Book Nook Cafe discussion
What did you read last month?
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What I read in May 2013
fiction
Rate: 4/5
I read this for my f2f library group. It's about a couple who meet on an online dating site. Back in the day, it used to be called a mail order bride. He is from Rochester, NY and she is from Bangladesh. My group had a very interesting discussion about this novel. Since Bangladesh has been in the news of late due to the devastating factory collapse that claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people, we also talked about that. The novel also touches on acid attacks which are also common in Bangladesh and we talked about that, too. I thought this was just going to be a love story, it turned out to be much more. It's also about communication, misunderstandings, expectations, and sacrifice. Good story.
non fiction
Rate: 4/5
This was an e-book I got from the library. I found it to be very informative book. I would recommend a paperback though as the charts on an e-reader are not great.
I'm still reading and enjoying
The Dinner- Herman Koch. Two adult brothers and their wives meet for dinner and to discuss a crime their teenage sons have been involved in. My perception of the characters changed as I read further and I enjoyed observing the changes. A good read.
The Interestings- Meg Wolitzer. At a summer camp for artistically gifted students, 6 teenagers connect and form a group, calling themselves The Interestings. The novel follows them through their lives and into adulthood. Some succeed in their artistic endeavors, some change their paths and some fall away from the group. There are secrets and revelations and insights in this big juicy book. This will definitely be one of my best books of the year.
My Happy Days in Hollywood: A Memoir- Garry Marshall. Hey, everyone needs a little fluff once in a while, don't they? Garry Marshall is apparently one of the nicest men in Hollywood and he likes everyone he ever met or worked with. He has a lot of interesting stories to tell, but most of what I remember about this book is.....well, how nice he is and how much he likes everyone.
The Storyteller- Jodi Picoult. A young woman befriends an elderly man who claims he wants her to kill him to assuage his guilt for having been a Nazi guard at a concentration camp during World War II. I felt like this book was written by a more mature Picoult who obviously did a lot of research, but who didn't have to shove it into the reader's face. I enjoyed reading this one and for once, while reading one of her books, didn't spend the whole time trying to figure out what the twist was going to be, I just read the book. And then enjoyed the twist when it happened.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Semple. Very funny story of a woman who causes huge chaos in her family's life, then disappears just as they're about to take a family trip to Antarctica. Those are the bare bones of the story though. It's definitely worth reading to get all the laughs and wit and delights.
Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter: a Memoir- Melissa Francis. Okay, so I read two "fluffy" books in two months. That's what happens when you browse "entertainment biographies" on your library's digital collection! Not a happy story of growing up in Hollywood but I'm sure not an unusual one either. Mother and daughter are estranged now and it seems like a good thing for both of them.
The Son - Philipp Meyer. This book isn't for everyone but I thought it was brilliant. It's a multi-generational family saga set in Texas and going from the 1830's to 2012. There is a ton of violence here, lot of blood and guts (mostly buffalo guts) and racial hatred. But Meyer has an amazing story to tell and he does it well. When I finished reading the last page I actually said "Wow" out loud. It was that good.
Alias--thanks for your review of "The Newlyweds." That one is on my list as well. Now I'm looking forward to it. And Connie, I'm adding "The Son" to my TBR list--thanks!
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Sorry we confuse you two. :( Maybe one of you can add a town like some do. For example, Debbie from Detroit. Though you do have a distinctive avatar.
I'm happy you liked the Picoult book. I have it on hold at my library.
The Son was selected to be a hit book of the summer. I posted about it in The Book Salon.
Thanks for sharing. :)
The Dinner- Herman Koch. Two adult brothers and their wives meet for dinner and to discuss a crime their teenage sons have been invo..."
Connie, I'm glad you enjoyed The Storyteller because I borrowed it from the library a few days ago.
Alias, The Newlyweds sounds like a book I would enjoy.
Connie from CT.
