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Post by Liiisa on Dec 1, 2018 7:21:04 GMT -5
I can't believe November's over already, but there you have it. Here's the new thread for talking about books! I'm currently about a third of the way through Geoff Dyer's "Yoga for People Who Can't be Bothered to Do It," which I'm reading for my writing class. I thought I'd read it already and was planning to just skim it in order to be able to discuss it, but I don't remember any of it so I'm reading it properly. (And of course I like it because I love Dyer.) Anyway, here's the link back to November: November Thread
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Post by Oweena on Dec 1, 2018 10:34:01 GMT -5
Just this morning finished A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
I'm guessing most of you have already read it, I'm late to the party.
I found it charming, the gentleman in question is such a well-written character. He seemed to float easily across the pages, so much so that the book was strangely relaxing to read.
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Post by Liiisa on Dec 1, 2018 13:33:34 GMT -5
Agreed Oweena, I put the gentleman from book on my list of book characters I'd like to meet.
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Post by scrubb on Dec 1, 2018 14:58:35 GMT -5
Sounds like another one to add to my list.
I'm reading a bookbub special that I haven't quite made up my mind about yet, a quarter of the way through. Called "Elders", it's about 2 Mormon missionaries in Brazil. It's thinly disguised autobiography, from what I've heard about it, by an ex-Mormon. So far it's given some interesting insight into how the missonaries live and the structure of their missions, and introduced 2 very different characters as examples.
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Post by shilgia on Dec 1, 2018 15:11:46 GMT -5
That sounds pretty interesting, Scrubb.
I finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman this morning. Totally not a genre I normally read, and it reminded me why - I lose patience for fantasy stuff - but despite that I thought it was't bad. Or maybe it's more accurate to say it had its moments.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Dec 1, 2018 20:10:56 GMT -5
I haven’t heard of A Gentleman in Moscow before. Elders sounds interesting, especially after seeing the musical The BookOf Mormon.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Dec 1, 2018 23:50:11 GMT -5
I have it on reserve, but am way down the list. And there are only a few copies.
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Post by sophie on Dec 2, 2018 0:09:57 GMT -5
The Rain Watcher by Tatiana deRosnay. Set during the recent Paris floods, a family full of secrets and with a history of poor communication gets together for the Father’s 70th birthday. Predictable but I enjoyed the writing style. A quick read.
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Post by mei on Dec 3, 2018 5:34:58 GMT -5
I just finished The Dark Circle by Linda Grant. The next book club read, one of the titles I proposed. I think it got on my to read list through a recommendation on here.
I have mixed feelings. The book sets a great location and time for the story to happen, with a unique range of characters. That was really well done. But I kept waiting for the story to start, which doesn't really. Or at least not in the sense that I thought it might.
Curious what the book club will make of it.
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Post by Oweena on Dec 3, 2018 7:44:22 GMT -5
Fashion Climbing by Bill Cunningham I got this book from the library because I loved his photos in the NY Times.
He wrote this memoir of his early days and start in the fashion world, but didn't tell anyone he's written it. The manuscript was only discovered after his death in 2016. I don't follow couture fashion yet I liked this book. It covers his growing up as a closeted gay kid in a strict Catholic home where his family was horrified by his love of fashion and dressing in woman's clothing. The chapters of his time in the Army in the 1950s and being stationed in France were my favorite.
I liked the first half a lot, the second half bogged down. Overall an interesting read about a subject I know little about.
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Post by snowwhite on Dec 3, 2018 8:52:53 GMT -5
I finished 'This is Going to Hurt' over the weekend - best-selling and probably justifiably so, slightly edited highlights from the diary of a Junior (ie not consultant) NHS Doctor. His specialism was obstetrics and gynaecology, and I have to say I think it would be food for thought from some of the people I encounter in a home birth chat group (I joined because I had one)... Made me aware of one or two of the problems that can occur in labour after an uncomplicated pregnancy (eg consequences of placenta praevia). Also made me reflect on the rather mad career structure of NHS doctors.
It's mostly quite funny and entertaining as well as moderately informative I may say, and a very easy read imo.
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Post by scrubb on Dec 5, 2018 20:08:10 GMT -5
I finished "Elders" by Ryan McIlvaine, as mentioned, about a pair of Morman Missionaries in Brazil. ONe is American, one is Brazilian. ONe grew up in a strong Morman household, one grew up Catholic but was converted after his mother's early death. It was an interesting look at what life is like for people on their mission and what the expectations are. It's extremely restrictive - they aren't supposed to read anything but their bible and other Morman literature, not even the newspaper, or watch TV. For 2 years.
The narration went back and forth between the 2 of them. The American is full of doubts; the Brazilian isn't, he's fervent, all the time, but is worried about his family, and he's ambitious too. Wants to become an assistant to the Mission president; wants to go to BYU in the States after his mission is over.
