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Post by Liiisa on Jul 1, 2018 7:02:33 GMT -5
Now that it's 300 degrees in the shade in my part of the globe, it's time to hide in the a/c and read. I won't be back for a while, though, because I just started the new Alan Hollinghurst, which is about 90,000 pages long. But anyway, as usual books wooooo. Here's the link to the June thread: Link to the June Thread
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jul 1, 2018 7:31:00 GMT -5
Bookmarking. I've just finished a real book and an audiobook, but have road trips coming up. Thanks, Liiisa.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Jul 1, 2018 7:32:55 GMT -5
Spent today skimming through the latest book club book. The Dinner, by Herman Koch. I read it a few years ago and really disliked all the characters first time round so was just so reluctant to pick it up again. Skimming still proved they were totally unlikeable.
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Post by sophie on Jul 1, 2018 10:04:48 GMT -5
Just starting Warlight by Michael Ondaatje, his newest book. I got this copy signed by him when I went to see him , do this copy won’t be leaving home!
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Post by Queen on Jul 2, 2018 9:13:23 GMT -5
halfway through "Queen of the Night" by Alexander Chee and not loving it.
It would normally be right up my street but I think I'm feeling too stressy to enjoy reading something with a complex narrative... I think I was something more linear with a guaranteed happy ending. Might have to put this on back on the "to read" pile.
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Post by shilgia on Jul 2, 2018 11:00:08 GMT -5
I'm struggling with too many books to read!
I'm traveling, but also working, so there's stuff to see, reading to do for work, AND time to sit outside with a coffee and a for-fun book, but a gazillion books are all demanding to be read! I'm already reading 2 at the same time (which is fine), but I should also start reading one about the history of a region I'll soon be visiting and know woefully little about, AND I've been considering finally trying to read a (simple) book in Italian to see how it goes and if it will help me get better with the language.
Anyway, call the WHAmbulance, I guess.
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Post by lillielangtry on Jul 2, 2018 11:10:49 GMT -5
Thanks Liisa!
I finished off 2 books today.
The first was an audio book, Zadie Smith's latest essay collection, Feel Free. I wasn't sure about this to start, especially as some of the earlier essays were quite US-focused - not a problem in itself, but it is if she spends 45 minutes on a TV show I've never seen. (Smith is of course British but mostly lives in New York, I think). However, I really liked some of the later pieces.
Monika Peetz, Die Dienstagsfrauen No idea if this has been translated. It's "chick lit", I guess, in that it's about a group of female friends and supposed to be humorous. Honestly it's predictable and the characters are stereotypes, but it's an easy read and I needed that right now.
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Post by Liiisa on Jul 4, 2018 11:57:18 GMT -5
32) Alan Hollinghurst, The Sparsholt Affair
Another really good book about gay life in London by Hollinghurst. Sparsholt is an ostensibly straight WW2 hero who then was involved in a scandal in the mid-60s when being gay was still illegal in the UK. The interesting thing about this book is that it's really more of a story of the people around him - first his friends in the 40s, then in later years his son, a portraitist who is also gay. But you feel the man's influence strongly in the oblique perspective of how he affected these other characters. Hollinghurst is such a great writer - he describes mood and emotion so accurately and economically. Really good book.
Now I have to think of what to read next... I have about 300 books here.
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Post by Liiisa on Jul 4, 2018 21:14:24 GMT -5
33) Lydia Millet, Omnivores
Instead of going outside in the stifling heat to watch the fireworks I stayed inside in the a/c and read this bizarre and compelling little novel about... uh... well, it starts with moths and ends with a cannibal baby.
The author's later novels have been finalists for various awards, but I'd never managed to hear about her until I read an interview a couple weeks ago. I'll read more of her stuff for sure.
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Post by scrubb on Jul 6, 2018 21:52:37 GMT -5
Finally finished James Michener's "The Bridge at Andau" about the Hungarian revolution in 1956. It was a bit ironic than in his efforts to point out the lies in Soviet propaganda, he wrote a very propaganda filled book himself. That said, some of his points were valid - that the Hungarian people rejected Soviet Communism (he expanded that to say they rejected Communism, full stop, which I don't think is really valid, but anyway), and the Soviet actions in Hungary demonstrated their corruption and their need to use force because no satellite states would have tolerated them without being forced into it.
Mostly I finished it because I didn't know much at all about the revolution so it filled in some missing history. But it wasn't particularly well told - it was my mistake to think it was supposed to be a novel, but even as a report of events/discussion of ideology, it wasn't organized in a way that flows. He's a good enough writer that it wasn't a BAD book, but I don't think I"d call it good, either.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jul 7, 2018 3:28:51 GMT -5
52. Girl, you're on Fire, Helen Ellis. Helen has rewritten War and Peace the Musical, this time as two novels, and she gets Australian Country town life exactly right.