The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine: A modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility." (Which I have not read.) Betty is dumped by her husband of nearly 50 years and then exiled from their elegant New York apartment by his mistress; she then decides to move to a small, run-down beach cottage in Westport, CT. Joining her are her daughters Miranda and Annie, who come along to provide company for their mother. I thought the book was merely "meh." Maybe if I'd read the Austen book I would have liked it better. As it was, I was bored by the story. 2/5 stars.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Read it in high school and didn't like it. Read it again so I could see the recently released movie version. Liked it better this time around. 3/5 stars.
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff: This was a Nook Daily Find one day, and I downloaded it on a whim for $1.99. Glad that I did--it was a well-written memoir by a father of a child who became a meth addict. Sheff details his son's life and ponders the points where things might have gone wrong. A good read for a parent of a teenager. 3.5-4/5 stars.
The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga by Doris Kearns Goodwin: Starting in Ireland in the 1800s, this is the history of two immigrant families and how they adapted to a new country, and the marriage that brought the two together to found the most powerful political family in America. The book ends with JFK's inauguration. 4/5 stars.
The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan: A book about a circle of friends at their 20th college reunion at Harvard. Sounds like it would be a typical "chick lit" book, but it's deeper than that. Almost gave up on this book about halfway through--just wasn't feeling any connections to any of the characters. I stuck it out to the end, though--and I'm glad I did. The book definitely gets better. 3/5 stars
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight: This one has gotten a lot of buzz since its release, so I was looking forward to it. The book opens with the apparent suicide of a teen girl, and follows as her mother attempts to reconstruct the daughter's life and final days by sifting through her emails, texts, and social media. I didn't think the book was as great as the buzz had made it out to be (the ending made me roll my eyes), but still a decent read. And if you have kids, reading about the seedy underbelly of online bullying will make your hair turn grey. 3/5 stars
Gold by Chris Cleave: This is about a world champion British athlete whose eight-year-old child is battling a recurrence of childhood leukemia just as she is about to compete for her last chance at an Olympic gold medal. I don't know what it was about it, but this book bored me practically to death. I had to force myself to finish it. 2/5 stars
The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose: I love these kinds of "immersion journalism" books. Roose, who was raised in a secular home and attended Brown University, decided to spend a semester "abroad" studying a culture that was vastly different from his own--at Liberty University,a conservative Baptist college in Lynchburg, VA. In the process, he learned a lot about the culture "war", the religion "war"--and himself. 4/5 stars
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: The follow-up to Zafon's bestseller The Shadow of the Wind. Like the first one, this book is also a dark, gothic story about love, literature and obsession in Barcelona. 4/5 stars
Next up was a bit fluffier but I also got that odd feeling of liking and not liking the book. There were things that I just found preposterous about the story. A Cottage by the Sea The story ended up still keeping my interest and attention. Things could have been improved but still enjoyable and I'm glad that I read it. 3 Stars
Last was the best. The Passing Bells. Really liked it. Love the setting and the way that the beginning reminded me of Downton Abbey. Loads of characters and since this is the first in a series of 3, I have 2 more lovely books to look for. The author was unknown to me so this was a most pleasant surprise. World War I seen through the eyes of soldiers, nurses, doctors, reporters, and civilians. Very good theme running through the story. 4.5 stars solid.
I've had a good reading month, enjoyed everything on the menu!
A Game of Thrones I confess the series made me curious to read the books, and am I glad! Naturally the reading experience is a deeper and richer one, and I loved Tyrion, Arya and Danaerys even more. I am now on the second book, A Clash of Kings, about halfway through. I have all seven novels so George Martin is dominating my reading life right now.
Face to Face: Portraits of the Human Spirit One of my reviews from NetGalley last month. A absolutely beautiful book of amazing portraits by a gifted photographer. My review is at http://onthegypsystrail.wordpress.com...
Live to Write Another Day, A Survival Guide for Screenwriters and Creative Storytellers
Another review copy. Quite an engaging book by a screenwriter who says that there is a 'writer gene' that writers are born with.
Bake It Like You Mean It: Gorgeous Cakes from Inside Out I love reading cookbooks, and this one is glorious, full of recipes for gorgeous cakes. The review is here: http://gailkav.wordpress.com/2013/05/...
