Maya details her childhood from age 3 to 16. Some (abuse and rape) was difficult to read but it was all beautifully written.
I might be that last woman in America to read this book; I wish I had read it during my Women in Literature class in college. I loved this memoir, but maybe I wouldn't have appreciated it as much a dozen years ago.
In this pre-WWI spy thriller, an upper class Englishman races against the clock to barter a treaty with the Russians before Germany and France declare war. To make matters worse, an anarchist assassin is intent on killing the Russian envoy, and the Lord's debutante daughter is becoming a closet suffragette and *gasp* she has found out how babies are made!
I figured out the major plot twist very early on, so there wasn't a lot of suspense in it for me. This is my least favorite Follett so far. A quick read, but not really recommended.
I thank you so much M for introducing me to Margaret Atwood. I am on a frenzy to buy and read all of her books.
Alias Grace is Atwood's account of the famed Canadian murderess Grace Marks. In 1843, Grace was accused of murdering her employer, Thomas Kinnear. She was found to be an accomplice and sentenced to life imprisonment. Grace gave 3 different accounts of the murder. James McDermott, the one convicted and hung for the murder, gave 2 other accounts. No one knows what really happened. This is Atwood's story of what might have been.
This would make such an EXCELLENT movie. After watching Downton Abbey, this illustrates just how much servants know about their employers (who is sleeping with who, etc. etc.)
Grace Marks is imprisoned for 28 years. She goes back and forth from the penitenary to the insane asylum depening on her degree of sanity. On good behavior she is released during the day to the governor's mansion to work as a servant and seamstress. One thing I particularly enjoyed is that each section of the book is titled with a quilt block which aptly describes that section.
The story is told by Grace as she is interviewed by a psychiatrist.
A had read one of Sedaris' books so now my turn. This is autobiographical from David's youth to age 40 or so. Starts with his lisping problem and visits with the speech therapist. He resolves the problem by avoiding words with the letter s. His conversations that follow are pretty funny. Reminiscent a bit of Ella Minnow Pea, how to speak without using the letter s? His biggest problem were plurals and pronouns. And as A mentioned, the stories of the younger brother are hysterical.
This is printed on the back of the dust jacket of "Twelve Girls in the Garden" by Shane Martin...
"A Book Speaks By day and night I am ever at your side, waiting for you to listen to my voice. At an instant I am ready to amuse, entertain and guide you. Between my covers you will find the heartaches, passions, dreams, struggles and aspirations of mankind. I bring you laughter and tears, amusement and learning, gaiety and the wisdom of the race. I can make your heart of hearts throb with sympathy or leap with joy. Neither time nor space exist for me. The ancient past, the fleeting present, the marvels of the future--all are inscribed upon my leaves. At your will, I transport you to great cities which time has destroyed, or project you into the vastness of the future. With me as guide, you can range the world at will, travel polar regions, traverse deep jungles, penetrate the depths of earth, cross burning deserts, walk lonely prairies. I am both the bright lamp of knowledge for the little child and the understanding companion of the aged. What men prize above all else is written within me. The ideas for which wise men risk their lives, the discoveries achieved by scientists with toil and years of struggle, the splendid lines written with heart's blood of unrecognized poets, the revelations of prophets -- all are of my vast treasure. And I am reflection of the moods of men. Sometimes I endure for a century; again, I may fade in a single year. Yet -- though I live for generations or brighten but a tiny moment of time, I add value to the lives of all men. To king and emperor, statesman and sage, outcast and pariah I speak the same accents. It is all one to me be a man a success or failure, a rich man or beggar. The keys of hope, curiosity and ambition unlock my vault -- and all are welcome to the hoard therein. Many have feared and hated, loved and honored me through the centuries. I have incited revolutions and shaken the foundations of societies. At times men have sought to destroy me forever -- but all such essays end in failure. I live. I will live forever. For it is not given to man to efface me. I am a book -- your friend, guide, entertainer, counsellor, always your servant. I wait upon your pleasure. I am yours to command."
This really spells out the magic of books and why I love to read.
A few months ago I read an article about slow reading, so I decided to take an exceptionally long book and read it slowly. I can't find the exact article now, but it's similar to this: The Art of Slow Reading
The best line from Anna Karenina also ties in with this theme: "There are times when one would give a whole month for a shilling and there are times when you would not give half an hour at any price.
I don't think slow reading is for me. I don't like reading more than 1 book at a time, and if it takes me 2 months to slow read a book I'm going to have to read something else in the meantime!
