Readers and Reading discussion

Tonight I finished FORD COUNTY, stories by John Grisham. I thought the book was very well-done. I am very particular about short stories and think they are a difficult format in which to write. To write an economical piece that is also "complete" has to be a great challenge for a writer, and Grisham has succeeded. Some of the stories were better than others, but all were good.

In these stories, he returns to Clanton, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill. The characters are real and diverse; their development is strong; the plots are good; the stories are clever and engrossing.....and while he does not write about the law, it is in every story in some way. Grisham spins a good yarn. Although the stories are unrelated, because they all take place in or near Clanton, the reader gets a sense of the community as a whole.

I really hated for this book to end.

On my way out of town today, I picked up Supreme Courtship, The Children's Blizzard, and The Elephant Keeper at the library.

Looking forward to each of these for different reasons.....

Last week I also finished Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. It was like watching a train wreck. Our political system is so so so screwed up and this book exposes it all. With enough money and the right "team", I truly think anyone could be elected. It does not matter to the party or the team who that person is...it is a "game".

Tonight I finished FORD COUNTY, stories by John Grisham

I read this in January and also really enjoyed it, The stories could have each been a novel by itself, and yet there was enuf to make it complete.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Last week I also finished Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. It was like watching a train wreck.

I finished the audio version of Game Change CD: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime this week too. As a campaign overview it was fine but it pretty much just confirmed the stereotypes I already had about the race and the candidates and did not really add too many new insights.

I also finished Life Sentences recently and, as always with Laura Lippman, enjoyed it.

Richiesheff wrote: " Tonight I finished FORD COUNTY, stories by John Grisham

I read this in January and also really enjoyed it, The stories could have each been a novel by itself, and yet there was enuf to make it complete..."

I think making a short story "complete" is a real gift.

I started Supreme Courtship late last night and am really enjoying it.

I do not know if the author can sustain the level of humor of the first 60 pages, but I sure hope so.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I started Supreme Courtship late last night and am really enjoying it.

I do not know if the author can sustain the level of humor of the first 60 pages, but I sure hope so."
I just finished listening to Boomsday by Christopher Buckley, JoAnn and loved the political satire! Of course, the plot was absurd but the dialogue was hysterical. Buckley reminds me of Christopher Moore - very entertaining!

Marcy wrote: " I just finished listening to Boomsday by Christopher Buckley, JoAnn and loved the political satire! Of course, the plot was absurd but the dialogue was hysterical. Buckley reminds me of Christopher Moore - very entertaining! .."

Good to know, Marcy. Thanks

I have read some reviews today and it appears that Supreme Courtship is not his strongest book, but that's okay.

Marcy, I just read a review of BOOMSDAY and this quote struck me (To be explained)

Incensed by the financial burden soon to be placed on her age bracket by baby boomers approaching retirement, she proposes on her blog that boomers be encouraged to commit suicide. Cassandra insists that her proposal is not meant to be taken literally; it is merely a "meta-issue" intended to spark discussion and a search for real solutions. But the idea is taken up by an attention-seeking senator, Randy Jepperson, and the political spinning begins.

The reason this leapt out at me is.....I just found out that once one goes on Medicare, women are only covered for one gynecological exam every two years. I have been ranting about this for two days. It put me in mind of stories I have heard of how Eskimos used to put their elders on ice floes and send them out to sea to die.

GRRRRRRR

>>I just finished listening to Boomsday by Christopher Buckley, JoAnn and loved the political satire! Of course, the plot was absurd but the dialogue was hysterical.<<

I think Christopher Buckleyis hilarious and Thank You for Smoking is one of my all time favorite reads (the movie turned out pretty well too). I also really liked the audio version of Florence of Arabia: A Novel.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Marcy, I just read a review of BOOMSDAY and this quote struck me (To be explained)

The reason this leapt out at me is.....I just found out that once one goes on Medicare, women are only covered for one gynecological exam every two years. I have been ranting about this for two days. It put me in mind of stories I have heard of how Eskimos used to put their elders on ice floes and send them out to sea to die.

I didn't know that!! That's horrible.

Sandi wrote: ">>I think Christopher Buckleyis hilarious and Thank You for Smoking is one of my all time favorite reads (the movie turned out pretty well too). I also really liked the audio version of Florence of Arabia: A Novel.

I should be starting the audio of No Way To Treat A First Lady this week. Also looks like a good one.

The audio of Florence of Arabia got a great review. The one I read said that Patricia Kalember (remember her?) was great and her "voice" as someone for whom English was not a first language was well done.

My library does not have this audio and at Amazon, there is just an abridged version.