Can't say the same about my next book.
53. Murder by Butter Chicken, C T Mitchell. When I first downloaded this book, I didn't realise it was Australian, or that it was so short. It was disappointing on a number of levels. A very poor picture of a small Australian beachside town. The author's knowledge of the geography of the region he is writing about is minimal, and his grammar leaves much to be desired. The story is too short for much character development, and there are some odd points. The town appears to be almost entirely populated by people of Indian descent, and the detective who works there suddenly has to stay overnight in a cabin because of the murder. My home is in the same region, and I can't imagine anyone working there needing to travel more than an hour to their home. Hope the next is an improvement, as I like to support Australian authors.
54. More Fool Me. Stephen Fry. Great to listen to Stephen narrate his own autobiography. So many of his friends are my favourite actors and comedians, and he tells the story warts and all. Laugh out loud funny at times.
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Post by Webs on Jul 7, 2018 19:38:12 GMT -5
Finished "Lillian Boxfish takes a walk". Loved it. Loved this woman, even with all her flaws.
Reading "Women in sunlight" by Frances Mayes. It's a perfect summer read. 3 women at a crossroads in their lives decide that instead of going into an senior living community to move to Italy together. Of course they aren't hampered by finances so it's a bit of dream but all the talk of food is drool worthy.
It makes me want to go to La Meridana even more.
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Post by Queen on Jul 8, 2018 3:19:15 GMT -5
Reread - Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood
easy read, pretty clothes, happy ending.... just what I needed.
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Post by lillielangtry on Jul 9, 2018 8:39:33 GMT -5
I read three short books while I was away - it's really satisfying to be able to finish a whole book on a journey!
The first was The Iliac Crest by Cristina Rivera Garza. There's a Dr in a rural, borderland-type area (unnamed). One evening two women Show up at his door. One of them is his ex and the other Claims to be called Amparo Davila (who is a real Mexican writer). But who is she really and what do they want? This is not a book for those who like clear endings, but if you enjoyed Samanta Schweblin or Mariana Enriquez, I'd recommend it.
Then came After a Funeral by Diana Athill. This short memoir is based on Athill's friendship with an Egyptian writer who ultimately committed suicide in her Apartment. It's quite difficult to read as you know where it's going and her description of both "Didi's" mental health Problems and addictions, and her own weaknesses, are so clear and sharp. Mesmerising writing as usual.
Shadows on the Tundra, Dalia Grinkevičiūtė Ah, OK, if you thought it couldn't get more depressing - it could. The author, who is Lithuanian, was 14 when she was deported from her home Country and taken to the Arctic border of the Soviet Union and forced to do hard labour. She later wrote this memoir in secret and it was discovered much later. Utterly harrowing, but an important testimony.
All three of These were difficult reads in some respects but also excellent and because they were all under 200 pages, they didn't go on so Long that it became unbearable.
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Post by scrubb on Jul 9, 2018 21:57:00 GMT -5
I will be out of here for a while as I've started Dumas' "The Man in the Iron Mask" so have >800 pages of political intrigue to read about.
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Post by sophie on Jul 9, 2018 23:35:07 GMT -5
Finished ‘Warlight’ by Michael Ondaatje. He is such a wordsmith! I was captured in a certain mood within a few sentences when I was reading it. I (unusually) read this book slowly and savoured it. And today he won the super Mann Booker.
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Post by scrubb on Jul 10, 2018 19:31:00 GMT -5
Well, I finished the book I was in the middle of before going full bore into Dumas... "The Hero's Walk" by ANita Rau Badami. It was runner up in the "Canada Reads" contest a couple years ago (they choose "the book all Canadians should read" each year). Told from the point of view of a sad, grumpy, defeated Indian man, he gets the news that his daughter in Canada was killed in a car accident with her husband, leaving his granddaughter orphaned.
It was a good look into family life in India and the author didn't turn it into a fairy tale with a lot of easy answers or anything. The little girl was unfortunately not super well drawn, but overall I thought it was good, and much, MUCH better than the book that beat it in Canada Reads (which was hugely disappointing).
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jul 12, 2018 3:50:22 GMT -5
55. Girl in a Storm, Helen Ellis. More of Helen’s fun characters living in a fictional Australian town. Her depictions of characters and places are intuitive and evoke a very accurate picture of life in a typical Australian rural town. This story includes danger, adventure, romance, humour and mystery. A great read.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jul 12, 2018 21:14:01 GMT -5
56. Murder of a Bollywood Queen, CT Mitchell. I feel a bit guilty even claiming this as a book, but it, and the previous one, were a Goodreads Cozy Mystery challenge. Hugely disappointing. Badly written and edited, and with little feel for the region he writes about. I should know, as I've lived there for decades. The premise is good, but the book needs to be extended, with descriptions and detail, and the ending was far too abrupt. The characters have no depth. The author would have been better to use fictional names for the places, rather than depict real places so badly.
