Imprinted Life discussion

Welcome, Ellie!

Asmah, are you trying to make me insane? i already have enough to read (in large thanks to yourself)! you choose such great books...

Marieke wrote: "Asmah, are you trying to make me insane? i already have enough to read (in large thanks to yourself)! you choose such great books..."

no and thks, Marieke. There's a saying that to extend oneself beyond the parameters of one's perceived capability leads to inspired creativity. Welcome, welcome, welcome!

Hi, Michelle,
Glad that you're here. I'm looking for a biography by/about Ismail Kadare, the closest so far his memoir Albanian Spring: The Anatomy of Tyranny. Welcome, welcome, welcome!

thank you for my new mantra, Asmah!

Themis-Athena, welcome! I am looking at Echoes of an Autobiography, a (auto)biography of Naguib Mahfouz, setting it on the bookshelf for May 2012. Nice to hear from you!

Christine, welcome to TIL and Goodreads, too. I note that you are interested in biography. Here, the two read so far were personal essays by Anne Fadiman and a memoir by Doris Lessing. Fadiman's was warm and cozy, talking about her contemporary life and literary family; while Lessing's was reminiscent about the Central and South Africa landscape of her childhood (b. 1919) and was realistic about its troubles in the 1950s. The biography of Marcel Proust is set in France probably between 1871 and 1922. As I am a francophile as regards literature, learning more about Proust will be a joy. Welcome!

Marieke wrote: "thank you for my new mantra, Asmah!"

You're welcome, Marieke!
p.s. I was speaking from experience.

i know i'm behind, but i'm *really* excited about the Lessing memoir. i got it from work but i haven't brought it home yet. i've been working on Swann's Way and have some other Proust-books to help me out, but i'm looking forward to the one you picked out, too.

Thank you for the invitation, Asmah :)

Marieke wrote: "i know i'm behind, but i'm *really* excited about the Lessing memoir. i got it from work but i haven't brought it home yet. i've been working on Swann's Way and have some other Proust-books to help..."

Going Home is a memoir of her brief return to Central Africa. There's also a two-volume autobiography (you might know it)--Under My Skin: Volume One of My Autobiography, to 1949 and Walking in the Shade: Volume Two of My Autobiography--1949-1962. That leaves the last third of her life; her fiction is considered autobiographical, as well.

Anna wrote: "Thank you for the invitation, Asmah :)"

You're welcome, Anna. Biographies are someone's history--in autobiography, a first-hand and primary source. And, given they are worthwhile, they will have something important to say about the times in which they are set. Even fictional biography, such as The Shadow Catcher about the photographer Edward S Curtis (1868-1952) will be about the person and the historical peoples and places captured in the photography. The connection to history is very interesting! :)

Hey, Patrick, welcome to TIL. In addition to writing poems and reading poetry, I note that you enjoy drama, history, and a variety of genres. The bookshelf is open for suggestions!

Hi, Rasha the Damascene. Great that you are here. Welcome!

Welcome, Inna! Tolstoy is the subject of a new-ish biography, Tolstoy: A Russian Life by Rosamund Bartlett (Nov 2011). I thought that Wikipedia did well with its article about him, so looking forward to this book for further development.

Hi, Peggy. Your memoir Tales from Toothaker: How We Used Humor, Hard Work, and Hand-Me-Downs to Create an Island Home set in western Maine appeals to people, including myself, who would be similarly adventurous to build and live in a house in the lakeside wilderness. Welcome!

Thank you Asmah! I look forward to learning more about Goodreads and to reading more books :) If you enjoy memoirs about Africa, I highly recommend The Jack Bank by Glen Retief. It is a wonderfully descriptive book about his childhood in South Africa that discusses political and social issues as well as different moral concepts that one encounters while growing up in an environment as raw and eye-opening as South America. I think you would really enjoy it.

Christine wrote: "...If you enjoy memoirs about Africa, I highly recommend The Jack Bank: A Memoir of a South African Childhood by Glen Retief. It is a wonderfully..."

I noted that you are reading "The Jack Bank", wondering how the book was. Since you like the story, I decided to read at least the first chapter 'The Weight of Elephants' in which the schoolboy Retief describes the 'strange and wondrous' South African plants and animals which live in close proximity to humans. Neat!

