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Post by lillielangtry on Aug 1, 2019 1:17:56 GMT -5
I can't equal Webs' pun from last month, but here's a new thread for all your August reads! As has become traditional for me, I'll be reading almost exclusively women in translation this month (I have one book on the go that's not translated and another for book club, but apart from that). If that's something you're interested in, there'll be loads going on on Twitter and Instagram under #womenintranslation and #WITMonth. But feel free to list and discuss all your books of whatever genre here! July's thread
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Post by Liiisa on Aug 1, 2019 4:47:50 GMT -5
Thank you lillie! Bookmarking.
I'm in between novels right now; picked up the new David Szalay in Northampton the other day but haven't quite gotten around to opening it yet. My simultaneous nonfiction is about dragonflies.
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Post by mod on Aug 1, 2019 8:40:10 GMT -5
Damn, I had a really good title for this month. "In August literary circles we share our recommendations."
Will sticky.
Love - Mod
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Post by Webs on Aug 1, 2019 9:15:35 GMT -5
Ozzie - I just started "Saks and Violins by Mary Daheim" because your recommendation led me to the synopsis that sounded so funny. The mother sounds like a riot and laughed outloud on the subway at it.
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Post by Oweena on Aug 1, 2019 16:32:47 GMT -5
Just finished 'Patsy' by Nicole Dennis Benn.
This 2019 novel is a sober look at the choices and sacrifices one will make for a better life. It touches on racism and sexism, both in Jamaica and the US. The title character leaves her young daughter behind in Jamaica while she goes in search of a friend who immigrated to the US years ago. She's hoping to rekindle their relationship but of course things in the US aren't what the friend has lead her to believe. The other main character is Patsy's young daughter, left behind with too many questions. Both of their narratives are interesting and true to life.
I liked how the characters were drawn, warts and all. It's one of those books where the story will stick with me for a bit. I recommend.
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Post by Liiisa on Aug 1, 2019 17:45:28 GMT -5
36) David Szalay, Turbulence
This is a very short novel, easily read in two bus rides and a lunch.
It's kind of like that movie "Slackers": it starts off with a woman visiting her son and then flying home; and then the next chapter is about the man who was sitting next to her on the plane; and then the next is about the pilot; etc. I love Szalay's writing, he's definitely one of my favorite contemporary young writers.
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Post by mei on Aug 2, 2019 4:33:55 GMT -5
#16 Slave to Fashion by Safia Minney
An interesting book diving into the various elements of exploitation that are inherent in the fashion supply chain, sharing stories of people working in the industry and providing examples of businesses and other organisations trying to make a change for the better.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Aug 2, 2019 8:58:13 GMT -5
Bookmarking. I’ve found an interesting half-finished book, and have several others on the go, including my usual bedtime cozy mysteries.
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Post by Liiisa on Aug 2, 2019 19:31:17 GMT -5
37. Patricia Highsmith, The Two Faces Of January
Well, I thought this would take a little longer to read, but I couldn't put it down.
This is a crime thriller type book set in the early 1960s in Greece. All the characters are fairly unpleasant... but it really was quite good and, as I said earlier, impossible to put down.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Aug 3, 2019 6:34:37 GMT -5
46. TheCase of the Screaming Beauty, Alison Golden. Not a bad start to a series, and the characters have a little more depth than other books I’ve read by the same author. A good light read.
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Post by Oweena on Aug 3, 2019 22:18:32 GMT -5
Deep River by Karl Marlantes
Really liked this book. It starts in the early 1900s in Finland and moves through the 1930s. It revolves around 3 Finnish siblings who flee the Russian rule in Finland, ending up in Washington state. All the characters are drawn so well, along with the supporting characters. It's based partially on true events, the logging and fishing industries on the Oregon/Washington border and the rise of unions and the Wobblies.
I suppose it all resonated with me as I was born and raised in these parts and grew up surrounded by loggers and fishermen. I'm also guessing sophie would appreciate this book. It's a commitment, over 700 pages. But it was one of those books I looked forward to getting back to every day.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Aug 4, 2019 2:16:01 GMT -5
I am massively behind and will have to go back and update in other months. But I will just add on here for this month and am sort of guessing the numbers from Goodreads (which is also slightly incomplete)
65. The October Man - Ben Aaronovitch.
A Rivers of London novella but set in Germany and without Peter Grant. This time we met Tobi Winters who is the German equivalent of Peter. I enjoyed being in this world again and liked seeing the slightly different perspective of the Germans.