Back to Anna Karenina - Although the central plot might be a bit outdated (divorce does not carry the social stigma it once did) it is a great story and gives a very detailed look at Russian high society in the mid to late 1800s. There are exhaustive descriptions of Russian municipal government dealings, and I admit I skipped (didn't even skim) those chapters. Through two storylines with heavy religious undertones, the reader is asked, "Which is more fulfilling, a quiet country life of simple pleasures, or a lavish city life of extravagance?" Adultry, bankrupcy, scandal and suicide attempts abound. Be prepared for characters going by 3 or 4 different names, frequent setting changes and lots of monologues and soul searching from the protagonists. I like that the female characters, on the whole, were smarter, more responsible and more resourceful than their husbands.
Lukewarmly recommeded. What can I say? It's a classic.
Not long ago I had a conversation with a friend about slow-reading versus fast-reading and about 1 book at a time versus many books simultaneously. She reads one book at a time, slowly, to savor it. I read multiple books at one time and read them quickly. I've tried slow reading and savoring and find it unsatisfactory. It is, well, slow. I like to know NOW.
I am not a terrifically slow reader or a very fast reader. I do tend to read more than one book at a time, especially if a book is depressing or draggy or deeply intellectual. Then I read something more lighthearted or spiritual to balance out my mood and give my mind a break from the heavy stuff.
B- I balance books, too! I'm reading a really disturbing book right now for my in-person book club, and I have to alternate it with lighter books at night so I don't have nightmares. Plus, I read a lot of school related books, for example I'm reading a book about victimization of women in the U.S. and that is not light reading.
So having read A Christmas Carol, I ventured on to another Dickens book. I downloaded all of Dickens book onto my Kindle for 99 cents so now I must read a few. I googled his books to see which ONE was most "favorited" and Great Expectations it was.
I did enjoy the story. It was serialized and so each chapter leaves you hanging a bit until the next "installment". There are 3 parts, each dealing with Pip's expectations.
In part 1, Pip is a young boy and through an unknown benefactor, is left a tidy sum of money in which to become a gentleman. Part 1 ends with Pip leaving his boyhood home and family, heading for London.
Part 2, Pip becomes a gentleman and actually becomes an unknown benefactor to his friend. At the end of part 2, Pip finds out who his unknown financier is (NOT who you expect). It is actually a criminal who was forced to move away, makes some money, but returns it to Pip.
Part 3, Pip loses his money, is reacquanted with his true love and ends up financially stable again.
Some very memorable characters: Miss Havisham, Joe, Biddy, Estella, Pumblechook, Wemmick, Herbert and Mr. Jaggers.
J- I am glad I could interest you in Margaret Atwood. Alias Grace is, I think, my favorite of her books. There are a few that are less stellar (I was not a big fan of Cat's Eye, for example), but overall she is an excellent author with great plots.
I had to read Alias Grace in a Canadian Studies class as an undergraduate and started collecting and reading her books at that time. I've read most now, I think. Though not all of her short stories.
Story of a brother and sister (ages 8 and 5) and their week long visits each summer to stay with their grandmother in RURAL Illinois in the 1920's-30's. Each chapter is another year's visit until the end when they are 16 and 13.
Grandma is a BIG woman. Whenever they go to a performance (movie, play, etc), they sit in the last row because "no one can see around Grandma". Grandma is rough on the outside but truly a caring person.
Several laugh out loud moments but one of my favorites is about the "neighbor" showing up at grandma's house at 6 a.m. and Grandma describes her as "already girdled and gallavanting".
THS has had some "book" banning controversy lately so now I am on a quest to read "banned" or "challenged" books.
First up, Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved this book. Read it in 2 days. It is Charlie's story of his freshmen year in high school. The book is written as "letters" from Charlie to someone. The story begins with the suicide of Charlie's friend. Charlie though is very wise and has a quite an interesting viewpoint throughout the whole book. At the end, Charlie decides to "participate" in life.
I can see why the book is challenged BUT it is a very real account of what happens in high school. Yes, there is sex and drugs. But Charlie handles it well, I think.
The next one in the series. This time Mary Alice comes to spend a whole YEAR with Grandma and Mary Alice's senior year to boot. SO there are quite a few differences between Mary Alice's "Chicago" school and Grandma's rural school. Plus this is the first time, either grandchild has "vacationed" with Grandma through the winter. Humorous and another quick read.
This book was on the shelf of "100 Best Books" at the Ithaca Book sale and the title was intriguing.
It is a downer (but NOT an international downer). Story takes place in Fingerbone Montana, a small town next to a large lake sporting a long railroad bridge across the lake. The lake is a central part of the story.
