Constant Reader discussion

Here's a new thread for our general August reading discussion.

I'm about to start Alison Bechdel's graphic novel Are You My Mother?. I was very impressed with her earlier book Fun Home.

I just finished Any Human Heart by William Boyd. It's fiction, consisting of journal entries from the long life of a British writer, Logan Mountstuart. It takes a bit of patience because it's long - 485 pages- and because you won't always like the protagonist. However, it's fascinating to see how the character changes from a school boy to an old man, without losing his core personalisty. It also helps that he meets all kinds of interesting real life authors and artists (Virginia Wolff comes off as very rude and nasty) and has some amazing adventures of his own. I recommend it.

Has anyone else read books by William Boyd? I read his farce A Good Man in Africa and very much enjoyed his wit and perception.

I'm almost done with "The Gabriel Method". It's a fascinating book that takes an innovative approach on weight loss, nutrution and general health matters.

After that, I have a long "laundry list" of books to read! :)

I'm on the second half of Les Misérables and once done with that I think I'll be moving on to The Descendants - after that, who knows :)

Most of the way through Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. Can't say I'm thrilled with it, but I'm too far in to give up. The problem with Ishiguro (for me) is that nothing is ever going to be Remains of the Day.

Geoff wrote: "Most of the way through Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. Can't say I'm thrilled with it, but I'm too far in to give up. The problem with Ishiguro (for me) is that nothing is ever going to be Remains o..."

Have you read An Artist of the Floating World or A Pale View Of Hills? Those earlier works are wonderful. Almost as good as Remains.

Ann wrote: "Has anyone else read books by William Boyd?"

I've only read Restless and The Blue Afternoon, and have a few others on the TBR shelf. Although different, both were excellent, as yours sound.

Book Concierge, your reading speed is amazing, do you find you retain most of what you've read?

Yes, Sherry, I really liked Artist of the Floating World. Haven't read the other. I'm to the last 10 pages of Never Let Me Go, and it's really gotten even worse. It's just a strange, emotionally flat, not-believable novel.

I never read Never Let Me Go; I was afraid of having the experience you're describing, Geoff. Remains is still my favorite, but I appreciated Artist (even more the 2nd time because of our discussion) and Pale View.

I just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean, and just started Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. So far, so good!

Cateline wrote: "Book Concierge, your reading speed is amazing, do you find you retain most of what you've read? ..."

I have a pretty good memory, but most 3* and below books are "in one eye, out the other" ... That's one reason I write my impressions/review done right away and save it here (and also on Shelfari.com).

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming - Joshilyn Jackson
Audio book read by the author
4****

Laurel sees dead people; so when a transparent young girl, apparently soaking wet, appears at the foot of her bed, she lets the ghost lead her to the window. She’s been sleepwalking again, but when she awakens, Laurel sees that there is a girl floating in her backyard pool.

This is a modern-day Southern Gothic novel. Jackson is a talented writer and fills her novels with wonderfully eccentric characters, as well as family secrets, dark undercurrents of poverty, alcohol and drug use, domestic violence, and illicit sex. As is usual in her books, there are competing motives at work. Characters behave in an apparently bad way for good reasons, or in an apparently good way for bad reasons. This keeps the reader guessing as to what is really going on, building suspense and holding the reader’s interest. Just as it happens in real-life sibling relationships, there were times when I felt sympathetic towards a particular character, and other times when I wanted to smack him/her. I was surprised by the way things turned out; though I did think it was a little too convenient an ending.

Jackson has some theatrical training and does a wonderful job of reading her work. Her facility with accents gives life to the many characters and makes it easy to tell who is speaking when listening to the audio.

MAP wrote: "I just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean, and just started Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. So far, so good!"

What did you think of The Madonnas of Leningrad, MAP? I keep thinking of reading it.

MAP wrote: "I just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean, and just started Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. So far, so good!"

I liked The Madonnas of Leningrad very much, and I am rereading it this month for a book club. Did you enjoy it?

Cateline,
Thanks for your recommendation of Restless and The Blue Afternoon by William Boyd. He is one writer I intend to keep reading. The two Boyd books I read were quite different from each other too.
I really admire authors who can write very different types of books. Jane Smiley is like that, as well as David Mitchell (author of Cloud Atlas, which is on the CR reading list).

Barbara wrote: "MAP wrote: "I just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean, and just started Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. So far, so good!"

What did you think of The Madonnas of Leningrad, MAP? ..."

Add me to those who really liked this book. I rated it 4.5 stars.

Listening to And Sometimes Why, which is funny and beautifully written, but is going off on some odd tangents. Also listening to Juliet in August, which is just so wonderful--beautifully told stories about "average" but arresting characters in a small town in Canada (Juliet being the name of the place).