66. The Secret of the Night Train - Slyvia Bishop A fun middle grade detective adventure style book involving jewel thieves, a plucky young girl, a slightly unconventional nun and train trips across Europe. I am hoping it is the first in a series.
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Post by lillielangtry on Aug 4, 2019 7:21:00 GMT -5
65. The October Man - Ben Aaronovitch. A Rivers of London novella but set in Germany and without Peter Grant. This time we met Tobi Winters who is the German equivalent of Peter. I enjoyed being in this world again and liked seeing the slightly different perspective of the Germans. I'm going to treat myself to this sometime when I need something fun. I had a Twitter exchange with Aaronovitch the other day and he might use something I tweeted for one of this characters! It would be so funny if he did!
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Post by Liiisa on Aug 4, 2019 20:26:35 GMT -5
38. Dorothy Sayers, Strong Poison
I love those Lord Peter Wimsey novels. This appears to be the one where he meets Harriet Vane, who is under suspicion of murder.
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Post by lillielangtry on Aug 5, 2019 1:35:05 GMT -5
#55 Fatima Bhutto, The Runaways (Pakistan) I picked this up on a whim in London as the bookshop had a lovely signed copy and it's really good. It follows three Young People - a Pakistani-British man who is gay (but doesn't want to accept it), a Pakistani man from a very privileged Background, and a Girl from a Slum of Karachi - as they negotiate their identity, Religion, etc. I can't say too much because it's really quite exciting and there is a Twist that, hm, is it obvious? Maybe, but I personally didn't see it coming. I thought I was going to give this book 5 stars but I'm not sure what I thought about the ending, so I deducted one.
#56 Leila Marouane, The Sexual Life of an Islamist in Paris (Algeria/France, translated from the French by Alison Anderson This is a really intriguing book. On the one Hand, it's a light Story of a man from an Algerian Immigrant Family in Paris. He changes his appearance and his Name to pass as French as far as possible, takes an Apartment in a fancy neighbourhood, and sets about trying to lose his virginity at the Age of 40, naturally with limited success. But then it all turns rather dark and self-referential.
#57 Mariama Ba, So Long a Letter (Senegal, translated from the French by Modupe Bode-Thomas) A tiny epistolary novel - just 95 pages in my Edition - written by a Senegalese widow looking back on her life, her husband's decision to take a second wife, the changes in her Country etc. Really good.
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Post by Liiisa on Aug 8, 2019 4:54:30 GMT -5
39. Dennis Paulson, Dragonflies and Damselflies: A Natural History
OK, I know that none of the rest of you have quite the THING about these insects that I do, but hear me out - this is a really wonderful new book. It's pitched to a general audience, so the basics about behavior and biology are written in a style that's much more accessible than the other book on the subject, Corbet's massive tome. Each topical chapter is followed by species accounts that illustrate the points he makes in the chapter, and they're from around the world. And it's gorgeously illustrated with photos of the beasts.
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Post by scrubb on Aug 12, 2019 0:23:20 GMT -5
39. Dennis Paulson, Dragonflies and Damselflies: A Natural History OK, I know that none of the rest of you have quite the THING about these insects that I do, Oh yeah?? I LOVE dragonflies!! This one's going on my list!!
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Post by Liiisa on Aug 12, 2019 4:30:51 GMT -5
Yay scrubb! You must have some cool ones up there in the North. It really is a gorgeous book. While I wasn't obsessing about dragonflies, I finished the following: 40. Jane Gardam, Old Filth This is an often sad but interesting, well-written character study of an elderly British gentleman who had been a lawyer and judge in Hong Kong. The title is a little off-putting, but it was the man's affectionate nickname from his colleagues, referring to an acronym that he used. I picked it up at a used bookstore because the author's name was on my to-read list; can't remember whether I'd heard about her here, or in the NYT or something. Definitely will look for other work by her, because this one was good.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Aug 12, 2019 8:24:03 GMT -5
47. The Alpine Icon, Mary Daheim. One of my favourite cozy authors. There is quite a bit of depth and character development in this book, but the stand alone mystery is good in itself.
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Post by scrubb on Aug 12, 2019 12:55:13 GMT -5
Back from holidays with no internet and lots of reading time!