Ruth's grandfather works on the train and in chapter 1 - the train derails and grandpa plummets to his death in the lake, never to be found. Ruth's mother leaves town, has kids (namely Ruth), leaves her husband, brings the kids back to Fingerbone, deposits them with her mother then drives off a cliff into the lake.
Ruth's grandmother dies of natural causes, Ruth's great aunts come to take care of Ruth and her sister. They really want nothing to do with children, arrange for Ruth's aunt to come take care of the kids. The aunt is "different". Finally, Ruth and the aunt set the house on fire and in the dead of night, cross the bridge, hop a train and live the rest of their lives as vagrants. Downer? yes!
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding I can NOT believe that I was not required to read this book in some high school or college class somewhere. There is so much symbolism to society at large. Basically, a plane load of boys get stranded on a deserted island. They discover a conch shell and use it in their ceremonial meetings to create order, he who holds the conch shell has the right to speak. They try to organize to create shelters, build a fire for smoke to try to be rescued, and establishing places to be used as a bathroom. Like life though, a few end up doing the work for the many. Those in charge of maintaining the fire take off to hunt, the fire goes out. Most just enjoy swimming in the lagoon. Eventually, hunting takes precedence, the whole rescue effort crumbles and the group becomes divided. Some are killed. At the end, they are rescued but not without some societal lessons.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fanny Flagg
A very light hearted book. I have not seen the movie and might after reading this.
Story of the town Whistle Stop in Alabama. Follows the characters from the 1920's to 1980's. I liked the format. A lot of it was the "Weekly Weems" report like reading the Alba columnn in the Canton paper. My favorite characters were Evelyn Couch and Mrs. Threadgoode. Evelyn Couch went to the retirement home every week with her husband to visit her mother-in-law. But Evelyn met Mrs. Threadgoode in the lobby and became friends with her and actually looked FORWARD to Sundays to see Mrs. Threadgoode. Nice story of a small town and a nice story about aging.
Another in the series. A preacher and his wife and kids move in next door to "grandma". Grandma includes them in some of her shenanigans. Not as good as the first 2 but still humorous.
Continuing my reading of banned books. This book is considered too disturbing for its intended audience (young adult).
The story takes place in the future where society is "controlled", each family has 2 children, one boy and one girl and each is assigned by the Community. Jobs are assigned by the Community to children at age 12. The story centers on Jonas, age 12, assigned the honor of "Receiver"; keeper of memories (both good and bad). He is trained by the current aging receiver who is now known as the Giver of memory. The first memory given to Jonas is "snow", "cold", "sled", and "hill", progressing to "war". None of these things currently exist in the Community since now Sameness prevails. The story is reminiscent of the book 1984. The ending seemed very rushed but now I have discovered there are 4 books in the series and I need to keep reading to find out more about Jonas.
Like most classics made into movies, the film is the book "enhanced". Story of the family left on a deserted island after the ship they are on is destroyed by a storm. They set up "camp" on the beach of an island. They make several trips out to the half-submerged boat to try to gather what usable items they can, get themselves somewhat established on the beach then begin exploring the island. They do make a house in a tree, also in some caves. There is a lot of praying, which is left out in the book but for the time and the circumstances, I would be praying a lot too!
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
In the late fifties, there was much research trying to get cells to grow, trying to find the correct recipe for the cell culture. Henrietta Lach is a negro in Baltimore whose cancerous cells and non-cancerous cells are taken on a routine doctor visit. It happen that the "perfect recipe" is found with her cells and they begin to grow and grow and grow. Today, much research is done with her cells (HeLa cells). Story of the ethic and moral question of taking cells without the patient's consent. The Lacks family has never benefited from the research done with Henrietta's cells.
Stick by Elmore Leonard Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard Tricky Business by Dave Barry
I had a lot of time to read on the plane during this last trip; about 20 hours total.
Stick: I enjoyed this book. It was kind of like a gritty Dortmunder. Ernest Stickley, recently released from jail, accompanies a fellow thug on the drop of a suitcase full of money owed by one drug lord to another. Little did he know that the debt also included a human life, and the delivery man was doomed to die as retribution. Murder witness, on two cartels' hitlists and broke, Stick stumbles into a job as chauffeur for a high-energy venture capitalist. Death and hilarity ensue.
Big Bounce: I didn't care for this book at all. It felt thrown together; written to meet a deadline. Jack Ryan, ex-minor league baseball player and small-time appliance thief matches wits with a young seductress with a penchant for breaking glass (with guns, rocks, pokers, you name it). She has a grand plan to steal $50,000 in cash but needs his expertise to pull off the job. Will he or won't he?