Last night I started a print read of Tell The Wolves I'm Home--I'm about 50 pages in, and it is stellar so far. Set in 1987, it concerns 14-year-old June's loss of her beloved Uncle Finn to AIDS, and a family that cannot come to grips with the circumstances of Finn's life.

Geoff wrote: "Most of the way through Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. Can't say I'm thrilled with it, but I'm too far in to give up. The problem with Ishiguro (for me) is that nothing is ever going to be Remains o..."

I think Never Let Me Go is Ishiguro's weakest book by far.

I gave The Madonnas of Leningrad 3 stars. There were some gaps, which I suppose were necessary since the main character has Alzheimer's. But the descriptions of the paintings are fabulous. I Googled some of the paintings so I could see what she was describing. That helped a lot.

Sara wrote: "Last night I started a print read of Tell The Wolves I'm Home--I'm about 50 pages in, and it is stellar so far. Set in 1987, it concerns 14-year-old June's loss of her beloved Uncle Finn to AIDS, and a family that cannot come to grips with the circumstances of Finn's life. "

I'm in my library's hold queue for the ebook.

John wrote: "Sara wrote: "Last night I started a print read of Tell The Wolves I'm Home--I'm about 50 pages in, and it is stellar so far. Set in 1987, it concerns 14-year-old June's loss of her beloved Uncle Fi..."

I've heard very good things about that book.

Almost finished with The Makioka Sisters which I'm enjoying though I'm somewhat frustrated with aspects of the sisters' lives in 1930s Japan. Then I plan to read Family Matters for the discussion. I thought A Fine Balance was excellent.

I'm also curious---is anyone else NOT receiving most notifications of comments this week. I've received almost none for the past few days and wondered if everyone was on vacation. I have received messages and "likes" notices of reviews but little else.

I actually decided to pick up The Player of Games as it was passed on to me as a World Book Night book & I thought it was about time I gave it a whirl. Not my usual cup of tea & wouldn't have picked it up from a bookshop but it's not too bad so far.

Has anyone else read The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa? It was a bestseller in Japan. I thought it was a beautiful book.

The story is about an elderly math genius who suffered a brain injury in a car accident. He retains his ability to understand and explain very complex mathematical ideas, but his short term memories disappear after 80 minutes. The housekeeper and her 10 year old son develop a very touching relationship with the professor in spite of the fact that they have to repeatedly reintroduce themselves to him.

A friend of mine recommended this book a couple of years ago, but I put off reading it because I thought it would be depressing. It wasn't at all. I even enjoyed the professor's very visual explanations of math concepts.

Ann, I loved The Housekeeper and the Professor, and even gave it as a gift for a while. Such a good book, full of heart.

Hayley wrote: "I'm on the second half of Les Misérables and once done with that I think I'll be moving on to The Descendants - after that, who knows :)"

Hayley, I read The Descendants last fall. It's wonderful. I think you'll enjoy it.

Ann: I thought it sounded interesting, and voted for it when it was nominated to be on the current CR reading list. Thanks for reminding me.

Book Concierge wrote: "Barbara wrote: "MAP wrote: "I just finished The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean, and just started Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. So far, so good!"

What did you think of The Madonnas of L..."

Glad to hear this, BC - The Madonnas of Leningrad is definitely one of my next books to read.

I just started Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival, and I like it so far.

Susan,
Glad to hear that you also loved The Housekeeper and the Professor. John, maybe I'll try nominating it again for Constant Reader.

I am now reading FAMILY MATTERS and enjoying it very much.

I've finished reading The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper yesterday. Now I'm reading Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich.

Ellie,
What did you think of The Last of the Mohicans? Did it hold your interest after all these years?

After devouring , I have been pulled into . I hope to finish it before school starts!

Roads - Larry McMurtry
2**

I’ll say this for McMurtry, when he puts his mind to it he can paint a landscape as well as any author, and weave a story that will keep you riveted. I wish he’d done more of this in this memoir of a year spent traveling America’s major highways. The book is like many major interstates … miles (pages) of mind-numbing sameness, occasionally interrupted by a point of interest. There are a few memorable passages – his father’s encounter with a rattler, the disappointment of what Key West has become, and the attack of the Volkswagen-Beetle-sized tumbleweeds – but mostly I was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel (bookmark). I also was puzzled by his references to “the 10” or “the 281” rather than the more usual “I-10” or “Hwy 281.” I have never heard the roads referred to as McMurtry does, and it made me feel disoriented.

Ann wrote: "Has anyone else read The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa? It was a bestseller in Japan. I thought it was a beautiful book.

The story is about an elderly math genius who suffered a bra..."

Ann, I read this not long ago and also thought it was a wonderful book, beautifully written.

Sara wrote: "Listening to And Sometimes Why, which is funny and beautifully written, but is going off on some odd tangents. Also listening to Juliet in August, which is just so wonderful--beautifully told stori..."