Ooh La La! French Women's Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day This one is quite fun, with the author's take on how French women maintain their mystique. Of course, she's half French herself, and she interviews French women, so its all a bit narcissistic.
War Horse Again, I saw the movie and got curious about the book. This is only the second book I've read narrated by a horse (Black Beauty was the other). It is very different from Spielberg's movie (which I loved) but what I really want to do is see the stage show with those amazing puppets.
A Game of Thrones I confess the series made me curious to read the books, and am I glad! Naturally the reading experience is a deeper and richer one, and I loved Tyrion, Arya and Danaerys even more. I am now on the second book, A Clash of Kings, about halfway through. I have all seven novels so George Martin is dominating my reading life right now.
Face to Face: Portraits of the Human Spirit One of my reviews from NetGalley last month. A absolutely beautiful book of amazing portraits by a gifted photographer. My review is at http://onthegypsystrail.wordpress.com...
Live to Write Another Day, A Survival Guide for Screenwriters and Creative Storytellers
Another review copy. Quite an engaging book by a screenwriter who says that there is a 'writer gene' that writers are born with.
Bake It Like You Mean It: Gorgeous Cakes from Inside Out I love reading cookbooks, and this one is glorious, full of recipes for gorgeous cakes. The review is here: http://gailkav.wordpress.com/2013/05/...
Ooh La La! French Women's Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day This one is quite fun, with the author's take on how French women maintain their mystique. Of course, she's half French herself, and she interviews French women, so its all a bit narcissistic.
War Horse Again, I saw the movie and got curious about the book. This is only the second book I've read narrated by a horse (Black Beauty was the other). It is very different from Spielberg's movie (which I loved) but what I really want to do is see the stage show with those amazing puppets.
I've read 3 other books by Meg Wolitzer - Surrender Dorothy, The Wife and The Position. I enjoyed all of them to different degrees, but as I've said many times in the past about different authors, this is the book she was born to write.
Connie/Constants
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I had that book in my hands at the used book store. I could have had it for $1. I decided against it because the book is around 1,000 pages. It's amazing how much you read this month considering the size of this book. Glad you enjoyed it.
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Congratulations, Lori. I've been lagging in the reading dept. also. For me it was too much TV. :(
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Very nice month, Gail. Thanks for sharing !
I actually started it in March, I think it was. Finished it this month, which is why I listed it in this thread. I usually read more than one book at a time (one fiction and one nonfiction), so it's just easier to list them in the month that I complete them. Honestly, I was starting to think I would never finish it! Especially since I only read it at home--didn't carry it to work, dr. office, etc. because the copy I have is a hardcover--the thing weighs several pounds!!
I actually started it in March, I think it was. Finished it this month, w..."
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I understand. That is how I do it for GR, too. I post it in the month I finish. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration I started in May, but won't finish until June. And I read two others in between.
My mother came down in the midst of it all - fortunately, she doesn't like to do much running around any more, so we watched a lot of old movies ... and I worked a lot! And did puzzles (sudoku mostly) and, since she left, watched Big Bang Theory.
My laptop has been doing a few disconcerting things, so I bought a new one - should come on Monday. I can't afford to have my laptop go down, as it's my bread and butter.
Anyway, I'm green with envy.
I only read 2 books this month.
Ghost Dances: Proving Up on the Great Plains by the son of a family friend, Josh Garrett-Davis. Because he wrote about the plains states & it is a topic i like to explore, i liked the book very much. He managed to tie many aspects of those states to his personal life, which was intriguing. Using the Ghost Dances of the Sioux, the American Buffalo, heavy metal music, plants indigenous to those states and on, he wove quite a quilt.
Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time by Freeman Cleaves was the latest in my line of presidential biographies. This one was written in the 1930s and reprinted in the '90s. I suppose it may be typical of that era in that WHH's wife, Anna Symmes is barely mentioned. We learned many times that he was again a father, but nothing about her! ANYway, because he was mostly a soldier, readers learn much about wars he conducted against the British, who used tribal members to help accomplish their work. In all, it broke one's heart knowing how short his presidency would be.