Tricky Business: I really liked Dave Berry's debut novel, Big Trouble; I had high hopes for this one too, but alas, it wasn't as good. An undercover Coast Guard agent posing as a cocktail waitress on a seedy floating Casino struggles to contain the mayhem when multiple plans to hijack a cocaine and cash exchange at sea go awry. Some humorous moments but also some very gruesome ones.
I don't really recommend any of these, but they were easy reads after the struggle of Nana.
A Long Way From Chicago A Year Down Yonder both by Richard Peck
Joy read both of these and passed them to me - what delightful books! They are short, each took me about an hour. Set in the depression, two "city kids" from Chicago spend summers with their old-school, trigger happy, justice delivering Grandma. Hijinks ensue.
My favorite line from the book was from Grandma, when a hoity-toity neighbor came to ask a favor "6:10 in the morning and she's already girdled and gallivantin' "
Great reads for 10 year olds AND adults. Highly recommended.
Another recommended (on Amazon anyway) read by Nevil Shute. It takes place in Australia and is extremely depressing so A will LOVE IT!
Takes place in the 50's, the US, China and Russia are in a war and explode bombs - radioactive. This is the story of what happens in Australia in the fall out of the war. The northern hemisphere is completely wiped out. Australia has some time to survive since the winds do not carry the radioactive elements to Australia quite as quickly. It is basically about how the country spends their last months alive. All the citizens are given cyanide pills (FREE) to alleviate their last days. And of course at the end, everyone is dead. So A - you will love this book! The ultimate depressing story.
This is based on the real life story of Katherine Mary O'Fallon. In the early 1900's, Katherine (age 16) is sent to her uncle's house in Canada to relieve her pleurisy. While there, she falls in love with a young Canadian Mountie, marries him, and moves to the wilderness of Northen Alberta, Canada. This is the story of her first years there.
One part that struck me was Katherine's friend tells her everyone in that part of the country has 3 families, the one they left befind, the one they have buried (because of the harsh conditions) and their current one. At the time, Kathy finds that intriguing and eventually that does play out in her life.
It is a very memorable story, laughing one minute (the garbage can incident is unforgetable) and then crying the next (the forest fire and diseases). I won't forget it.
I guess I forgot to write about this book. I finished it about a month ago. So what I remember.... this was made into a movie although I've never seen it. It is rather depressing.
Main characters are Sophie, Nathan and Stingo. Sophie and Nathan are lovers, he is a psycho and abuses Sophie horribly but to her, it is not as bad as her life in a Nazi prison camp. Stingo is Sophie and Nathan's neighbor and friend. Intertwined in their story in Brooklyn is Sophie's story in Poland. You get sucked in to the whole story and I wanted to SCREAM at the end (it was NOT what I was expecting).
A spiritual story based on: 1) follow your dreams 2) enjoy the journey
Story of a shepherd boy, Santiago, who has a dream about visting the pyramids and finding "treasure". The rest of the book is just this, his quest to reach the pyramids (t takes him several years) and the treasure he finds there.
Read this just before the movie came out and since it was on the best seller list for SO LONG...
It was okay. I can see how high school girls would LOVE this book. Story of 2 teens each with cancer and how they deal with it. The boy's cancer is in remission and so you are lead to believe that he is "healthier" but not so....
The good part for me was the insight into what it is like dealing with cancer, especially the weekly support group meetings. I don't know if these are legit or Green's interpretation.
Rome, 1933: In the course of 24 hours a 10 Lira coin is passed between nine people. Each has their few chapters and each is somehow connected to the others by more than just the coin. A bisection of Italian life under Mussolini, from poor to rich to dissident assasin. Made me realize that in all the WWII novels that I've read, very few have been set in Italy, nor do I know much about Mussolini. Looking forward to broadening my knowledge there.
Overall it was an OK book, more like a novela, though the last few chapters were rather flowery and I ended up skimming a lot. Paid a dime for it and worth every penny.
I've done a bunch of reading and haven't posted: A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters Drowned Hopes by Donald Westlake Gold Coast by Elmore Leonard
A Morbid Taste for Bones (Brother Cadfael #1) and One Corpse Too Many (Cadfael #2) were both good books and I recommend them. I didn't even mind reading them out of order (I read #3, then 1, then 2) and I will continue to look for these books at used book sales! Thanks M for turning us on to this series.
Drowned Hopes (Dortmunder #7) was a nice change of pace from what I had been reading, though not my favorite Dortmunder. It did redeem itself in the end though, with some really classic Westlake humor. Plot: Dortmunder's former cellmate, a highly undesirable character, shows up and coerces Dortmunder to help him retrieve a casket full of cash from the bottom of a reservoir. Multiple attempts fail, as expected.