I am reading No Excuses by Kyle Maynard
it's the true story of a congenital amputee who became a champion in wrestling and in life.
This book is extremely inspiring and will make anybody rethink their own lives a bit and what they could accomplish if they gave everything into whatever they are doing in life. This guy is amazing and I highly recommend this book even if you're not into sports or wrestling...this book is more than that.

Steven, I think I saw a profile of him on TV recently....

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Steven, I think I saw a profile of him on TV recently...."

I'm hoping to hook this guy up with my son somehow. My son is a quad amputee that just started wrestling this past year and he would love to learn some new moves he could use and he really needs some motivation.

I am reading A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball. It is about 3 50 something women who buy an old farmtead, that was owned by 1 family, and restore it. It is in the Shenandoah Moutains and has been real light reading. She has written a sequal too and it is called At Home on Ladybug Farm.

Deb, I have both of the Ladybug Farm books on my to-be-reserved list. I am into light reading! I cannot remember where I heard about them.

Steven, how old is your son?

Maynard seems like the kind of guy who would help if he could....

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Steven, how old is your son?

Maynard seems like the kind of guy who would help if he could...."

My son is 13 and in junior high right now. I've even tried talkin my wife into letting him play football if he wants to, like Mayard did but she is too scared to let him and is pretty stubborn about it.
Maynards book really gets into a lot of things he is able to do and he talks about different things his dad did to help him do everyday type tasks. So this book has been really helpful so far.

I'm reading Sebastian Barry's The Secret Scripture for book group. It's starting off rather slowly, hope it picks up. Has anyone read it? Opinions?

I just finished "The Eight" by Katherine Neville. Although I don't play chess I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. I hate it when a book ends and you have to say goodbye to the characters who have kind of become like good friends.

Lori wrote: "I just finished "The Eight" by Katherine Neville. Although I don't play chess I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. ..."

Lori, I admire you for sticking with this book. I just could not get through it. Maybe I should try again. It has been years.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Lori wrote: "I just finished "The Eight" by Katherine Neville. Although I don't play chess I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. ..."

Lori, I admire you for sticking with this book. I just could n..."

"The Eight" is a favorite book of a friend of mine, but I couldn't force myself to get through it either. Lori, I'm pretty sure that a sequel to "The Eight" was released in the last year or so. I might be wrong, it might just be another book by the same author, but I'm sure there's something new out there you might be interested in.

Connie

The idea of reading a book because it's a favorite of a friend is rather new to me. My DD's shelves are full of books she obtained (either bought or were given to her) merely because it is a friend's favorite. Maybe it's because the ones she mentioned are ones i didn't care for, such as The Corrections Jonathan Franzen.
She couldn't name one which she was glad she'd read on its own, not because her friend had liked it.

How about you? Do you read your friend's favorite books? Would you? If you did, was it worth it? These are different from books they recommend because they think you'd like them, i hasten to add. I'm talking about books they love & would like you to read.

deborah

I guess I would TRY a friend's favorite book if she twisted my arm, but I would not feel compelled to finish it if it did not grab me.

One that I was so glad I read was The Art of Racing in the Rain, which HRDCOVERS/Nancy loved and nagged me into reading. I loved it. But she is only "batting" about 2-3%. LOL

And I do not even bother recommending books to her!

I pulled a book off my shelf at the beach, Lori Colwin's The Lone Pilgrim, a story collection. I am astounded that I have never read it. How did that happen? It is wonderful!

So last night I went to ABEbooks.com and ordered her other collections of stories, Passion and Affect and Another Marvelous Thing

I just happened to find both books at the same seller's and there was no shipping charge. And they already shipped this morning!

I ordered them from Wonder Book in Frederick, MD via ABE

At the end of the month, if I remember, I am going to close this discussion and open a new one with a similar name. There are over 200 posts and I think it is time to close it before it becomes too unwieldy.

I am currently reading kind of a hard edged cozy booked called Wicked Craving .

This is one of a series with a main character named Savannah Reid, set in CA. She has 8 brothers and sisters who are all named after cities and towns where they live back in Georgia. She's a former cop, so she has a male friend on the force who helps her, and vice versa, on the cases she takes as a private investigator. She loves to eat and cook, so there's always plenty of food talk. She has a female assistant who is into health food and exercise. She also has 2 gay friends who are former FBI agents who help her out with her cases. All in all, just a pleasant, fun, escapist kind of book for when I need an escape from reality.

Donna in Southern Maryland

Connie,

Thanks for the info on the book "The Eight." I'll have to look into finding the sequel if it exists.

Donna, that sounds like a good book. Is it the first in the series?

deborah

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I ordered them from Wonder Book in Frederick, MD via ABE ..."