It wasn't action packed and I wouldn't say it was rivetting, but it was interesting, and the confusion and misery of the guy's doubts were very realistically shown.
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Post by scrubb on Dec 5, 2018 20:09:58 GMT -5
Oh, and on the plane today I read ERskine CAldwell's "Trouble in July". A very horrible look at life in the south when lynchings were no big thing. Very readable, but such a depressing look at man's inhumanity to man.
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Post by sophie on Dec 6, 2018 0:04:46 GMT -5
On Immunity by Eula Biss. Only partially into it, but already I wish I had this book when done conversations about immunizations arise. So well written and researched. After I finish reading this book I just might try to find an antivaxxer and get into an argument on purpose!
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Dec 6, 2018 4:15:21 GMT -5
90. Leigh Perry, The Skeleton Makes a Friend. This series have just the right mix of mystery, academia and silliness to keep me happy. I’ve been reading them as audiobooks on long road trips and they are ideal for this. I generally don’t like supernatural themes, but Sid the Skeleton has nothing to do with witches, mediums or zombies.
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Post by Oweena on Dec 6, 2018 11:31:16 GMT -5
You're on an Airplane by Parker Posey.
Her memoir, written as if you're seated on an airplane next to her. If you're a Parker fan you'll enjoy it.
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Post by mei on Dec 7, 2018 6:06:36 GMT -5
just started the second book of Game of Thrones (I know it's called differently, but don't remember how). it'll be a while before I'm back!
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Post by Liiisa on Dec 7, 2018 14:39:18 GMT -5
63. Geoff Dyer, Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do it
I think some people are exasperated by Dyer’s personal character in these essays, which is essentially “I’m a smart person who isn’t really sure what the hell im doing or achieving, but there are moments of exquisite beauty in life.” But I love it because I completely get it. This is an older collection, from the early 2000’s. The bit about him trying to change his pants in an Amsterdam café restroom stall while tripping on mushrooms had me wheezing with suppressed laughter on the bus this morning.
I think some of these were a reread from somewhere, but not all?
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Post by Oweena on Dec 9, 2018 20:26:36 GMT -5
Mystery of the Exploding Teeth and Other Curiosities from the History of Medicine by Thomas Morris.
It's exactly what the title says. Not recommended if you have a weak stomach or can't handle stories of assorted and sundry items placed into bodily orifices, talk of pus and poo, examples of old time cures before modern medicine, or people surviving being impaled with all manner of implements.
Other than that, I enjoyed a good part of the book, it's engagingly written, and I blew through it quickly.
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Post by lillielangtry on Dec 10, 2018 8:50:12 GMT -5
Belladonna - Dasa Drndic (translated from the Croatian by Celia Hawkesworth) Well, that wasn't what I expected. The main character in this book is a retired psychologist called Andreas Ban, who considers his life having been diagnosed with male breast cancer (the author herself recently died of cancer). I was a bit cautious about the details of the cancer treatment, but although I did empathise with that part, it wasn't too gruesome or distressing. Actually it was very accurate about the boredom of waiting rooms. Radiotherapy in particular is so dull. But in fact it's not the main Focus of the book at all, which ranges around Europe taking in the Memory of the Holocaust, the history of the former Yugoslavia and all sorts of literary references. It's not a Standard novel at all, it's unashamedly high-brow, it's pretty dense and difficult and really quite hard to describe. I could never just read books like this, but I am glad I persevered through this one. Very good.
Edwidge Danticat - Krik? Krak! Short stories from a Haitian-US author, which I listened to on Audio. Really enjoyed These. They were quite painful in parts, especially about the role of women, but beautiful.
Ben Aaronovitch, The Hanging Tree (Rivers of London #6) I treated myself to some light relief in the form of another Peter Grant. Aaronovitch's writing is so witty and detailed, I just hoover These up.
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Post by shilgia on Dec 10, 2018 13:19:31 GMT -5
Sheri Fink - Five Days at Memorial. About what happened at a hospital in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, as well as in the legal aftermath when a doctor and two nurses were accused of having euthanized a number of patients during the emergency. Interesting and worth reading, but could have been at least 30% shorter: more than 550 pages and a LOT of extraneous detail. We don't need every minor character's full family history, if you know what I mean. That said, worth reading for the interesting questions it raises about disaster preparedness, euthanasia, and human error, and different views it offers on those subjects.