Gold Coast was.. eh, it was ok. I think Elmore Leonard is really hit or miss. Some I have really, really liked. The rest have been ok, but with big let downs at the end. Maybe that's what made him "gritty?" Crap endings because oftentimes life is crappy? Plot: Mob widow inherits a mansion, massive art collection and heaps of cash - with the stipulation that she never have sex again. More mobsters ban together to keep an eye on her, violence and politics ensue. I've noticed that Leonard has a thing for cowboy hats. The bad guy in his books almost always sports a hat (and usually a cowboy hat) and inevitably someone dies for disrespecting the hat. Was that a "thing" in the 70s?
Vacation gave me some great reading opportunities! MOO by Jane Smiley Don't Ask (Dortmunder#8) by Donald Westlake The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer
MOO was so disappointing that I left it in a hotel room when I finished. I didn't think it merited space in my return luggage. The blurb on the book jacket led me to believe that it was a murder mystery. NOT SO. Set on the campus of a un-named Midwestern university, acronym MOO, the book details the lives of several professors, students and administrators throughout the course of one academic year around 1990-ish. The "plot" is driven forward by the fallout of drastic budget cuts imposed by the new state Governor. Everyone is sleeping with everyone, the administrators are inept and basically the institution is controlled by a couple of secretaries. M might like it, but unless you work for/attend a university you're sure to find it as bland and boring as I did.
Don't Ask was a classic Dortmunder which I enjoyed very much. Occasional "consultant," Tiny, asks Dortmunder's crew to heist a religious relic to help out his cousin from the old country. The relic turns out to be a saint's thighbone, ownership of which is hotly contested by two former Soviet republics. Whichever country can prove possession of the relic will win a seat in the UN. Like the title suggests... don't ask. =) Good lazy weekend read. Bonus, one of the characters "dates" an actress starring in "Nana, the Musical" - I love when other books I've read pop up in others!
I just started The Pickup, but I'm not sure I'll even bother finishing it. The plot and writing seem ok. There's a lot of dialogue - which normally is great - but this book has no quotation marks or any other indication of: WHO is speaking TO WHOM the speaker is speaking WHEN dialogue begins or ends .. it's just so much work to keep up with who is saying what, I'm not sure it's worth the effort. Set in South Africa, a white woman's car breaks down. A black mechanic repairs it, then helps to find her a better used car. They fall in love, but can their relationship withstand the politics of race, immigration and family acceptance?
Little Tree, a native American, is raised by his grandparents. He learns the "Indian" ways, although his grandfather is an excellent moonshiner, that IS part of Little Tree's upbringing. Very good middle schoolish book, especially good for this area of fishing and hunting.
The Fabulous Saga of Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor by William Upson I saw this book in this delightful book store in Carlisle, PA and from the title and the cover, I just had to read it. The first few chapters had me in stitches as Alexander Botts is a very ego-centric salesperson of bulldozers in the 30's and 40's. The chapters were originally printed in the Saturday Evening Post and finally produced in book form. My father would LOVE this book!
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie I can't remember reading this book although I think I must have. Anyway I did NOT remember it. Story of several people travelling across Europe on a train, of course, one is killed as the train is stuck in a snow drift. Whodunit? Of course, Hercule Poirot is one of the passengers en route and tackles the mystery. I loved the ending. 5 stars!
Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie One of Agatha's best mysteries, Roger Ackroyd of course, is murdered. He leaves a small fortune, who will gain? Several have motives. This one I was able to guess early on, it is NOT the butler!
Speak by Laurie Anderson On my banned books list (mainly for subject matter - rape). Melinda, a high school freshmen, is raped at a summer drinking party and then does not speak (well, she doesn't speak to adults, does speak to some friends). She secludes herself at school in an un-used janitor's closet. Her ex-best friend starts dating the rapist and Melinda finds herself struggling to SPEAK the truth about what happened. EXCELLENT book for high school students.
38 comments:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Maya details her childhood from age 3 to 16. Some (abuse and rape) was difficult to read but it was all beautifully written.
I might be that last woman in America to read this book; I wish I had read it during my Women in Literature class in college. I loved this memoir, but maybe I wouldn't have appreciated it as much a dozen years ago.
The Man From St. Petersburg by Ken Follett
In this pre-WWI spy thriller, an upper class Englishman races against the clock to barter a treaty with the Russians before Germany and France declare war. To make matters worse, an anarchist assassin is intent on killing the Russian envoy, and the Lord's debutante daughter is becoming a closet suffragette and *gasp* she has found out how babies are made!
