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Post by Liiisa on Feb 1, 2018 5:51:38 GMT -5
It's too cold up here in the northern hemisphere to do anything but wrap ourselves in blankets and read books. List them all here!
I just finished the surprisingly wonderful book that I listed back in the January thread last night, so I'm in between right now. Something by Jorge Luis Borges was the next thing on my alphabetized shelf, so that should keep me occupied for a while.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Feb 1, 2018 6:31:51 GMT -5
Ha, in the southern hemisphere it has often been too hot to sleep and so I read instead. Or too hot to go out and so I read in air conditioned comfort!
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 1, 2018 6:39:26 GMT -5
I'm with Hal. Too hot to do much else but read. Bookmarking. One audio one ebook and one paper on the go.
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Post by sophie on Feb 1, 2018 23:59:35 GMT -5
Finished ‘Future Home of the Living God’. I enjoyed it ( as much as it is possible to enjoy dystopian novels) but I wanted to know more about the devolution going on and less about the main character’s angst.. one of those rare examples one wishes for more writing not less.
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 2, 2018 5:44:02 GMT -5
I completely agree, sophie - sorry if I downplayed that in my review. Like - what the hell is going on, it doesn't really make sense? But it kept my attention nonetheless.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 5, 2018 4:46:55 GMT -5
17. The House of Unexpected Sisters, Alexander McCall Smith. My Christmas present book. The giver also gave another in the same series to her mother-in-law, so we could share. Precious deals with some serious and unexpected issues in this episode, with her usual gentleness and wisdom. Another lovely book.
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Post by shilgia on Feb 5, 2018 12:46:08 GMT -5
3. Michael Oren - Ally. Former ambassador for Israel in the US, about his ambassadorial years. This was a total hate read. I knew going in that the author and I would not be on the same page politically, but wanted to read it to learn more about what his side thinks, and for the behind-the-scenes narrative. There were definitely some interesting stories in the book, but Oren is a self-satisfied windbag, and 400-ish pages of that was a drag.
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Post by Oweena on Feb 5, 2018 21:50:21 GMT -5
'Little Failure: A Memoir' by Gary Shteyngart
He describes the trials and tribulations of his first 6 years spent living in the USSR and then the issues he had as an immigrant trying to figure out the US. Can't say I was a fan of his writing style, and descriptions of his less than sympathetic parents didn't make me want to root for any of them to figure it out.
Apparently he's written a few well-received books of fiction. I'd never heard of him before--further proof I'm not up to date with current authors.
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 6, 2018 5:33:22 GMT -5
Oweena I read his "Super Sad True Love Story" back in 2011 and I think I liked it... would be helpful if I'd kept track of everyone's reviews like I said I was going to, ahem. But yeah, I keep seeing that and thinking of reading it but then I don't - I guess I prefer fiction to memoirs.
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Post by shilgia on Feb 6, 2018 10:06:21 GMT -5
I read Little Failure a couple of years ago (I think) and thought it was OK, not great. I always mix up Gary Shteyngart and Garth Stein. I think for a while I may not even have realized that they were two separate people.
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Post by mei on Feb 6, 2018 13:41:14 GMT -5
#2 finished: Kairos, by Dutch author Joke Hermsen. It's a philosophical exploration of the concept of 'kairos', that moment of inspiration, of the start of something new and unexpected, away from regular 'clock time'. It's a strong plea for taking time out of our daily routines, for art, for poetry, for new beginnings and so on. I really enjoyed it, and regret taking so long to read it. I probably read bits and pieces over 6 months, and it would have been much nicer to have found more dedicated time to read this with attention.
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Post by shilgia on Feb 6, 2018 13:45:24 GMT -5
That sounds really interesting, mei. I had not heard of this author.
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Post by mei on Feb 6, 2018 15:15:09 GMT -5
she's a Dutch philosopher (and novelist), I only know her from this book as a good friend was really positive about it.
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Post by mei on Feb 6, 2018 15:15:47 GMT -5
btw, has anyone here read 'The Power' yet? I've seen it come up in different places over the last few weeks, and very curious about it.
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Post by shilgia on Feb 6, 2018 16:33:54 GMT -5
A friend gave me a copy of The Power, but I have not read it yet.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Feb 6, 2018 16:34:37 GMT -5
I remember The Power being one of the titles I didn't know in the book quiz.
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Post by shilgia on Feb 6, 2018 22:11:26 GMT -5
4. Kerry Egan - On Living. I liked this.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 7, 2018 3:49:02 GMT -5
18. Death at the Cafe, by Alison Golden. A quick, light read. I always enjoy books where the clergy are presented positively! However, I was disappointed with a couple of very obvious Americanisms, in a book set in England, especially from an author born and bred in England. The victim's flat was described as being on the second floor, but it would have been called the first in England, and characters had cell phones, not mobiles. This is one reason why I'm not a huge fan of the Australian author Colleen McCullough. She writes for an American audience, and the inconsistencies, especially in The Thorn Birds, grate when I know the places she is writing about.