"The Porcupine" by Julian Barnes. Set in a post-communist fictional country, likely based on Bulgaria, the novel concerns the trial of Stoyo Petkanov, the former communist leader. The Prosecutor General and the new regime believe they have to find him guilty of crimes under his own laws, to avoid the perception of it being a show trial; at the same time they know they have to find him guilty. He is slippery, and points out lots of unwelcome truths at the trial. The book also shows the divide among people, most of whom want democracy and want their ex-leaders to pay for their brutality, but some who remain convinced that Communism was the best option. It's well done.
"Beyond Good and Evil" by Frederich Niezsche, except I think it was only excerpts of the actual book because it was only ~40 pages long. I decided I don't like reading philosophy.
"Transcription" by Kate Atkinson - I really enjoyed it. Set during WW2, about a woman working for MI-5. She's a funny character, contrary and interesting.
"The Painted Bird" by Jerzy Kosinski. THis book was in the library at my high school and I never picked it up, for some reason. I think I'm glad I didn't - it's a brutal, horrible story of a young boy with dark hair trying to survive in Poland in WW2. His parents were worried that the Nazis were after them, so they sent their son away to live in the country with an old lady, but she died and he spent the rest of the war being beaten and starved by superstitious villagers, other kids, etc. It's a novel, but seems to be based on the author's real experiences. Well written and compelling and very depressing.
"The 13th Apostle: A Novel of a Dublin Family, Michael Collins, and the Irish Uprising" by Dermot McEvoy. I knew very little about the story of Irish Independence and Michael Collins, and learned a lot from this book. That said, I wouldn't particularly recommend it - when the author is writing about the events of the struggle for independence, and the real life characters, he's pretty ok; but when he writes about people he's made up he's just not very good. But I found it readable overall, and learned enough that now I want to read some actual history about it.
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Post by scrubb on Aug 12, 2019 13:05:39 GMT -5
"Night" by Elie Wiesel. A Jewish teenager's experience during WW2, from Transylvania where he grew up and where the Jewish population was left alone more or less until 1944, when the Nazis arrived. After being forced to move into a ghetto for some months, they were then all deported to Auschwitz, where he lost his entire family but managed to survive himself. Rightly a famous book, he felt his duty to bear witness by writing it. Devastating.
"Two Solitudes" by Hugh MacLennon. THis one is a Canadian classic and I think I had to read it for a Canadian Lit class many years ago, though it wasn't familiar. Maybe it was one of his other books back then. Anyway, it examines the divide between the French and the English, covering the years around WW1 to the start of WW2. The first part focuses on a Quebecois politician, while the last part focuses on his son. The book is full of good characters, and helped me understand the basis of the great divide between Quebec and the rest of the country. Deserves its status as a classic for this country; may not be all that interesting to others?
"Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick. I didn't know it was a YA book till I started it. It's very good - about the friendship between 2 boys, each "a freak", but together they are Freak the Mighty.
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Post by scrubb on Aug 12, 2019 13:09:47 GMT -5
"Snuff" by Chuck Palahniuk. Eh. Interesting/bizarre premise, entertaining characters, as so many of his books have, and some good writing; but the whole is less than the sum of its parts. And the ending is just stupid. I know it was supposed to be farce, but it was too stupid to be funny.
and the last one I've finished this month: #64 "A Discovery of Strangers" by Rudy Wiebe. Set during Franklin's first exploration for the Northwest Passage, and focused more on the tribes that helped him than on the members of the expedition, the book won some awards. I found it less great than I hoped it would be, although still worth reading.
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Post by ozziegiraffe on Aug 13, 2019 9:25:06 GMT -5
48. Nocturne for a Widow, Amanda DeWees. This book is more a Victorian Gothic Romance than a cozy mystery. It also has a supernatural theme. Unfortunately for me, the mystery’s solution was far too obvious. Quite well-written for those who like gothic romance.
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Post by Queen on Aug 14, 2019 7:19:03 GMT -5
Bullshit Jobs: The rise of pointless work and what we can do about it.
Recognised quite a few indicators unfortunately.... and the job that made me the most miserable had the most bullshit indicators... these two things are not unrelated.
The "what we can do about it" is a bit of a philosophical waffle though, summarised in two words "dismantle capitalism".
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Post by Liiisa on Aug 14, 2019 18:08:35 GMT -5
41. Chuck Klosterman, Downtown Owl
The story of a couple people who live in a very small town in North Dakota (very rural northern US) in 1984. At first I wasn't sure, and thought there was way too much about (American) football in this book. Then I got involved in it despite the football, and started to love it. Then the ending was like - wait, no, wait, what? Good book.
