviewers who gave it 5 stars.

I'm one of the people who gave The Help 5 stars, and my opinion hasn't changed. I didn't find the characters to be cardboard cutouts. Unfortunately, I had some Southern family and friends, and I heard and saw dialog and stories somewhat similiar to those portrayed. I could tell you stories about my own mother.

Maybe it's a good thing that some people can't believe such a thing ever happened. It means we've finally made some progress. I also know that we are all individuals with our own opinions; thank goodness!

Donna in Southern Maryland

I said " Unfortunately, I had some Southern family and friends, and I heard and saw dialog and stories somewhat similiar to those portrayed."

I didn't arrange that sentence properly. I meant that I witnessed some things that I wish I hadn't; not that I'm sorry that I have family who are Southern! :o)

Donna

Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "I said " Unfortunately, I had some Southern family and friends, and I heard and saw dialog and stories somewhat similiar to those portrayed."

I didn't arrange that sentence properly. I meant tha..."

I certainly didn't mean that I didn't believe the stories - far from it, I believe they happened and much worse that she reported. I don't believe she can put herself into their minds with any validity (or depth, for that matter). My criticism had nothing to do with the subject matter - everything to do with the author, her attitude and the writing, i.e., the dangling of the story that doesn't get told until the end. One line in one chapter, another in another chapter. Oh, I groan when I see structure like that - so, so obvious.

I'm aware of how many reviews Amazon had, so I won't discuss my thoughts about that :) This is just my honest opinion of the book. And, if this is a 5, what is Pride and Prejudice?

Bunny, I felt much the same way about The Magic Mountain. I love Mann's writing, and did enjoy certain aspects of the book (the philosophical discussions), but I'm not planning a reread any time soon. I think one of the things I didn't like was all the disease metaphor. It was depressing.

I also enjoyed The Painted Veil a lot, although not Maugham's best. I think had it not taken place in China (giving a certain exoticism to it), it would have been rather banal.

"dangling" - or whatever the literary term for it (foreshadowing?) -is one of my least favorite devices used by many of today's writers. I hate it. I think authors who use this device are saying that readers are idiots who need to be led. I find it insulting.

When I rate a book, either here on in my mind, I rarely compare it to another one.....I rate it on how much I enjoyed it at the time that I read it.

Well, sometimes I will compare it to another book written by the same author, or maybe even another book on the same topic.

But I would never compare, for example, that cute book I read recently, Brilliant to Madame Bovary or Sister Carrie. I enjoyed (and appreciated) each of those books for totally different reasons.

I enjoyed reading The Help--was it fabulous writing??--no, but a fast, engaging book..as a Southerner I would like to say that the white women were exaggerated as were the black but from my observations,don't think the writer was far off the mark...sad..
Susan

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "When I rate a book, either here on in my mind, I rarely compare it to another one.....I rate it on how much I enjoyed it at the time that I read it.

Well, sometimes I will compare it to another b..."

---------------------------

That's an interesting question, JoAnn. I noticed on GR when I look at the ratings posters give books on their profile page, I see many 5 stars. I only give 5 stars to a book that I think is exceptional on all levels. So I guess I am more in Bunny's camp. That is why I have a lot of 3 stars. It seems to me there is a lot of grade inflation in most reviews.

I rate:
0- not fit for man nor beast. I don't see how anyone would benefit from reading this.
1- Would not recommend. I didn't like it. Not my type of book.
2- It was ok. Maybe a light easy read. Beach read. Brain candy.
3- Liked it. Good solid read. Met my expectations.
4- Exceeded my expectations. Special.
5- Wow! Amazing. In a class by itself. Excellent.

Of course sometimes it is hard to decide between two ratings. I also use plus and minus to help.

I used to keep a notebook and write a small paragraph review in for each book and rate it. I think starting in January I am going to start that again. It was very useful.

Alias wrote:
"I used to keep a notebook and write a small paragraph review in for each book and rate it. I think starting in January I am going to start that again. It was very useful."

I always did this too, but now GoodReads is my "notebook". LOL

Alias wrote: It seems to me there is a lot of grade inflation in most reviews.

What an interesting discussion! I absolutely agree there is always grade inflation in my reviews. I always give people and books the benefit of the doubt, and when I read a book that keeps my interest, that has an engaging story, is going to get a high rating from me. If I think that the story and/or writing style is going to stick with me, that usually gets a 5.

I also read a lot of what are called 'cozies.' Since they are not great literature, but more for reading entertainment, they are more apt to get a 3 or 4. I don't believe there's anyone out there waiting for my recommendations to figure out what to read next! There are many of you who are much more studious and good at putting down your thoughts than I am. :o) I guess I use my ratings as an 'attaboy' or 'attagirl' for the authors. :o)

Donna in Southern Maryland

Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "
What an interesting discussion! I absolutely agree there is always grade inflation in my reviews. ..."

Since I often abandon books that do not meet my "standards" LOL - I rarely, if ever, give a book a zero or 1. If it deserves one of those marks, shame on me for finishing it and wasting my valuable time. (shame on me by MY standards, not anyone else's)

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Shirley wrote: "I think I've read all of Dallas's books. They aren't terrific, but often involved the subject I'm passionate about--quilting. Probably my favorite fiction author on quilts is Jenn..."


No the 2nd 1 was full of errors. I wrote the author and got back excuses and the promise that the errors would be corrected in the second printing, We are talkking about A Thread of Truth and the other one, by Marie Bostwick.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: ""dangling" - or whatever the literary term for it (foreshadowing?) -is one of my least favorite devices used by many of today's writers. I hate it. I think authors who use this device are saying th..."

I agree with all of the above - Painted Veil was surprising to me because it lacked that hard, clear eyed look at humanity that I'm used to with Maugham - maybe it was an early story? As for The Magic Mountain - save me! Never again.

I find I can't use a rating system for what I read, so I just say whether I liked the book or not, and if I think it's truly great, I'll be happy to say so.
I think I'd give Janet Evanovich a 5 on an amusement level (early books certainly), Henning Mankell a 5 in the somber in Sweden crime story, The Garden Wall a 5 in sheer readability - like that. I think we all understand our rating system perfectly, and we're not comparing our books to every book ever written. Just that day when we read that book, it was a 5 compared to everything else we'd been reading lately.

So my remarks about granting The Help a 5 were a little snide, considering the fact that I understand where the reader is coming from totally. Sorry about that. Can't resist sometimes, especially when I don't feel good anyway which is true this week.

Bunny said >>I find I can't use a rating system for what I read, so I just say whether I liked the book or not, and if I think it's truly great, I'll be happy to say so.
I think I'd give Janet Evanovich a 5 on an amusement level (early books certainly), Henning Mankell a 5 in the somber in Sweden crime story, The Garden Wall a 5 in sheer readability - like that. I think we all understand our rating system perfectly, and we're not comparing our books to every book ever written. Just that day when we read that book, it was a 5 compared to everything else we'd been reading lately.
<<

Bunny, yes, I agree and have the same problem. When I started listing some books here at GR, I had a devil of a time assigning stars. They define their stars as just "love it" or "hate it" in varying degrees, but I also consider not only that, but how was the writing, how clearly was something presented (in NF), etc. when trying to give stars. To me the stars end up being pretty meaningless, ultimately. There are books I loved that I gave 4 stars to but which weren't really significant books, and other books with 4 stars which I didn't love as much, but I very much appreciated the writing, or learned things from.

And like you, JoAnn, I've gotten pretty picky about what I pick up to read, so by my own selection process, I'm very unlikely to read (or finish) a book I actually hate or find worthless.