Constant Reader discussion

I am re-reading Isabel Allende's The Sum of Our Days for my in person book club.

Isabel Allende is a favorite of mine. I have not read this as yet. I heard an interview with her when this came out.

I've just finished Glass, which I thought terrific. The following quote should give you an idea of whether you'd like it or not:

"I sit and look across the humps of my knees at my feet, an increasingly doleful sight in recent years, with their river deltas of blue veins. I have managed to identify the Zambesi, and, I think, the Magdelena, though I need to verify the latter with a better atlas."

John wrote: "I've just finished Glass, which I thought terrific. The following quote should give you an idea of whether you'd like it or not:

"I sit and look across the humps of my knees at my ..."

I like wit. It goes on the TBR.

Finally got round to reading the last few paperbacks here. Bapsi Sidhwa's The Crow Eaters is the one to hand just now. Set at the turn of the 21st century in the Parsi community in Lahore, its the story of the rise of businessman Faredoon "Freddy" Junglewalla. Great character, surprisingly funny very visual novel. This was the first novel Bapsi published back in 1978. She is now an established writer in Pakistan and was recommended by someone here on the board (John?) whoever, good recommendation

I may have mentioned Cracking India, her book on partition. You might also like Tim Mackintosh-Smith's historical footsteps travel trilogy following the trail of Ibn Batttutah, Sheila. I'm reading the new third one now: Landfalls.

Freedom at Midnight is suppose to be an accurate book about India partition. I have it to read. Is is only found at used book sites if anyone is interested.

I'd say that one is pretty much considered the definitive (non-scholarly) book on the subject.

John wrote: "I'd say that one is pretty much considered the definitive (non-scholarly) book on the subject."

Oh! I know it was written by jounalists, so you think their views are slanted? I have read Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire which I found to be non-biased.

I read the book a long time ago, and really don't recall the details, just that I thought it was well written, and have seen it cited by others.

Well I will see, when I get to it John.

I am still sailing along with Moby-Dick. Can't believe how much I am enjoying it. I guess the time was ripe for reading it. I am reading The Untouchable when I need a break from the whale.

Reading (and not really loving) Magnus Mills's The Scheme for Full Employment.

In November, I'll be reading (or re-reading) the following for my F2F book groups:
The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
Run With the Horsemen - Ferrol Sams
Cutting For Stone - Abraham Verghese
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter - Mario Vargas Llosa
City of Thieves - David Benioff

That should keep be busy for at least half the month ... LOL

Last book I read in October (I only just joined the group so couldn't post in the October thread ...)

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
4****

This is a fine work of literary fiction centering on a young girl coming of age in 1950’s rural South, and fighting the label of “trash” attached to her.

Ruth Anne (“Bone”) is born to her extremely beautiful 15-year-old mother shortly after an auto accident. In the confusion at the hospital her grandmother and aunt can’t agree on her name and as a result her birth certificate bears the label “Illegitimate.” Her grandmother insists this makes no difference; the baby is still part of the Boatwright clan, who are tight-knit despite their drinking, fighting and womanizing. But Bone’s mother, Anney, is mortified and determined to legitimize her daughter. When Anney marries Glen, the son of a well-to-do dairyman, it seems her life is set on the right path. However, when their first child is stillborn, Glen begins to take out his frustrations on Bone. Unable to fully understand, and ashamed to admit what is really happening, Bone nurtures her rage silently, while Anney, unaware of the extent of the abuse, stands by her man and dreams of a better life for her family.

There are moments of brilliant writing in this work. I was particularly grateful for occasional laugh-out-loud passages (especially when Bone is describing her own lack of singing talent). Allison does a fine job of “showing” us the characters, rather than telling us what they are like. Bone’s ability to show compassion despite her rage is admirable. But she IS a child, and cannot be expected to always behave nobly. This is an emotionally wrenching read; some of the scenes are just horrific.

I've just started The Son of Neptune as well as Eve and so far I really like both

I’ve just finished Jubilate by Michael Arditti Jubilate. by Michael Arditti, set during a pilgrimage to Lourdes, and I loved it. I’ve now just started on The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending. I’m keen to hear from other people who have read these books.