Putting JULIET IN AUGUST in my queue, it sounds like my kind of novel. Is TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME Y/A?

I'm reading FAMILY MATTERS, should be done in time for discussion. I thought A FINE BALANCE was one of the best novels I read that decade.

Kat wrote: "Sara wrote: "Listening to And Sometimes Why, which is funny and beautifully written, but is going off on some odd tangents. Also listening to Juliet in August, which is just so wonderful--beautiful..."

I wouldn't classify Tell The Wolves I'm Home as YA at all, no.

Thanks, Sara. I do read YA, but I like to do it when I'm in the mood for it; sometimes I'm not.

BC wrote, I also was puzzled by his references to “the 10” or “the 281” rather than the more usual “I-10” or “Hwy 281.” I have never heard the roads referred to as McMurtry does, and it made me feel disoriented.

Here in Southern California, we put "the" in front of the highway name. I thought it odd when I first moved here, but it's become natural to me. I've never heard it anywhere else, and I grew up in Texas, McMurtry's home state. The book sounds as unappealing to me as a cross-country road trip.

I'm in So Cal, too, and have always said "the 10" or "the 215." Had no idea everyone doesn't say that.

Ruth wrote: "I'm in So Cal, too, and have always said "the 10" or "the 215." Had no idea everyone doesn't say that."

Same here. Never have said I-99 or freeway 10 .

Made it through 10 pages of Swamplandia! before giving up. I feel stupid to have paid full price for this one.

I've already finished Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich, which was a short but hilarious novel, an now I'm about to start reading The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen.

Tina wrote: "Here in Southern California, we put "the" in front of the highway name. I thought it odd when I first moved here, but it's become natural to me. I've never heard it anywhere else, and I grew up in Texas, McMurtry's home state...."

Yes, I'm originally from Texas, and now live in Wisconsin. I have friends from New York, Arizona, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana ... none of them say "the 10" ... But McMurtry did spend some years living in California, so I guess that terminology stuck with him.

The Dry Grass of August - Anna Jean Mayhew
Audio book narrated by Karen White
3***

Mayhew’s debut novel is a story of racism in the 1950’s South, a coming-of-age novel, and a look at a family falling apart.

Jubie (June Bentley Watts) is our 13-year-old narrator, growing up in an upper-middle-class family in Charlotte NC with her three siblings. Her life, to this point, is centered on family and school; she is aware of change in the world, yet still somewhat sheltered by her age and the adults around her. But a family vacation to visit her Uncle Taylor in Pensacola will open her eyes to tensions within her family and throughout the Southern United States.

There are some emotionally gut-wrenching scenes in the book, and Mayhew tries to explore how these events shape Jubie and her family. But she doesn’t succeed. I think Mayhew was trying to include too much and the plot got away from her. The family drama would have been plenty to handle in a novel. The racial tensions of a country facing major change just after Brown v Board of Education would also have fueled a full novel. In trying to incorporate both these significant plots, Mayhew failed to do justice to either one.

There are moments of very good writing and I was interested and engaged in the novel, but felt as if I’d missed something by the time I got to the end. It’s a good first effort, but I don’t think it will pass the test of time.

Karen White does a very good job on the audio book.

Book Concierge wrote: "
The Dry Grass of August - Anna Jean Mayhew
Audio book narrated by Karen White
3***

Mayhew’s debut novel is a story of racism in the 1950’s South, a coming-of-ag..."

Boy, I didn't have quite this reductive reaction to the book. At all.

I am starting Beautiful Ruins tonight. It is very hot here in Oregon for us cool weather lovers. I will probably be reading most of the night. Hope the book is good. I tried Family Matters and sorry to say it went back to the library after the first 75 pages or so. It looks like it will be good - just not for me.

Geoff wrote: "Made it through 10 pages of Swamplandia! before giving up. I feel stupid to have paid full price for this one."

I'm with you, Geoff! I have no clue why it is such an acclaimed book. I made it to page 16; fortunately, it was from the library.

Ann wrote: "Has anyone else read The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa? It was a bestseller in Japan. I thought it was a beautiful book.
..."

I have not read it, but it is on my TBR mountain.

46: I've not attempted (and won't attempt) The Pale King--it feels too much like picking over a corpse to me, plus DFW's fiction (in my opinion) is never where he's at his best.

48: My excuse is that I'd had a drink before I went to the bookstore.

Geoff wrote: "46: I've not attempted (and won't attempt) The Pale King--it feels too much like picking over a corpse to me, plus DFW's fiction (in my opinion) is never where he's at his best.

48: My excuse is t..."

Hahaha! Maybe you should have continued with the drink.

I've started Family Matters after finishing all of my Eastern European reading and finished 1/3 of it in 24 hours. I was sick today and did nothing but read, but still.... It really grabbed me.