I picked it up because I'd read an interview with the author where he was asked which three authors he'd invite to a hypothetical dinner party. Most authors who are asked that question answer it in such a way as to illustrate their taste in literature, but Klosterman took it literally, saying something like if you invited dead authors, maybe they'd just scream the entire time from the shock of being dragged back to life, or maybe they'd be obsessed with the electric lights and air conditioning. So I took that as a strong indication that I would like this author.
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Post by Oweena on Aug 14, 2019 19:26:06 GMT -5
Back from 7 days camping in the woods so here's my catch up:
Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl She was the long time editor of Gourmet magazine until it was shut down and this book gives an insider's look at the magazine industry in its prime through its collapse. I never read Gourmet, but she's an engaging author who drew me in to the different characters she worked and crossed paths with.
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden Memoir of her growing up in a wealthy and totally dysfunctional family. From the very start of her life she's dealing with some totally incapable adults her mom and dad addicted to crack, and dad is rarely around. She doesn't spare anyone, including herself. I liked her ability to tell her story, and what I didn't see coming was her family's secret as it only becomes clear in the last little bit.
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad Tells the story of a Palestinian man who at age 19 leaves home to attend med school in Paris during WWI. He then returns home to find his homeland under British rule. He's torn between his time in Paris and responsibilities to family and homeland. I struggled with him, he spends y e a r s pining for the French woman he loves. The other characters (his grandmother, cousin, wife) I enjoyed. But I spent a lot of the book wanting to kick him into the present as he pined for the past and what he feels he missed out on.
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Post by scrubb on Aug 14, 2019 23:13:46 GMT -5
I read a Ruth Reichl memoir of when she was a food critic for a major paper (NYT, maybe? I forget) and agree that she's an engaging author - kept me very interested in her story.
And I finished a book called "LOve and Loss in Cambodia: A Memoir". It's written by the ex-wife of an old Thorn Tree poster, who died in an accident a couple of years ago. She posted on the Stew a few times after her ex died, and has stopped by now and then ever since, and let us know when her book was published. They lived in Cambodia for several years, then she moved back to the USA but he stayed there.
It's a very personal memoir, and their marriage had many problems. After the divorce they became friends, good friends, and she was devastated by his death. So I don't think she intended him to come across as a complete bastard, but he did. It's her point of view and her story of a deteriorating marriage - but there was never any indication of what she loved about him or what his good points were or what the good times were like, before things went bad.
The description of their life in Cambodia is pretty interesting. THey were there through most of the 1990s, when the Khmer Rouge was still active and there were parts of the country that it was not at all safe for foreigners to visit. I appreciated the setting, and the glimpse into their relationships with local people.
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Post by Webs on Aug 15, 2019 9:17:30 GMT -5
"Saks and Violins by Mary Daheim" - When a writer of certain kinds of novels becomes bored with the genre, the character, and the setting you end up with a book that reads like the writer is bored with the genre, the character, the setting and writing in general.
This author seems bored. Won't be reading anything else of hers.
I'm working on "P.S. From Paris" by Mark Levy which I've had on my kindle for quite a while. I think I got it free. So far I don't like the main character. She seems a typical self centered, yet obtuse woman who is in a horrible relationship but refuses to get out of it.
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Post by Oweena on Aug 15, 2019 14:24:39 GMT -5
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Not sure how to describe this one. The 1st half is set in a performing arts high school in the early 1980s and tells the story of the students and their teachers, told from the point of view of one of the female students named Sarah.
Then the 2nd half switches to the point of view of Karen, one of the other girls mentioned in the first half. But now it's present time, and you find out the 1st half was a novel written by Sarah about their HS years. And Sarah didn't tell the truth of their time in HS. And so Karen is exposing the truth.
According to reviews, it's supposed to be an experimental literary novel, blending fiction with fiction. There's cruelty between friends, bad teachers, and ultimately, revenge. Who's side of the story do you believe, etc. It may be all that, I just never connected with the self-absorbed high schoolers.
I am now done with Choi.
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Post by Liiisa on Aug 15, 2019 20:05:45 GMT -5
42. Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites
Hey, the library had a Pratchett novel that I hadn't read yet! Yay. Amusing as always.
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