And that is it. I started a long but interesting book, by Frederick Artz, The Mind of the Middle Ages: An Historical Survey. I'm only 1/3 finished but have an online friend with whom i'm discussing it, so am taking my time. Learning about early Greek & Roman philosophies, as well as the early Jewish & Christian writings has been illuminating. Slowly i'm creeping toward the actual topic, the Middle Ages! LOL--foreplay thus far.
The Death of Sweet Mister. Southern Goth. 5 stars.
A bleak coming-of-age story about a thirteen-year-old, overweight boy growing up in a dismal environment. Pity quickly turned to disgust. Excellent writing showing how nature and nurture can ruin a child.
Winter's Bone. Southern Goth. 4 stars.
Another book set in the poorest area of the Ozarks. A young girl has to find her bail-skipping father so they won't lose their house and end up homeless. The author covers many topics: poverty, family ties, cruelty and more. I can't wait to watch the movie.
My Reading Life. Non-fiction, memoir. 4 stars.
Bless my little heart, here's another book of the south. Pat Conroy is a favorite author and I was thrilled to read about his love of literature. Probably added another 30 books to my TBR pile. Like the mamma in The Help I have decided not to die. Too many books to read!
Deliverance. Southern (surprise) fiction.
4 stars.
The writing is pitch perfect but the detail plum tuckered me out. I actually liked the movie better than the book. Except for squealing Bobby; that scene is the reason I never walk in the woods alone.
NOS4A2. Horror/Thriller/Vampires. 4 stars.
This is my least favorite of Joe Hill's novels. It reads more like the author's father, Stephen King. I like King but I hope Hill reverts back to his own voice. It is a creepy tale about a motorcycling mamma traveling into another, much scarier, reality to rescue her son from the vampire-like Charlie Manx.
Elders: A Novel. Fiction/Religion. 3 stars.
An interesting story about two young Mormon men from vastly different backgrounds who are paired together on their mission.
Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World: A Novel. Fiction/Animals (tuna!)/ Contemporary/Autism. 5 stars.
Karen Nieto is an autistic child who was neglected and abused by her mother. When the mother dies, her sister inherits the mansion, the family tuna cannery and her feral niece. Some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read. Highly recommend.
Poppet. Mystery/Dark Fiction/Mental Illness. 4 stars.
Mo Hayder is another scare-providing author. This time the nasty stuff happens in a mental health institute. This is book #6 in a series. I haven't read the entire series and was confused several times. But the writing is prime material.
The Summer I Died. Horror/Torture/Splatterpunk/Dark Fiction. 5 stars.
5 stars for a book I will never, ever read again!!!! This is the most graphic book I've ever read and I can't recommend it unless you have an appointment with a psychotherapist the minute the last page is read. It's a story of two young men who end up in the basement of a really, really nasty man. I almost quit reading three or four times but so many of my horror-loving friends gave it high ratings, so I kept going. The ending is perfection and, amazingly, the book is filled with strength, compassion and love...coated with a heavy dose of gore and splatter.
Good reading month. I'm off to see my psychotherapist.
Bless my little heart, here's another book of the south. Pat Conroy is a favorite author and I was thrilled to read about his love of literature. Probably added another 30 books to my TBR pile. Like the mamma in The Help I have decided not to die. Too many books to read!"
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Terrific reading month, Maicie ! I liked your review of My Reading Life. :)
I think I'll put it on my TBR list. I love to read books about books.
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I appreciate you sharing, Sophia. Night is such a moving and terrific read. I could hardly see the last few pages through my tears.
NONFICTION --
What terrible writing! I really had to force myself to finish this book. I think what bothered me the most was how the author, Frances Wilson, would compare these real life people -- Dorothy Wordsworth, her brother, William Wordsworth, and Coleridge-- with 19th century book characters. Here are three examples --
". . . The relationship between Dorothy and William is simply too demanding, or to embarrassing, to deal with. These biographers are positioned in relation to their story like Nelly Dean, the tone less narrator of the events that compose Wuthering Heights."