Amy Ellis Nutt - Becoming Nicole. About a kid who was born as a boy but transitioned to living as a girl at a very young age. When I started this book I wasn't sure I was going to learn much from it - narratives of transgender life are not new to me - but I was wrong. I've never read a narrative that delved so deeply into not only the transgender kid's psyche but also into that of the other members of the family, and the family dynamic. The mother, who at first doesn't really understand, but wants to do what's best for her kid. The father, who is well-meaning but has a very hard time coming around to the fact that his son is really his daughter. The twin brother - the absolute hero of the story, as far as I'm concerned - who pretty much supports his sister no matter what, but sometimes has a very hard time being 'the brother of.' Terrific book.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Dec 12, 2018 4:46:50 GMT -5
91. Disorganised Crime, Alex A. King.
Kat Makris is definitely a rival for Stephanie Plum. A rollicking read set mostly in Greece, with lots of local colour and characters.
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Post by Oweena on Dec 13, 2018 10:57:56 GMT -5
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney.
Can't express properly how much I disliked every character in this book. None of them can be honest about their feelings for each other resulting in hurt feelings and misunderstandings. All their introspective angst was too much. There are also snippets of emails or instant messenger conversations included throughout that I realized I'm turned off by in a book.
The book is highly rated so I did a Google search after I'd finished because I wanted to try to figure out why I'd disliked it so much. From a Guardian interview of the author: she is "hailed as the 'Salinger for the Snapchat generation'" That may explain my dislike--I'm not the target demographic and I hated Salinger.
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Post by Liiisa on Dec 13, 2018 19:01:42 GMT -5
64. Anna Burns, Milkman
I read a review of this after it won the Man Booker, and immediately ordered a copy (it just came out in the US last week).
It's the story of a kind of intellectual 18-year-old girl in Northern Ireland in the 70s who lives in what I'm assuming is a Catholic neighborhood with lots of IRA involvement. I say "assuming" because there aren't any proper nouns... everything is described obliquely, so you sort of have to figure out what's going on. I found it impossible to put down.
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Post by lillielangtry on Dec 14, 2018 1:56:03 GMT -5
Sally Rooney seems to be really divisive - I've heard People rave about her, I've heard People who can't stand her. I am curious to see which side I'd be one, but yes, if it's a "millennial" Thing it won't be for me either!
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Post by scrubb on Dec 14, 2018 6:53:42 GMT -5
Louis de Bernieres - A Partisan's Daughter.
Set in the late '70s, an unhappily married English man meets a Yugoslavian immigrant. He visits her as often as possible, madly in love with her, while she tells him stories of her life. Some chapters are narrated by her, just enough to hint that she might have been making up much of it.
It was well done but not wonderful.
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Post by Liiisa on Dec 15, 2018 13:17:51 GMT -5
65. Berndt Brunner, Birdmania
This is kind of a coffeetable book that my mom gave me a while back. It has little essays on different people who were either ornithologists or just plain obsessed with birds, and has nice 18th- and 19th-century illustrations. It's an English translation; it originally was written in German.
I already knew some of it, but it was a nice quiet thing to read before bedtime (far less likely to keep me up all night long than Milkman).
For my next bedtime read I'm going to pick up Hardt and Negri's "Empire," which is a sociological analysis of globalized capitalism from the early 2000's that I found completely incomprehensible the first time I attempted to read it. We'll see if I'm any better equipped now....
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Post by Oweena on Dec 17, 2018 11:03:26 GMT -5
Sally Rooney seems to be really divisive - I've heard People rave about her, I've heard People who can't stand her. I am curious to see which side I'd be one, but yes, if it's a "millennial" Thing it won't be for me either! For whatever ridiculous reason I'm willing to give her another try. I'm in the queue to get her latest book, Normal People, from the library. There's a long waiting list for it but I'll report back once I've read it. If it's more of the same, I will walk away and feel assured she's not my cup of tea.
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Post by Oweena on Dec 17, 2018 11:09:27 GMT -5
Finished 'The Last Goodnight' a biography of Elizabeth Pack by Howard Blum.
Pack was an American who spied for the Brits in the 1930s and 40s. She was an excellent spy, pretty much no activity was off limits for her to get what she wanted. Her burglary of the French Vichy embassy in DC was extremely ballsy.
I enjoyed it.
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Post by lillielangtry on Dec 18, 2018 2:50:23 GMT -5
Jamaica Kincaid, Lucy (Antigua and Barbuda) I listened to the Audio book of this, and it was really great. This book stands or falls on whether you can stand the supremely unlikeable Lucy, a fantastically selfish, self-obsessed, bitter teen from the West Indies who moves the US to work as an au pair. The Reader, Robin Miles, was hilariously deadpan as she played Lucy's discovery of her sexuality, musing on the taste of a boy's tongue, etc. But this is not a Comedy - Lucy is angry and rightly so. The book has such a light touch but it covers issues of colonialism, sexism, Family tensions and more. Highly recommended.
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