I used to love to go to their store in Frederick. Sometimes we'd drive there just for the store--it is a good, friendly place with generous employees.

deborah

Lori wrote: "Connie,

Thanks for the info on the book "The Eight." I'll have to look into finding the sequel if it exists."

Would you believe this sequel, THE FIRE, came out in October of 2008??? Not much fanfare, I guess.

Here is the author's website and info about the book:

http://www.katherineneville.com/

madrano wrote: "JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I ordered them from Wonder Book in Frederick, MD via ABE ..."

I used to love to go to their store in Frederick. Sometimes we'd drive there just for the store--it is a good friendly place with generous employees..."

This is nice to know. I was surprised that there was no charge for shipping. Is it a big store, Deborah? Do they sell new books too?

Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "I am currently reading kind of a hard edged cozy booked called Wicked Craving.
"

sounds good Donna...I love books that have food talk in them. I see that this is the 15th book with Savannah as a main character. Have you read all of them?

madrano wrote: "The idea of reading a book because it's a favorite of a friend is rather new to me. My DD's shelves are full of books she obtained (either bought or were given to her) merely because it is a friend..."

A friend gave me two of her favorite books for my birthday this year - Water for Elephants and Choke. First of all, I was surprised she gave me real books instead of the usual gift cards (of course I love them, too), and then I really liked the books, which I thought was amazing. I know we're a lot alike but not that much. I'm so relieved I liked the books - it would be a huge disappointment if a friend I liked picked silly books for me.

Bunny, I just got THE ELEPHANT KEEPER and realized that this will be the third book about an elephant or elephants that I have read in the recent past. (The other two were Hannah's Dream and Water for Elephants).

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "This is nice to know. I was surprised that there was no charge for shipping. Is it a big store, Deborah? Do they sell new books too?..."

(This is about Wonder Books in Fredrick, MD.) The only new books they had were remaindered ones. I'm surprised by the free shipping, too. Last time i looked, which was over 2 years ago, there were charges for shipping.

deborah

Bunny wrote: "A friend gave me two of her favorite books for my birthday this year - Water for Elephants and Choke...."

Two different novels, that's for sure! It's good that it turns out you like the books. Sometimes i'll read a loved one's recommended fiction to see if i can get insight into them. Horrors! But i'll admit it helped me with my son, who doesn't read much fiction.

deborah

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "I am currently reading kind of a hard edged cozy booked called Wicked Craving.
"

sounds good Donna...I love book..."

JoAnn, you saved me looking up the series to count how many for Deborah....I was gonna say 13 or 14, and there are 15! Yes, I have read them all and eagerly await each new book in the series. I am generally a read in order person. While you certainly could pick up any book and the author catches you up on what you need to know, I'd recommend starting at the beginning.

Donna

My face to face group decided to read Olive Kitteridge this spring, so at least I'll get to it this year. I've been waiting, not sure why.

Thanks, JoAnn & Donna. It sounds like a good series. I like humor in my mysteries.

deborah

I just finished Church of Cheesewhich is an anthropology book dealing with gypsies.

Shomeret wrote: "I just finished Church of Cheesewhich is an anthropology book dealing with gypsies."

What "brought" you to read this book? Just curious.

Re Church of Cheese-- I've always been interested in gypsies. I have a friend who is an ethnic gypsy. After reading this book I understand a great deal more about her history and background. This book isn't about the gypsy tribe that is most written about, but it is about the tribe that is the largest in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is where I live.

I have a Lebanese friend who is descended from gypsies there. She is a very ethereal and spiritual person (devout Catholic). My husband met her before I did and I still remember him calling me ato tell me that she had read his tea leaves after dinner.

Shomeret wrote: "I have a friend who is an ethnic gypsy. After reading this book I understand a great deal more about her history and background.."

What exactly is an "ethnic gypsy"? I have never heard that term.

An ethnic gypsy means that she is descended from gypsies. My friend's mother was a member of a gypsy tribe. According to DNA tests gypsies are originally from India, not from Egypt as gypsies used to claim. We don't know exactly why or when they left India, but they scattered all over the world. There are gypsy enclaves in most major cities. My friend isn't part of any local gypsy community and she doesn't participate in gypsy culture, but there are ways in which having been brought up by a gypsy mother impacted her and her outlook.

Shomeret wrote: "An ethnic gypsy means that she is descended from gypsies. My friend's mother was a member of a gypsy tribe. .."

Thanks for this information. I guess my friend is an ethnic gypsy too!

My only encounters with gypsies were in Italy, where they are everywhere, begging and stealing. One of our friends had his pockets "picked" twice on one trip. He kept nothing of value in his pocket, and the second time this happened it was a toddler who was being held under a blanket and "directed" by his mother.