Books on the Nightstand discussion

Joanne wrote: "I just finished my first Booktopia 2012 (Manchester) novel: Learning To Swim: A Novel. What a great read! The plot rolls along at a good clip. It was a curious experience, however, t..."

Note to self: ask Frank at the Inn if he can serve poutine for breakfast..

Suzanne wrote: "You've never had poutine, Joanne?"

What can I say? I don't really like french fries. But I was at Tim Hortons this morning... Et mon francais, la, c'est pas pire!

I've never heard of poutine!

Yes, Ann, ask Frank to make it.

Linda wrote: "I've never heard of poutine!

Yes, Ann, ask Frank to make it."

LOVE poutine. Not sure about poutine for breakfast, but in general it's amazing.

Callie wrote: "Linda wrote: "I've never heard of poutine!

Yes, Ann, ask Frank to make it."

LOVE poutine. Not sure about poutine for breakfast, but in general it's amazing."

I don't think I'd recommend poutine for breakfast either .... but for me it scratches several comfort food itches.

I am reading America Pacifica, and plan on starting the audio of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close this weekend.

Update to Post #58: finished State of Wonder and It Sucked and Then I Cried, and have moved on to On the Way to the Wedding and A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali. Variety R Us.

I finished reading the wonderfull 100 years of solitude (Garcia Marquez).

I've started Catch 22. I'm at page 25 and still wondering what it is about. The author himself admits that its a love or hate book. For now I am perplexe but will surely read it to the end, We will see...

@ julie,

i tried to read Catch-22 last year and made it to page 75 after which i gave up. one of my friends at work said, "that's o.k. you can pick it up in a few years and it doesn't matter if you remember it or not cos' it won't make any difference to your understanding of the story."

Just started The Confession of Katherine Howard

I get so confused on where I post on GR sometimes! (I also belong to the Bookmarks subscribers group.) Anyway, I am reading , which I was lucky enough to find available on the e-library site. It's my first Patchett book, unless you count the 2-3 times I tried to read Bel Canto but quit early on. This one is keeping my attention better and I'm about 1/2 way through.

Just finished The Lover's Dictionary
I picked this up to read for Valentine Day week, and am I every so glad that I did. I loved it. It reads like wonderfully written, intimate journal entries. There are sections that simply took my breath away. I'd advise resisting the urge to read straight through. I dipped in a little at a time, and made the book last the entire week. Lovely.

Started A Wrinkle in Time. I've read her published journals and love them, but have not read any of her fiction.

Really liked State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, much more so than Bel Canto. Liked it so much that I plan on proposing it to my book group as a choice for the late summer or fall.

I'm currently reading and really enjoying it.

On page 92 of American Gods and I'm stalling out. This is not a good omen...will read 50 more pages and hope it gets better.

Read , and it was amazing though the writing style is not my favorite. Didn't suck me in, but I seem to be the only one. It was still a fabulous book. Go read it.

Currently read and I think to finish it will make me want to commit seppuku. It was a gift. I have to give it an honest shot.

After this I'm reading a sci-fi to branch out, but if I get another book that makes me wonder how it ended up printed on paper, I'm curling up with a Neil Gaiman and giving up hope on the quality of writing nowadays. All these debut novels are freaking terrible!

Jane(Janelba) wrote: "I'm currently reading and really enjoying it."

I'm reading it right now too and I love it!

I am now officially a member of the Church of Cormac McCarthy, just as I am of the Churches of Steinbeck, of Atwood, of Twain, of Nabokov. Writers who for me can do no wrong.

In this book we meet John Grady Cole, a cowboy of sixteen years. In 1949, his mother has sold off the family ranch, leaving John Grady to his own devices. He sets off from Texas to Mexico with his friend Rawlins, riding their horses through the now fenced and parceled land, carefully dismantling and reattaching fencing as they go. The two end up reluctantly taking on a companion, the younger Jimmy Blevins, a loose cannon, who'll cause them a lot of trouble. South of the border, the country is unfenced and wilder. John Grady and Rawlins end up working as ranch hands. Part of their responsibility is to capture and break wild horses. John Grady ends up in a dangerous love affair, before the two young men run afoul of corrupt officials.

I'd call this a coming of age novel, except John Grady is already as seasoned, decent, and mature as any adult you're likely to meet. It's more a story of how the world itself doesn't measure up to the best of us. How the world is harsh. How it tends to knock the good right out of us. Well, it doesn't knock the good out of John Grady. By the end of the story he's troubled by guilt, though, even though he's blameless. He takes on guilt for the way the world is, how it makes a good man feel uneasy and out of place.