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Post by lillielangtry on Feb 7, 2018 4:13:32 GMT -5
btw, has anyone here read 'The Power' yet? I've seen it come up in different places over the last few weeks, and very curious about it. Just read it over the Weekend! I found it gripping and thought-provoking. There's a clear Margaret Atwood influence, so I'd say if you enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale, you will probably enjoy this. For those who don't know, the scenario is that teenage girls - and later, all women - develop an electric "power" allowing them to shock, and even kill, others. Men therefore lose their status as "stronger" beings and the whole of society is shaken up. It's not a spoiler to tell you that it does not turn into a fluffy utopia!
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 7, 2018 5:40:52 GMT -5
OK, "The Power" goes on the list... not sure why it hadn't been there already since that seems like the kind of book I like.
Anyway, what I finished last night was
9) Jorge Luis Borges, A Universal History of Infamy
A collection of simple little stories about gangsters and the like, all amusingly attributed to other people. The author disparages them in the introduction; they were things he wrote when he was young. But they had their moments.
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Post by shilgia on Feb 7, 2018 8:30:43 GMT -5
Hm, it actually makes it sound like The Power is kind of book I don't like. But I'll probably read it anyway at some point since a friend gave it to me.
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Post by scrubb on Feb 7, 2018 14:28:40 GMT -5
Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told, by Tom Phelan.
It was ok. Set in Ireland, in the present and with a bunch of flashbacks to just after WWII when there were 2 suspicious deaths in a small rural town. The flashbacks were a lot better than the present-day scenes, which were clunky and kind of pointless, except for showing how various things turned out for various people.
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Post by Oweena on Feb 8, 2018 18:47:18 GMT -5
Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman by Lindy West.
Got it since it was super cheap on my Kindle and she's from Seattle and I used to read some of her stuff in The Stranger. She discusses misogyny, fat shaming, how social media has unleashed the trolls and how she has dealt with it all.
It's a quick read and she doesn't hold anything back.
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Post by scrubb on Feb 8, 2018 20:29:37 GMT -5
In the past few years I learned that Madeleine l'Engle didn't start out as a young adult author and I've read a few of her early books. She really hadn't hit her stride yet, but they've still been worth reading because she makes her characters intelligent and thoughtful. Today I finished "The Small Rain" which was her very first novel. Not maybe the first published, but the first written. It's not great writing - sort of clunky and awkward - but I still liked it some.
About a girl whose mother is a famous pianist and father is a composer. I guess you'd call it a coming of age novel with some melodrama - her mother is in a serious accident, then does a few years later, she's surrounded by artists and actors, she's destined to be a great pianist herself - but she's introspective and philosophical.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 9, 2018 6:03:21 GMT -5
19. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett. I would rate the first two-thirds of this book as a 3 or even less, as I had trouble finding a hero I could identify with, as I do in most science fiction. However, the action and magic accelerated in the last third, and finally drew me in! Pratchett's universe is astonishing.
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Post by scrubb on Feb 9, 2018 12:07:13 GMT -5
ozzie - is that the first of the Discworld books you've read? I read it first and couldn't figure out what the fuss was about. Then I read the second one in the series, and decided I was done with Pratchett, and all the people who raved about Discworld were just wrong.
But then when he died and people whose tastes I respect kept posting about how much they loved it, I gave it one more chance. And the rest of the series is SO much better than the first 2. Try "Equal Rites" or "Guards! Guards!" next and I think you'll enjoy them much more.
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Post by Liiisa on Feb 9, 2018 19:58:44 GMT -5
Agreed about his universe! So imaginative, and hilarious for those of us who spent way too much time reading LOTR in our misspent youth.
I was turned on to Pratchett when a friend gave me a copy of "Carpe Jugulum"; that one might be a good next step as well.
Plus also "Good Omens," the one he coauthored with Neil Gaiman, which is brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
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Post by sophie on Feb 9, 2018 21:09:24 GMT -5
The Imam of Tawi-tawi by Ian Hamilton. The latest in his Ava Lee series.. easy and fun read.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Feb 10, 2018 4:32:43 GMT -5
ozzie - is that the first of the Discworld books you've read? I read it first and couldn't figure out what the fuss was about. Then I read the second one in the series, and decided I was done with Pratchett, and all the people who raved about Discworld were just wrong. But then when he died and people whose tastes I respect kept posting about how much they loved it, I gave it one more chance. And the rest of the series is SO much better than the first 2. Try "Equal Rites" or "Guards! Guards!" next and I think you'll enjoy them much more. I've read one other, and seen "Going Postal" on television. I'm still unsure. Might try one you've suggested and see what I think. This was an audiobook, quite well narrated. I have so many real and ebook waiting already, but I've always been something of a sci fi and fantasy fan.
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Post by sprite on Feb 11, 2018 12:26:47 GMT -5
I love pratchett, but am trying to read his books slowly, as, obviously, there won't be anymore. 'Interesting Times' is one of my favourites, probably because it's about a tourist coming to AnkporMok (sp?), and guidebooks etc.
i think it's good to have read 'the colour of magic' as Rincewind does feature in a lot of other books, and knowing his backstory makes him funnier.
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