TessaBookConcierge wrote: "Last book I read in October (I only just joined the group so couldn't post in the October thread ...)

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
4****

This is a fine work of literary fictio..."

I agree. Very moving book.

Kitty wrote: "Freedom at Midnight is suppose to be an accurate book about India partition. I have it to read. Is is only found at used book sites if anyone is interested."

I read this book years ago and I recall it was very good. I actually still have it. It made a clear picture of what happened/

Today I finished Cloud Atlas, and am so glad I followed up on recommendations here and read it. After reading the whole thing, it is awesome in its scope. With its wonderful ending, especially ending line, one learns that the author has been in total control the entire time, shining through stories separated by vast expanses of time a realistic light on parts of individual human nature and behavior we'd often prefer to just turn away from, expanded to corporate greed and media influenced "progress's" potential future, and back again, to ultimately deal with its kernel theme head on in the end, which is when I fell in love with Mitchell. Still giggling about Papa Song's arches. It isn't terribly frequently that a book delves with subtlety and realism into a core human issue lurking inside of us and yet lets one feel enriched beyond platitudes in the end.

For a very different flavor, my local book club this month is reading an old gem, Still Life With Woodpecker, which I'm looking forward to (and a little bit dreading) rereading. For a long time from early college years onward, it was one of my personally favorite books, remembering it as so much fun, and I still have a copy after loaning it out over the years to many friends. Haven't read it in something like 20 years though, so I know the experience and my view of it will have changed some.

TessaBookConcierge wrote: "Last book I read in October (I only just joined the group so couldn't post in the October thread ...)

Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
4****

This is a fine work of literary fictio..."

I loved Bastard Out of Carolina, particularly that Allison refused to let Bone get into a victim's psychology. I saw Allison speak in Ann Arbor some years ago and she was so witty. I would go see her again anytime. Her one complaint about the Showtime movie that Angelica Huston directed based on the movie was that Huston let it go far too much into victimization when she promised she wouldn't. Allison wanted the message to be about strength and survival.

I'm listening to To Say Nothing of the Dog and enjoying it enormously. Thanks to Sara for mentioning it here and to John for adding his praise.

I am still reading The Art of Fielding. This is truly an excellent book. I was afraid that it wouldn't be able to live up to the good reviews and resulting hype, but it definitely does. The author has done such a great job of creating one of the characters that I find myself putting the book down when he is struggling because I care about him too much.

I have thought about this one Barbara. Maybe after the first of the year I will read it. Library does not have it as yet. We might get luck and someone will nominated it for next year. I have had others say it was good.

A couple of weeks ago I had a one-woman "Come to Jesus" meeting regarding the number of unread books I own. I put all the hardbacks and trade paperbacks on one set of shelves, and am going to just start at one end and work my way through. I just finished Something Rising (Light and Swift): A Novel, by Haven Kimmel. I adored Kimmel's autobiographical books, A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland Indiana and She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana, but wasn't sure how I'd feel about her fiction. I needn't have worried - it was wonderful as well, even if it did end a bit too neatly. It's clear her fiction is very much informed by her life.

BTW: I purchased this book "back in the day," when Sara came to Ann Arbor, and Barb took us to the most awesomest used bookstore, The Dawn Treader.

Now I'm working on All Over Creation, by Ruth Ozeki, a recent add from the $5 a bag sale at the library (because that's exactly where someone with a rampant book addiction needs to be). All this talk of e-books taking over has turned me into a hoarder.

At least you have some sort of a system, picking the next one off my TBR list is truly difficult for me often.

John, Kitty thanks for the other India recommendations. I'm really liking Bapsi Sidhwa's writing, must hunt out more. As for the Tim Mackintosh Smith I hadn't realised Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah had turned into a trilogy so I have added it onto my TBR list

I thought of you as the second installment of Ibn Battutah covers his time in India, and the third includes the Maldives and Sri Lanka, as far as South Asia goes.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it, Barb! One of the best reads I've had in a while. And Peggy, it wasn't that long ago, was it? Please say no.