John Grady doesn't talk much. But there are three characters who are given a soapbox to speak fascinatingly for several pages. One is a wealthy man who runs a crime cartel from his prison cell. One is an old woman, a free thinker whose revolutionary ideas about her nation have narrowed into preservation of those nearest to her. The other is a judge who, like John Grady, has taken on guilt for things he shouldn't have, and knows it, but still can't shake it.

Strange to say it, but the best among us are the most troubled. They're the ones that are always second guessing themselves.

Just finished The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. What a wonderful story. Now, I want to read it again.

Beth wrote: "Jane(Janelba) wrote: "I'm currently reading and really enjoying it."

I'm reading it right now too and I love it!"

Glad you're enjoying it too Beth. I'm currently on page 83 and wishing I had more reading time ! !

Just finished The Book Thief (5 stars!), and am about to start Dark Inside, which seems to be nice and creepy.

@ Eric; I just found All the Pretty Horses at Goodwill for .99 cents!!! I am so excited. I loved The Road and thought it was amazing to read.

Alondra wrote: "Just finished The Book Thief (5 stars!), and am about to start Dark Inside, which seems to be nice and creepy.

@ Eric; I just found All the Pretty Horses..."


Cormac, not for every one & I have to pace myself with his books but I love him ....

& The Book Thief-also 5 stars!!

Jane(Janelba) wrote: "Beth wrote: "Jane(Janelba) wrote: "I'm currently reading and really enjoying it."

I'm reading it right now too and I love it!"

Glad you're enjoying it too Be..."

I especially love the essays where the author writes about the trips they made to the library when they were young. I'm on page 120 and dreading coming to the end.

I just finished The Orphan Master's Son and absolutely loved it!

I'm going to start The Art Of Hearing Heartbeats tonight.

I'm currently listening to Skippy Dies

Reading The Wreckage

And dabbling in The Tao of Travel

I loved ! I did listen to it as opposed to reading it, don't know if that makes a difference. Currently, I'm reading which so far promises to be good; and, it's nice and long!

Salvage the Bones

State of Wonder, which I just finished this afternoon, has me in a state of wonder and awe -it was an 'all-consuming' read. I will think of it for days, and then perhaps find myself reading it again ... How did she write that novel? Maybe people will be talking about it in Oxford...

Completed , listening to , reading and .

Just finished History of a Pleasure Seeker and found it delightful, the story, the characters, the descriptions of the food, clothes and decor. I'm thrilled that there will be more about Piet Barol in the future.

@ Eric...OK, I feel really stupid. When reading your review of and I saw the cover, I realized that I read this several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a couple of years of very lax book journaling so I never got that one recorded. McCarthy's been so highly recommended recently from this group and other reading friends, but after reading the synopsis of several of his story lines I put off adding him to my TBR list - I have to be in the right mood for some of the darker stories. His name wasn't the hot topic then as it tends to be now but I'm laughing at myself for not realizing Pretty Horses as one of his earlier works.

@Suzanne...I was at Normandy Beach last year and our wonderful guide there shared a bit of Frances Slanger's story. I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed this book so much. I had forgotten about her since my return but am adding it to my TBR list now. Thanks so much for mentioning this.

I just finished as well as and thoroughly enjoyed them both. I don't know how long it would have taken me to find either one of these authors without this group. Thanks so much to all of you. I was thrilled to read my first Tana French at the end of last summer. I did not enjoy this one as much as her other two, which, for me, were absolutely gripping page turners, but I still enjoyed it very much.

I am currently readingThe Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo and listening to The Book of Unholy Mischief in preparation for an upcoming trip to Italy. I read the Agony and the Ecstasy many years ago when I was very young and before I had studied much art or history so I am thoroughly enjoying revisiting the Italy of Michelangelo with a bit more understanding.

I'm also set to begin either or next. Any recommendations on those?

If any of you have suggestions for additional books to get me set for Italy I would love to hear them. I've read quite a bit over the years but am always open to new recommendations from fellow readers. I really enjoy a well-researched historical fiction but I'm open to just about anything Italian right now.

I keep striking out with some not-so-good reads, but I finally struck gold with by Richard Holmes. A seriously fascinating book and a must-read for anyone interested in Romantic era literature. It explained so much about what was going on in the culture. A great narrative nonfiction choice!