". . . William described himself and Dorothy as resembling two swans-- birds who mate for life-- and in her last dark years the now inarticulate sounds she made were compared to those of "a partridge or a turkey. But the bird that comes most to my mind when I read Dorothy's journals is the albatross draped around the Ancient Mariner's neck in Coleridge's famous Rime."
" . . . When I read of Dorothy's accounts of her love for William in the Grasmere Journals, I am moved in the same way as I am by Catherine Earnshaw's description of her love for Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights."
Dorothy’s story begins with both parents dying within a short time. Her four older brothers were sent off to boarding school. Dorothy was the youngest, so she was sent to be raised by her second cousins. She always remembered her parents deaths, since it was the day of her birth. She never return home. She helped her aunt with the housework and her haberdashery business. Dorothy was many times forgotten and deprived. She helped with chores and spent time as a "wandering wild." At fifteen, she was sent out to help a family. But she never felt at home, and always as a stranger. William and Dorothy were "united in misery." He took her to live with him, so she would write his words on paper. The two were very close. One part of the book hints at incest, but I don't see that at all. I see the youngest girl in the family (who lost everything) who just wanted to be with her family -- those she loved. And William did that for her. Throughout his life, she lived with him. There is also a comparison of their relationship with Henry James and his sister, Alice. But Dorothy is meek where Alice was controlling. I also think that any woman who was a spinster (and had lost her parents) would have no way to support herself. I believe that responsibility went to the eldest male heir, which was William.
Good memoir of her early years as a writer. Beautiful photgraphs as well. Oh -- to be wealthy and talented!
This book contains Hemingway's reflections on the nature of the writer and on elements of the writer's life, including specific and helpful advice to writers on the craft of writing, work habits, and discipline. The Hemingway personality comes through in general wisdom, wit, humor, and insight, and in his insistence on the integrity of the writer and of the profession itself.
"France may be Paris, but Paris is not France." -- written by Henry James who takes the reader on a tour beginning at Tours (birthplace of Balzac), and on several excursions to the chateau of the Loire, Blois, Chambord and Chenonceaux. James then traveled south, to Midi, Nantes, Bordeaux, Carcassonne, Nimes, and Avignon. James was a thorough traveller and loved France's countryside. Originally published in 1882, without illustrations and in 1900 a new edition appeared with 94 watercolors reproduced in black and white. And today, beautiful oil paintings by many 19th century artists like Turner.
6. Constance Fenimore Cooper by Clare Benedict -- 3 stars
Fascinating woman, these are the years from her mother’s death to her death. A collection of all works that published in periodicals.
FICTION --
I think that everyone has read this story but me. As I read it, I felt as though it was biblical in some way, like a parable. And come to find out, her parents were Presbyterian Missionaries. Pearl was born in West Virginia (when her parents were sent home for a break in their service). She returned with them to China wrote numerous books. Here is a picture of her (in black dress) family in China, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia...
My favorite character in The Good Earth was O-lan, despite how wrongly she was treated by everyone, she held on to her true self --the honest, loving person. Wang Lung changed drastically from the beginning to the end of the book.
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LOL! Me too!
Nice reviews, Carol.
There are two books one I haven't read yet and the other I read a very long time ago that may interest you.
Thanks for the link of the picture of her family. If you are interested in reading more about Buck. I gave this one as a gift to someone who is a big Pearl Buck fan. The photo of Buck looks like Patty Duke, but it's Buck.
The other I read a long time ago but don't recall much of it. Though since you are interested in authors and their writing process you might want to check out
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I wonder if your definition of music is different from what he's using. I know Pythagoras created the octave scale and musical instruments over 40,000 years old have been uncovered in Germany. Written music is ancient, too, as you can see on this Wiki page, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_... ,but maybe you mean notes the way we know them?
I'll say, Maicie! This is the first time i've seen (noticed?) the word "Splatterpunk" as a novel genre. Thanks for the introduction to the term. And for the reminder that i mean to read Winter's Bone.