Hi, Ruby. Welcome to The Imprinted Life. I see that you are a Goodreads author, who has written an autobiography, My Golden Dream: An Autobiography by Ruby Thomas. Looking forward to reading it!

Hi, Anne, Welcome to The Imprinted Life!. I've visited the places you have lived in and live in, and am returning from NYC as we speak. I think that a woman (women, generally speaking) who cares for a dog(s) tends to be nurturing. Let me know whether that is generally the case. Don't know what that has got to do with biographies, though.

Asmah,
thank you for the welcome. I know that I love my dog and I think I am a nurturing person - I grew up that way. My dog is sick now so he needs a lot of nurturing. I don't know if all people with dogs are nurturing; in fact, I doubt it. Some people don't treat their dogs well at all. Mine, I can't do enough for him, but he pays me back 100 times what I give him.

The only thing this topic has to do with biographies is that if anyone were to write one of me, my relationship with my dog would have to be included.

Thanks again for the welcome. I look forward to getting to know you and others in the group, as well as reading and discussing books (almost forgot that part).

Anne wrote: "Asmah,
thank you for the welcome..."

Glad you are here, Anne!

Hi, Najibah. I see that you read Things I've Been Silent about, a memoir by Azar Nafisi; so let's read her other memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran. I have read neither, the latter being on both our wish/to-read lists. :D Welcome!

Hi Asmah, I've been putting off to join this group for so long, because I afraid that it will add more books to my to-read pile. But since this year I plan to concentrate reading books-on-books, travelogue and biographies, so I decide why not joining it now.

Reading Lolita in Tehran has long been in my wishlist. Will try to expedite finding it for group reading :)

Howdy, Koko, What interesting looking biographies on your bookshelf. I would not know where to begin; any one of them would be of great interest. Welcome to TIL!

Hi, David, Aha! A newcomer to Goodreads. A double welcome then. Do you recommend The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them, essays by Elif Batuman? :)

Najibah wrote: "...this year I plan to concentrate reading books-on-books, travelogue and biographies...Reading Lolita in Tehran has long been in my wishlist. Will try to expedite finding it for group reading :) ..."

That's great, Najibah! I will try to find one as well...Will you let me know when you have it? It's scheduled far, far in advance, but I'll be glad to move it forward for a group reading. :)

Hi Anne and everybody new!

Anne, you're not alone in your nurturing...my husband and i did things for our recently deceased dog and cat that i think others would think we were nuts for doing but we don't regret a single thing and are glad we were able to guide them through their illnesses to peaceful deaths. i miss them so much but feel lucky that they did not have to suffer and were much loved throughout their lives. hugs from our house to your dog!

i read Reading Lolita a long time ago and really enjoyed it. i'd enjoy reading it again with the group and maybe even reading/discussing some of the books that she discusses in her memoir.

Thank you, Marieke. We also do anything possible for our dog. He has had so many illness, even cancer, and survived them all. And, yes, we did a lot of things others might think weird, especially for his "untreatable" cancer. My dog is unable to eat anything but baby food now - one tbsp. a few times a day. He's having surgery on Monday.

Moving on to the topic of this group: I also read Reading Lolita a long time ago but would be happy to read it again with this group.

Najibah wrote: "...Reading Lolita in Tehran has long been in my wishlist. Will try to expedite finding it for group reading :) ..."

I noted Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran by Fatemeh Keshavarz in your wishlist, too. "Reading Lollita..." and "Jasmine..." are said to differ in their vision of Iran. Maybe reading both would provide balance!

Marieke wrote: "Hi Anne and everybody new! ...i read Reading Lolita a long time ago and really enjoyed it. i'd enjoy reading it again with the group and maybe even reading/discussing some of the books that she discusses in her memoir...."

Great suggestion, Marieke, about the "Reading Lolita...".
btw, I am looking for a new dog...my first-ever! Am I becoming more of a nurturer, too? A friend of mine says that she has insurance for her two dogs.

Anne wrote: "Thank you, Marieke. We also do anything possible for our dog. He has had so many illness, even cancer, and survived them all. And, yes, we did a lot of things others might think weird, especiall..."