Beth wrote: "Jane(Janelba) wrote: "I'm currently reading and really enjoying it."

I'm reading it right now too and I love it!"

Just got my copy too, all the way from England! Can't wait to get into it...

I just finished Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague, 1941-1968. I picked this up awhile ago as I was planning a trip to Prague and wanted to learn a little of it's history. So I ended up finishing the book yesterday while I was still in Prague and it was an amazing experience. To read what it was like there after WWII and then into their Communist occupation and then to see what it is like now was really astounding. Beautiful city, wonderful people. I also had to find a bookshop while I was there and picked up, of course, some Kafka :)

I finished The Art Of Hearing Heartbeats and A Place of Secrets in quick succession. I'm reading The Legacy next. (It seems that since I finished The Orphan Master's Son , only the lighter books have been coming through the library request system from my request list..)

I'm now reading - very good so far.

My reading has bogged down a bit because I have been trying to read The Count of Monte Cristo. I have read about a third of it. It has moments where I am completely enthralled and then it will start to slog for really long periods. I am determined to finish it but I have to read other things in the meantime or I won't have much hair left.

I have started The Hour I First Believedfor my book club this month. It's always fun when they choose a long book for the short month. I have never read Wally Lamb before but this one has started off well. I am also reading The History of Love. I am enjoying it, but not always sure what to make of it.

On audio I have had a bit more luck. I have listened to Pronto A Drink Before the War and am in the middle of Blood Oath. Audible had a 4.95 sale on first books in a series so I picked all these up. They have all been great so far.

I also have to say that

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talkingis one of the most fun and interesting reads that I have had in along time. I'm jealous of everyone who gets to meet her at Booktopia.

Lavinia wrote: "Beth wrote: "Jane(Janelba) wrote: "I'm currently reading and really enjoying it."

I'm reading it right now too and I love it!"

Just got my copy too, all the ..."

I loved this book and hope the message it portrays will be received, understood and acted upon ! !

Jay wrote: "I have started The Hour I First Believedfor my book club this month. It's always fun when they choose a long book for the short month."

I feel blessed. I'm starting right this moment for tomorrow night's discussion. Only 169 pages.

Frankie wrote: "I keep striking out with some not-so-good reads, but I finally struck gold with by Ric..."

i've added this to my TBR. thanks frankie.

Lori wrote: "@ Eric...OK, I feel really stupid. When reading your review of and I saw the cover, I realized that I read this several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it...."

Re: Books about Italy, have you read The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt? I've frankly never had any desire to go to Venice until I read this book. It is fascinating. On the darker side, there is also The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston, which is about a serial killer and makes some (loose) connections to the recent Amanda Knox case.

I just started The Fault in Our Stars.. SO good, so far!

I just finished and really enjoyed reading about pre WW II Germany (although it seemed the war started sooner for the German people). I can't wait to discuss with my book group. I am now reading which I picked up after giving it to my nephew for Christmas. I am also reading ,which I found at the library the other day.

Finished Great Expectations yesterday, and ever though it took me a bit longer to read it than I usually take, it was well worth it. I love his writing!

I've now started One Hundred Years of Solitude, book 2 on my goodreads TBR list. It's fantastic so far. Reminds me a bit of Like Water for Chocolate, but for me it's so much better. I've hardly been able to put it down.

Just finished Defending Jacob. Boy-oh-boy, I didn't see that ending coming! I pride myself on usually figuring those out, but this one surprised me. Was anyone else surprised?

I can't wait to meet William Landay at Booktopia in Manchester!

Also finished the audio version of George Washington by Ron Chernow. Enjoyed learning so much about our first president! Very enjoyable and quite eye-opening.

Suzanne, I thoroughly enjoyed The City of Falling Angels which is one reason I'm returning to Venice. I forgot about The Monster of Florence. Maybe I'll save that one for my return. I'd rather wander the narrow streets thinking of Michelangelo as opposed to "the Monster" following me! Thanks for the recommendations.

I finished . I enjoyed it- one down of the Manchester authors!

Vera wrote: "Just finished Defending Jacob. Boy-oh-boy, I didn't see that ending coming! I pride myself on usually figuring those out, but this one surprised me. Was anyone else surprised?

I can't wait ..."

I have to start reading this book! It stinks when life and work get in the way of reading!

currently reading & enjoying it so far

Becky wrote: "currently reading & enjoying it so far"

I hope you enjoy this book, Becky. I thought it was a nice take on vamps; kind of like Mathesons view...