I've actually sort of come to a similar plan with the Great Unread. Randomly shelved in the bedroom, and I'm going to start at one end. I think I'll allow myself latitude within the shelf, but once read or determined to be a no-go, it must pack its bags and go!

As usual I’m more ambitious in what I plan to read than what I’ll really get around to doing. In addition to The Quickening Maze I’m helping my friend plan our next summer vacation so I’m hoping to read through Moon Mount Rushmore & the Black Hills: Including the Badlands, Insiders' Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, 7th and Compass American Guides: Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks, 2nd Edition.

Since we know the best places book up quickly we plan on booking at least the South Dakota accommodations by Monday. The Yellowstone books are due back to the library by the 15th (the same day as we start the next book discussion) so I’ve got lots of notes to take.

I have just finished Kristin Lavransdatter. Have any of you read this classic?

Zorro wrote: "I have just finished Kristin Lavransdatter. Have any of you read this classic?"

It was one of my mother's favorite books. I have tried valiantly to read it, but never lasted very far into it.

Thank Goodness, I found a Elizabeth George book I haven't read yet .
I am also reading a book that takes place in Alabama during the civil rights movement of the 60's which is even more intriguing than the Help called Four Spirits . And my obsession with mysteries during the Middle Ages is not yet quenched....Anyone else read Margaret Frazer etc???

I finished VW's THE YEARS at the end of Oct. and am now rereading PHINEAS FINN by Trollope, which is being discussed in a face-to-face book group I sometimes attend.

Peggy, the Dawn Treader bookstore has actually survived and seems to be still going strong. We had a great time that day with Sara, didn't we? I'm glad to hear that the Haven Kimmel novel is good. I loved her memoirs.

I finished The Art of Fielding last night in one big surge, despite the need to rise early for work today. It has one improbable event toward the end, but I will give the author literary license on that one.

I've started The Quickening Maze for the discussion here and am a bit hooked already.

No, Barb, I had a great day with you guys that day!

I read Kristin L about 15 years ago and enjoyed it very much, though IIRC, Kristin was a bit of a mystery to me throughout.

Janet: I spent about a week in Tetons and Yellowstone last fall, and it was not enough time! I highly, highly recommend it. Actually, I preferred the Tetons. And I really enjoyed Jackson, WY.

I'm still readingA Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century and, despite my slow pace, enjoying it very much. Tuchman injects some wry humor in the midst of what is frequently a grim tale, but not inappropriately. I am amazed by how other the fourteenth century was! And, for those who think we are living in the worst of times .... they're wrong!

No, Sara and Barb, I had fun with YOU GUYS that day! We drank miniature mimosas!

Finished All Over Creation this evening. Not sure what to make of it. The writing reminds me of something - maybe ultra-light T. C. Boyle mixed with early Barbara Kingsolver. I did spend most of the last third of the book telling several of the characters what idiots they were - out loud - so at least I cared.

Mary Ellen wrote: "I read Kristin L about 15 years ago and enjoyed it very much, though IIRC, Kristin was a bit of a mystery to me throughout."

I found Kristin L. to be a most stubborn, willful, and independent woman. She ranks right up there with Scarlett O'Hara and Rebecca Sharp for her obstinance.
And finally her husband did move out, saying 'Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn' in Norwegian.

Just finished Mayflower! It's an outstanding read! Learned so much about the settling of our country, the clash of cultures, and how people and their beliefs, religious and otherwise, can affect what happens in their lives! Recommend this one to anyone who is interested in these topics. Good, good read.

@Zorro I've read "Kristin Lavransdatter 3 times. The first time was the translation at the time of publishing, Oxford Press, I think) And it knocked my socks off!!! I kept reading parts of it for several years, but I had 6 kidsd ^ was raising a gerandkid & we lived in the country so in that way I could feel a bond between Kristin & myself, Also our husbands were similar, tho Erland is a much nmore advanced degree of pig-headedness than my John. Also he & Kristin both were that way.

A few years ago I read the new translation which is in 1 volumn. Big disappointment. so many of the small scenes were eliminated. After I finished, I took both books & started to make notes of what had been discarded. hen I gave up & read the book again. My 30 some year older self could relate to a lot more. I can see why this book is a classic. If I live long enough I may read it again!