Anne, so sorry about your dog...Pets are family.

i have pet health insurance, Asmah...for a long time i wasn't sure if it was worth it, but i think with my Great Dane's cancer and my other dog's IBD/surgery, it was. in some ways i think i should just set that money aside by myself and save it for pet emergencies. i have yet to run the numbers on what i've invested in the insurance for three dogs and a cat versus what i shelled out for medical care and what i got reimbursed from the insurance, but it may have been worth it after all.

dogs are great! i'm so excited you're getting one! do you know what kind you think you want?

Thank you, Asmah. When I looked into health insurance for my dog when he was a puppy they didn't cover much - mostly vaccinations. And I think continued coverage was dependent on keeping up with yearly vaccinations which I don't do. I only do what is legally necessary and what makes sense given where live and with what my dog may have contact. In fact, since my dog had cancer as a three-year old I haven't given him one vaccination and my vets have all agreed about that. That's tough because of the Rabies - in certain states they really look at your dog tags. I live in the mountains now and no one cares about that here.

Hi, Ellen Lee, welcome, glad you are here. On your bookshelf are Proust, Fadiman, Amis, Keats, Nabokov...and other biographies. I'll have to seek out a work by George MacDonald and more by Virginia Woolf.

Asmah wrote: "Hi, Ellen Lee, welcome, glad you are here. On your bookshelf are Proust, Fadiman, Amis, Keats, Nabokov...and other biographies. I'll have to seek out a work by George MacDonald and m..."

Thanks, Asmah, for the welcome! If you like fantasy, especially the more romantic kind from the past century and the end of the 19th, you'll love George MacDonald. And you might also enjoy reading William Morris' fantasy books as well, such as "The Well at the End of the World" (two volumes), and others. Enjoy!!

Ellen, thks for suggesting the stories, especially The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald and The Well at the World's End, 2 volumes by William Morris.

Ellen, thks for the stories, especially The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald and The Well at the World's End: volume 1 and.The Well at the World's End: volume II by William Morris.

Asmah wrote: "Ellen, thks for the stories, especially The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald and The Well at the World's End: volume 1 and.[book:The Well at the..."

You're quite welcome, Asmah. And then you also might wish to check out books by Lord Dunsany. Now there's an amazing fantasy writer! I'll bet you can find a lot of his books here on Goodreads. Have fun!!

Asmah wrote: "Najibah wrote: "...Reading Lolita in Tehran has long been in my wishlist. Will try to expedite finding it for group reading :) ..."

I noted Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Teh..."</i>

Yes, can we include [book:Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran too? It'll be interesting to compare both opinions.

Najibah wrote: "...can we include Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran too? It'll be interesting to compare both opinions. ..."

Sure, Najibah. The two books are in the schedule. As soon as we all get a copy of it/them, we can begin the group reading. Will you let me know when you are ready to start? Either now or later is okay with me :)

Welcome, Barry! You are in great company, as several members have read widely in Philip Roth and in Marcel Proust. On Wednesday, I plan to read Carter's biography, to make it the only book until it's finished.

Hi, Helen, welcome to The Imprinted Life and congratulations on your new book Sugar Daddy Diaries: When a Fantasy Became an Obsession by Helen Croydon, which is available in the UK. Great to have you here!

Hi, Lizzy, can I compliment you on your selection of to-read books? I've added many of the titles to my own to-read bookshelf. thks! Maybe there is a biography/memoir among them, too.

Welcome, Selena! "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek"--are you reading it? read it? what do you think about it?

Welcome, Mdk! A sci-fi writer...fantastic! (no pun intended). I have to keep that in mind. Look forward to your perspective here. Is there a biography, memoir, or essays you would like to read?

Welcome, Kate! If you want to comment about the engaging discussions here, it's bound to be refreshing.

Hi, Sarah! Proust, R Byron, Dillard are the current readings. A couple people are getting into the Proust, a handful into Julia Child. Suggestions and additions for further reading are welcome, and the Bookshelf has to-read books as well. Welcome!

I'm new here, to this group! I was searching for a memoir/biography or autobiography group and got lucky with this one. I'm surprised there isn't any more tbh. Well, I'm glad to have found this group because I love reading autobiographies and memoirs!

"My Life in France" is being actively discussed and is going forward through the weekend and maybe next week. The Proust will have more comments this weekend. There's both individual readers and group readers here, so comments about whatever biography you and/or others are reading are enlightening to those who might (not) have read it. It's interesting that someone will chime in with "Oh, I've read that book!".