Carol wrote: "May 2013 --The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth: A Life by Frances WIlson - 2 stars
What terrible writing! I really had to force myself to finish this book. I think what bothered me the most was how the author, Frances Wilson, would compare these real life people -- Dorothy Wordsworth, her brother, William Wordsworth, and Coleridge-- with 19th century book characters. ..."
Oh no! What a bizarre thing to do. No wonder you found it a poor biography. The only thing that could be worse, i suspect, is to compare real life people to characters in movies!
Regarding eating dirt. I know people in Oklahoma who eat a spoonful of dirt each day. They said their childhood doctor recommended it because they had a deficiency in some mineral. they've been doing it since they were kids in the '50s. So, i just now looked it up and guess what?! http://geography.about.com/cs/cultura... Apparently the south still has a slew of folks who do so! Who knew?!
This second article ( http://news.discovery.com/human/eatin... ) ends with a note that many people who do so, dig deep into the soil &/or boil it first. Live & learn.
Nice reviews, Carol.
There are two books one I haven't read yet and the other I read a very long time ago that may interest you.
Thanks for the link of the picture of her family. ..."
Thanks AR! Both Steinbeck & Buck's journey into China looks good. Buck wrote a biography of each parent which I ordered from other libraries. I just got back from the doctor. Fever, sore throat, every bone in my body aches -- hopefully I will be better by Wed.
This second article ( http://news.discovery.com/human/eatin... ) ends with a note that many people who do so, dig deep into the soil &/or boil it first. Live & learn.
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I've heard of eating dirt being connected to the disease Pica.
Pica (/ˈpaɪkə/ py-kə) is characterized by an appetite for substances largely non-nutritive, such as clay, chalk, dirt, or sand.[1] For these actions to be considered pica, they must persist for more than one month at an age where eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate. There are different variations of pica, as it can be from a cultural tradition, acquired taste or a neurological mechanism such as an iron deficiency, or chemical imbalance. It can lead to intoxication in children which can result in an impairment in both physical and mental development.[2] In addition, it can also lead to surgical emergencies due to an intestinal obstruction as well as more subtle symptoms such as nutritional deficiencies and parasitosis.[2] Pica has been linked to mental disorders and they often have psychotic comorbidity. Stressors such as maternal deprivation, family issues, parental neglect, pregnancy, poverty, and a disorganized family structure are strongly linked to pica.[citation needed]
Pica is more commonly seen in women and children,[3] where it affects people of all ages in these subgroups. Particularly it is seen in pregnant women, small children, and those with developmental disabilities such as autism. Children eating painted plaster containing lead may suffer brain damage from lead poisoning. There is a similar risk from eating dirt near roads that existed prior to the phaseout of tetraethyllead in petrol (in some countries) or prior to the cessation of the use of contaminated oil (either used or containing toxic PCBs or dioxin) to settle dust. In addition to poisoning, there is also a much greater risk of gastro-intestinal obstruction or tearing in the stomach.[4][unreliable medical source?] Another risk of dirt-eating is the ingestion of animal feces and accompanying parasites. Pica can also be found in other animals and is most commonly found in dogs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(di...
Here is more on WebMDhttp://www.webmd.com/mental-health/me...
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:( Feel better, Carol.
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Thanks for the titles. Buck certainly led an intersting life.
Our children were somewhat picky eaters. One time we met a family with one child who was a hardy eater, so we commented upon it. Turns out that kid had pica, which i'd heard of but never thought about in terms of children. How awful that must be--until the kid was a teenager, they had to constantly keep an eye on him.
I used to nibble on odd things, partly to experiment with the texture, but i don't think i ever swallowed. This included sand dollars from the shore, brown paper bags and sand. I thought i had a form of pica and may have had a deficiency because i only tried this during a few years of my adult life.
Which reminds me of our nephew & their son. The baby is interested in his folk's food, so they are pre-chewing & serving bites to him. It's known as Premastication & is cited as being the way prehistoric families introduced children to food. The family calls the product "bolus", which is also a medical term. ANYway, i thought i'd share that, since i appear to be airing chewed laundry here.
http://www.livescience.com/19435-pre-...