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Marian wrote: "@Zorro I've read "Kristin Lavransdatter 3 times. The first time was the translation at the time of publishing, Oxford Press, I think) And it knocked my socks off!!! I kept reading parts of it for..."

Marian -- so you have a favorite edition and translator? Which ones?

I have just finished The Sense of an Ending by Ending by Julian Barnes. Even though it is short is packs a lot of punch. After a few a few years of a Booker prize winners who didn’t impress me as much as I wanted to be impressed I think this one deserved it. Life is not neatly parcelled up, it’s messy and unpredictable, the story Tony, Adrian, Veronica and Margaret, et al., makes us think. It’s also a wonderful reflection about getting older, something which happens to us all. I'd love to hear from anyone who has read this book.

I've started reading Savannah by Eugenia Price. October was not a good reading month for me maybe November will be a better month for me.

Hi Bernadettejodh,

I was planning to read the Barnes, so thanks for your review. I just finished his Nothing to Be Frightened Of for an in-person book discussion and enjoyed that very much.

Geoff wrote: "Reading (and not really loving) Magnus Mills's The Scheme for Full Employment."

I recently picked up Magnus Mills's The Restraint of Beasts and put away after struggling with 30 pages. I haven't tried any of his others and was wondering why you weren't liking it. Restraint was all dialog, not a style I read well.

Finished Run with the Horsemen

Run with the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams
3.5***

This is a semi-autobiographical novel detailing the coming of age of a young boy – the scion of a well-to-do cotton farmer in rural George, during the Depression. The Boy is the only son of a refined and long-suffering mother and an alcoholic, politically connected father. He is smart and resourceful, but confused about much of the information that he gathers by eavesdropping on the adults on and around the farm. He frequently feels alone, in part because he has only sisters, but also because he is so small compared to his classmates. The book covers his story from early childhood through high school.

The style of writing is somewhat stilted and distant. I had a hard time connecting to the boy and his circumstances. However, about 1/3 of the way through the book I grew to really enjoy the story of his journey to young adulthood. There are laugh-out-loud escapades, moments of tender young love, and scenes of horrible corporal punishment (which was wide spread and tolerated both at home and at school during that era). I found myself applauding his triumphs, and cheering for him as he grew into a morally strong young gentleman.

Lyn wrote: "Today I finished Cloud Atlas, and am so glad I followed up on recommendations here and read it. After reading the whole thing, it is awesome in its scope. With its wonderful ending, ..."

Lyn, so glad you like Cloud Atlas. I read it this summer and loved it, was surprised by the genre shifts and the structure of the whole. While it wasn't an easy read by any means, it was utterly satisfying. Gave me to appreciation for what a novel can do.

TessaBookConcierge wrote: "In November, I'll be reading (or re-reading) the following for my F2F book groups:
The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
Run With the Horsemen - Ferrol Sams
Cutting For Stone - Abraham Verghese
A..."

Wow, Tessa, five F2F bookgroups? How do you manage it? I've read The History of Love, which is my favorite of the three of these I've read. Cutting for Stone, which is a great story, but I think Verghese's a better non-ficiton writer, and the Benioff book...oh wait, The City of Thieves, isn't the one I was thinking of...that's an amazing book, A fairytale of sorts. Horrific but perfectly told. I was thinking you meant The City, The City, which few on GR liked, but which I thought was very interesting.

I'm reading I Married you for Happiness by Lily Tuck. Very interesting series of vignettes about a relationship. I love how focused each tiny "photograph" is. I think anyone who is in a long term relationship will find these moments echoing through their own stories. Next is The Tiger's Wife by Tea Ubreht and Purge by Sofi Oksanen. Then I'll finish with teaching for a few months while I heal from a knee replacement. I think about being able to read...some people say no, the pain makes it difficult to concentrate. Does anyone know?

My first library download for my Kindle. Almost Perfect by Alice Adams. The list of available books is chockablock with best sellers and genre series, so I grab at anything that doesn't look like that. Alice Adams rang a faint bell. I almost threw in the towel in the beginning, the writing was so lackluster, so Redbookish. But now in the middle things are getting interesting.