I figured out the major plot twist very early on, so there wasn't a lot of suspense in it for me. This is my least favorite Follett so far. A quick read, but not really recommended.
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
I thank you so much M for introducing me to Margaret Atwood. I am on a frenzy to buy and read all of her books.
Alias Grace is Atwood's account of the famed Canadian murderess Grace Marks. In 1843, Grace was accused of murdering her employer, Thomas Kinnear. She was found to be an accomplice and sentenced to life imprisonment. Grace gave 3 different accounts of the murder. James McDermott, the one convicted and hung for the murder, gave 2 other accounts. No one knows what really happened. This is Atwood's story of what might have been.
This would make such an EXCELLENT movie. After watching Downton Abbey, this illustrates just how much servants know about their employers (who is sleeping with who, etc. etc.)
Grace Marks is imprisoned for 28 years. She goes back and forth from the penitenary to the insane asylum depening on her degree of sanity. On good behavior she is released during the day to the governor's mansion to work as a servant and seamstress. One thing I particularly enjoyed is that each section of the book is titled with a quilt block which aptly describes that section.
The story is told by Grace as she is interviewed by a psychiatrist.
Highly recommended.
Me Talk Pretty Some Day by David Sedaris
A had read one of Sedaris' books so now my turn. This is autobiographical from David's youth to age 40 or so. Starts with his lisping problem and visits with the speech therapist. He resolves the problem by avoiding words with the letter s. His conversations that follow are pretty funny. Reminiscent a bit of Ella Minnow Pea, how to speak without using the letter s? His biggest problem were plurals and pronouns. And as A mentioned, the stories of the younger brother are hysterical.
Recommended.
This is printed on the back of the dust jacket of "Twelve Girls in the Garden" by Shane Martin...
"A Book Speaks
By day and night I am ever at your side, waiting for you to listen to my voice. At an instant I am ready to amuse, entertain and guide you. Between my covers you will find the heartaches, passions, dreams, struggles and aspirations of mankind. I bring you laughter and tears, amusement and learning, gaiety and the wisdom of the race. I can make your heart of hearts throb with sympathy or leap with joy. Neither time nor space exist for me. The ancient past, the fleeting present, the marvels of the future--all are inscribed upon my leaves. At your will, I transport you to great cities which time has destroyed, or project you into the vastness of the future. With me as guide, you can range the world at will, travel polar regions, traverse deep jungles, penetrate the depths of earth, cross burning deserts, walk lonely prairies. I am both the bright lamp of knowledge for the little child and the understanding companion of the aged. What men prize above all else is written within me. The ideas for which wise men risk their lives, the discoveries achieved by scientists with toil and years of struggle, the splendid lines written with heart's blood of unrecognized poets, the revelations of prophets -- all are of my vast treasure. And I am reflection of the moods of men. Sometimes I endure for a century; again, I may fade in a single year. Yet -- though I live for generations or brighten but a tiny moment of time, I add value to the lives of all men. To king and emperor, statesman and sage, outcast and pariah I speak the same accents. It is all one to me be a man a success or failure, a rich man or beggar. The keys of hope, curiosity and ambition unlock my vault -- and all are welcome to the hoard therein. Many have feared and hated, loved and honored me through the centuries. I have incited revolutions and shaken the foundations of societies. At times men have sought to destroy me forever -- but all such essays end in failure. I live. I will live forever. For it is not given to man to efface me. I am a book -- your friend, guide, entertainer, counsellor, always your servant. I wait upon your pleasure. I am yours to command."
This really spells out the magic of books and why I love to read.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
A few months ago I read an article about slow reading, so I decided to take an exceptionally long book and read it slowly. I can't find the exact article now, but it's similar to this: The Art of Slow Reading
The best line from Anna Karenina also ties in with this theme:
"There are times when one would give a whole month for a shilling and there are times when you would not give half an hour at any price.
I don't think slow reading is for me. I don't like reading more than 1 book at a time, and if it takes me 2 months to slow read a book I'm going to have to read something else in the meantime!
Back to Anna Karenina - Although the central plot might be a bit outdated (divorce does not carry the social stigma it once did) it is a great story and gives a very detailed look at Russian high society in the mid to late 1800s. There are exhaustive descriptions of Russian municipal government dealings, and I admit I skipped (didn't even skim) those chapters. Through two storylines with heavy religious undertones, the reader is asked, "Which is more fulfilling, a quiet country life of simple pleasures, or a lavish city life of extravagance?" Adultry, bankrupcy, scandal and suicide attempts abound. Be prepared for characters going by 3 or 4 different names, frequent setting changes and lots of monologues and soul searching from the protagonists. I like that the female characters, on the whole, were smarter, more responsible and more resourceful than their husbands.