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There was a big deal made when the actress Alicia Silverstone said she did that. Many doctors said it wasn't wise as the parents have bacteria in their mouths that the baby is not able to deal with yet.
There are a million articles online about it. Here are just a few.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style...
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/...
Too Many Men: A Novel A NY businesswoman and her Australian father return to Poland to visit Auschwitz. Good but too long. 3 stars.
Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie tries to find love and a bearable life in 1920s Florida. Dialect hard for me to read. 3 stars.
Lyrics Alley Set in 1950s Sudan, a multigenerational family saga in a time of political and cultural change. Way too long. 2 stars.
Johnno A semi-bio of a boyhood friendship, bohemian adventures and a homecoming to Brisbane during the 1930s. Interesting. 3 stars.
The Naked Husband Audio. A failing marriage and an affair from the husband pov. Sad, sad, sad. 4 stars.
The Scarlet Letter A sad tale of guilt in the puritan commmunity of 17th century Mass. I drowned in words and wondered why this is a school read. 2 stars.
Fly Away Peter My second Malouf read this month. This one is a short story of two Queensland lads who share an interest in bird-watching then later meet again on the battlefields of France. 4 stars.
The Last Town on Earth Set in Washington state during the time of WW1, a timbermilling town imposes its own quarantine against the Spanish flu, which sets off a chain of events. Pretty good, would make a great movie I think. 3 stars.
I see you only have one 4 star this month. Are you like me, and most of the books you read are 3 stars ?
LOL! Could it be because it's short? Probably not, as his The House of the Seven Gables is fairly short, too. When i was in high school it was assigned the same year as Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. I think schools did that to help us simultaneously learn the history of the witch trials and how judgmental those times were.
Glad you shared. The novel set in Washington state sound interesting.
I was thinking the same thing! Putting that one on my TBR list. Thanks, Lesley!
I see you only have one 4 star this month. Are you like me, and most of the books you read ..."
Yes, a three star rating is a good book for me, and most books I read end up being 3s for me. I rarely give a five or a one it seems.
I agree with the Three Weismanns. I didnt read the Austin book, but I really had to force my way thru it. Very good rating.
My reads:
Kim's Convenience by Ins Choi
5 stars
This is a play set at a convenience store in the Regent Park neighbourhood of Toronto, about a Korean-Canadian family. (Regent Park is a social housing project that has recently been revitalized.) I read the play in anticipation of watching it performed. On paper, I thought the play was not overly interesting but on stage, it was very compelling and moving so my rating is based on the performance.
Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir by Eddie Huang
5 stars
I think I can confidently say this book is not for everyone, if only because of the language (the author uses a lot of profanity). But I found the content resonated with me because we have a similar background. Also, I just found the author's writing style compelling and hilarious.
I, too, sometimes like to read a play before I see it. Often I find the play on stage is better. However, reading it before hand help me not miss anything. :)
I saw a very good play this past weekend. The acting was very good.
The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin
Tom Durnin did the time for his white-collar crime. Now, he’s determined to win back the respect he believes he deserves—even if that means ripping apart the new life. David Morse was excellent.
It's not too late for others to share with the group the books they read in May.
David Morse is an interesting actor. We first "met" him in "St. Elsewhere", which introduced us to many great actors, Denzel Washington among them. However, for some reason the first role i think of when i think of Morse is as the father for Jodie Foster's character in Contact. He just seemed perfect in that role & truly could have been her dad.
I've not heard of either play mentioned above but will keep my eyes open for them. Thanks for the tips.
Ever taken Kaopectate? The active ingredient is kaolin, Georgia white clay.
I watched the Royal Shakespeare Company perform several years ago. They began by speaking slowly and clearly in the first act, then sped up as the audience caught on. I thought it was brilliant on the director's part.
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Eddie Huang (other topics)Ins Choi (other topics)
Arthur Miller (other topics)
Linda Wagner-Martin (other topics)
Pearl S. Buck (other topics)
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