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Post by sophie on Jul 17, 2018 15:52:16 GMT -5
Finally had time to read! The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. A Newberry and Hugo winner, fabulous book. Yes, the intended readers are young readers, but I LOVED it.
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Post by sophie on Jul 17, 2018 15:57:08 GMT -5
And also read ‘Educated’ by Tara Westover. True story, biographical account of a woman brought up by fundamentalist Mormons and how she ended up becoming educated with graduate degrees.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jul 17, 2018 18:05:31 GMT -5
57. Lowcountry Boil, Susan M. Boyer. This was one of the Goodreads cozy mysteries of the month, and I found it on Audible just when looking for something light for a long road trip. Surprisingly good. The southern accent was appropriate to the setting, though initially difficult for an Australian, but there was excellent character development through the book, and a good mystery with a couple of surprises. The one downfall is all the unlikeable characters were implicated in some way, but none of the likeable ones.
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Post by Liiisa on Jul 17, 2018 20:51:16 GMT -5
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jul 19, 2018 21:57:09 GMT -5
58. Grave in the Garage, Alison Golden. So far this is the best of the series, and might encourage me to look for more. Rev Annabelle is growing on me, and there seemed to be more depth to the characters in this story. 59. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques for Retraining Your Brain, Jason M. Satterfield. Excellent overview of CBT in 24 half-hour lectures. Great as an audiobook.
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Post by Liiisa on Jul 20, 2018 21:03:50 GMT -5
34. Naomi Alderman, The Power
Ooh, thank you to the people here who recommended this - what a good book! Beautifully titled - while you think it's ostensibly about the power that's the central thing of the novel, to me it's actually about humans and power, relational power and political power. Recommended!!
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Post by mei on Jul 21, 2018 3:54:46 GMT -5
Oooh that's high on my list too. Looking forward to it!
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Post by lillielangtry on Jul 22, 2018 8:59:14 GMT -5
Hala Alyan - Salt Houses Alyan is Palestinian-American and her book (I believe her first novel, although she also writes poetry?) is a multi-generational saga about a family from the Palestinian diaspora. There's a family tree in the beginning of the book, and at first I thought no way would I learn all the characters without frequent reference to it, but actually she does a great job of distinguishing between all the main people. This doesn't have a fully structured plot but moves on from narrator to narrator, usually with several years' gap between each section, so it's not a really traditional novel but it's well written and I enjoyed it a lot.
Margaret Atwood - The Edible Woman Atwood is a genius, isn't she? This is her first novel, written in 1965, but it stands the test of time really well. It's about a young woman with a fairly dull office job, which she is about to give up completely as she's engaged and married women generally don't work in those days. Her body starts trying to tell her that she's not as satisfied with the status quo as she tries to believe she is. I had to wonder if Han Kang, author of THe Vegetarian, had read this book. Despite the different culture and the several decades inbetween their publication, the two books really share some themes. The Edible Woman is much funnier though!
Eugene Ionesco - Die Nashörner (Rhinoceros) Ionesco was Romanian and but largely lived in France and wrote in French. This is a collection of 4 short stories (Rhinoceros is also the title of a play by the same author). They are kind of Kafakesque. The title story about a man in a town where suddenly people start turning into rhinos. I liked them.
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Post by Liiisa on Jul 22, 2018 21:24:45 GMT -5
35. Kingsley Amis, New Maps of Hell
I bought this because I thought it was 1950's pulp sci-fi written by Kingsley Amis, which sounded like great fun! But actually it ended up being a book about sci-fi written by Kingsley Amis in the late 1950s. So at first that was disappointing, but eventually I came to really enjoy it. Amis is a hilarious critic - he uses memorable phrases like "written with electrifying banality." But although he did come down pretty hard on the stupid stuff, he praised the good stuff and encouraged "serious literature" type people to read it. There's an index of authors and titles in the back that one can refer to.
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Post by sophie on Jul 23, 2018 11:05:35 GMT -5
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey. New author and it appears she is beginning a series.. good start. Set in Bombay of the 1920’s, good period study as well as a good mystery. Wonderful main character, a Parsi female lawyer with a ‘past’. Enjoyed this book as an easy summer read. Looking forward to more of this author.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Jul 24, 2018 8:24:18 GMT -5
That sounds like fun, Sophie. 60. The Scam, Janet Evanovich. I needed a bit of lighthearted fun, so naturally turned to Evanovich. Lots of her usual high jinx and several unexpected twists ant turns, and I enjoyed the visit to Macau within the story. Several quite gory details, but treated lightly enough to make them palatable. I don't think this series is as good as Stephanie Plum, but it's a fun read.
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