Lukewarmly recommeded. What can I say? It's a classic.
Not long ago I had a conversation with a friend about slow-reading versus fast-reading and about 1 book at a time versus many books simultaneously. She reads one book at a time, slowly, to savor it. I read multiple books at one time and read them quickly. I've tried slow reading and savoring and find it unsatisfactory. It is, well, slow. I like to know NOW.
I am not a terrifically slow reader or a very fast reader. I do tend to read more than one book at a time, especially if a book is depressing or draggy or deeply intellectual. Then I read something more lighthearted or spiritual to balance out my mood and give my mind a break from the heavy stuff.
B- I balance books, too! I'm reading a really disturbing book right now for my in-person book club, and I have to alternate it with lighter books at night so I don't have nightmares. Plus, I read a lot of school related books, for example I'm reading a book about victimization of women in the U.S. and that is not light reading.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
So having read A Christmas Carol, I ventured on to another Dickens book. I downloaded all of Dickens book onto my Kindle for 99 cents so now I must read a few. I googled his books to see which ONE was most "favorited" and Great Expectations it was.
I did enjoy the story. It was serialized and so each chapter leaves you hanging a bit until the next "installment". There are 3 parts, each dealing with Pip's expectations.
In part 1, Pip is a young boy and through an unknown benefactor, is left a tidy sum of money in which to become a gentleman. Part 1 ends with Pip leaving his boyhood home and family, heading for London.
Part 2, Pip becomes a gentleman and actually becomes an unknown benefactor to his friend. At the end of part 2, Pip finds out who his unknown financier is (NOT who you expect). It is actually a criminal who was forced to move away, makes some money, but returns it to Pip.
Part 3, Pip loses his money, is reacquanted with his true love and ends up financially stable again.
Some very memorable characters: Miss Havisham, Joe, Biddy, Estella, Pumblechook, Wemmick, Herbert and Mr. Jaggers.
J- I am glad I could interest you in Margaret Atwood. Alias Grace is, I think, my favorite of her books. There are a few that are less stellar (I was not a big fan of Cat's Eye, for example), but overall she is an excellent author with great plots.
I had to read Alias Grace in a Canadian Studies class as an undergraduate and started collecting and reading her books at that time. I've read most now, I think. Though not all of her short stories.
Barb- what a great quote about the role and power of books!
B - I shared the "Book Speaks" passage with our English teachers and they are LOVING it! Thanks!
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
Very humorous book.
Story of a brother and sister (ages 8 and 5) and their week long visits each summer to stay with their grandmother in RURAL Illinois in the 1920's-30's. Each chapter is another year's visit until the end when they are 16 and 13.
Grandma is a BIG woman. Whenever they go to a performance (movie, play, etc), they sit in the last row because "no one can see around Grandma". Grandma is rough on the outside but truly a caring person.
Several laugh out loud moments but one of my favorites is about the "neighbor" showing up at grandma's house at 6 a.m. and Grandma describes her as "already girdled and gallavanting".
Very lighthearted read. Recommended.
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
THS has had some "book" banning controversy lately so now I am on a quest to read "banned" or "challenged" books.
First up, Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved this book. Read it in 2 days. It is Charlie's story of his freshmen year in high school. The book is written as "letters" from Charlie to someone. The story begins with the suicide of Charlie's friend. Charlie though is very wise and has a quite an interesting viewpoint throughout the whole book. At the end, Charlie decides to "participate" in life.
I can see why the book is challenged BUT it is a very real account of what happens in high school. Yes, there is sex and drugs. But Charlie handles it well, I think.
Highly recommended.
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
The next one in the series. This time Mary Alice comes to spend a whole YEAR with Grandma and Mary Alice's senior year to boot. SO there are quite a few differences between Mary Alice's "Chicago" school and Grandma's rural school. Plus this is the first time, either grandchild has "vacationed" with Grandma through the winter. Humorous and another quick read.
Recommended.
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
This book was on the shelf of "100 Best Books" at the Ithaca Book sale and the title was intriguing.
It is a downer (but NOT an international downer). Story takes place in Fingerbone Montana, a small town next to a large lake sporting a long railroad bridge across the lake. The lake is a central part of the story.
Ruth's grandfather works on the train and in chapter 1 - the train derails and grandpa plummets to his death in the lake, never to be found. Ruth's mother leaves town, has kids (namely Ruth), leaves her husband, brings the kids back to Fingerbone, deposits them with her mother then drives off a cliff into the lake.
Ruth's grandmother dies of natural causes, Ruth's great aunts come to take care of Ruth and her sister. They really want nothing to do with children, arrange for Ruth's aunt to come take care of the kids. The aunt is "different". Finally, Ruth and the aunt set the house on fire and in the dead of night, cross the bridge, hop a train and live the rest of their lives as vagrants.
Downer? yes!
I would not recommend.
Oh, and the title Housekeeping since so many different women set up "housekeeping" in the house - until it is burned.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
I can NOT believe that I was not required to read this book in some high school or college class somewhere. There is so much symbolism to society at large.
Basically, a plane load of boys get stranded on a deserted island. They discover a conch shell and use it in their ceremonial meetings to create order, he who holds the conch shell has the right to speak. They try to organize to create shelters, build a fire for smoke to try to be rescued, and establishing places to be used as a bathroom. Like life though, a few end up doing the work for the many. Those in charge of maintaining the fire take off to hunt, the fire goes out. Most just enjoy swimming in the lagoon. Eventually, hunting takes precedence, the whole rescue effort crumbles and the group becomes divided. Some are killed. At the end, they are rescued but not without some societal lessons.
Recommended.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fanny Flagg
A very light hearted book. I have not seen the movie and might after reading this.
Story of the town Whistle Stop in Alabama. Follows the characters from the 1920's to 1980's. I liked the format. A lot of it was the "Weekly Weems" report like reading the Alba columnn in the Canton paper. My favorite characters were Evelyn Couch and Mrs. Threadgoode. Evelyn Couch went to the retirement home every week with her husband to visit her mother-in-law. But Evelyn met Mrs. Threadgoode in the lobby and became friends with her and actually looked FORWARD to Sundays to see Mrs. Threadgoode. Nice story of a small town and a nice story about aging.
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
Another in the series. A preacher and his wife and kids move in next door to "grandma". Grandma includes them in some of her shenanigans. Not as good as the first 2 but still humorous.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Continuing my reading of banned books. This book is considered too disturbing for its intended audience (young adult).
The story takes place in the future where society is "controlled", each family has 2 children, one boy and one girl and each is assigned by the Community. Jobs are assigned by the Community to children at age 12. The story centers on Jonas, age 12, assigned the honor of "Receiver"; keeper of memories (both good and bad). He is trained by the current aging receiver who is now known as the Giver of memory. The first memory given to Jonas is "snow", "cold", "sled", and "hill", progressing to "war". None of these things currently exist in the Community since now Sameness prevails. The story is reminiscent of the book 1984. The ending seemed very rushed but now I have discovered there are 4 books in the series and I need to keep reading to find out more about Jonas.
Quick read and recommended.
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
Like most classics made into movies, the film is the book "enhanced". Story of the family left on a deserted island after the ship they are on is destroyed by a storm. They set up "camp" on the beach of an island. They make several trips out to the half-submerged boat to try to gather what usable items they can, get themselves somewhat established on the beach then begin exploring the island. They do make a house in a tree, also in some caves. There is a lot of praying, which is left out in the book but for the time and the circumstances, I would be praying a lot too!
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
In the late fifties, there was much research trying to get cells to grow, trying to find the correct recipe for the cell culture. Henrietta Lach is a negro in Baltimore whose cancerous cells and non-cancerous cells are taken on a routine doctor visit. It happen that the "perfect recipe" is found with her cells and they begin to grow and grow and grow. Today, much research is done with her cells (HeLa cells). Story of the ethic and moral question of taking cells without the patient's consent. The Lacks family has never benefited from the research done with Henrietta's cells.
Excellent book. Recommended.
Stick by Elmore Leonard
Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard
Tricky Business by Dave Barry
I had a lot of time to read on the plane during this last trip; about 20 hours total.
Stick:
I enjoyed this book. It was kind of like a gritty Dortmunder. Ernest Stickley, recently released from jail, accompanies a fellow thug on the drop of a suitcase full of money owed by one drug lord to another. Little did he know that the debt also included a human life, and the delivery man was doomed to die as retribution. Murder witness, on two cartels' hitlists and broke, Stick stumbles into a job as chauffeur for a high-energy venture capitalist. Death and hilarity ensue.
Big Bounce:
I didn't care for this book at all. It felt thrown together; written to meet a deadline.
Jack Ryan, ex-minor league baseball player and small-time appliance thief matches wits with a young seductress with a penchant for breaking glass (with guns, rocks, pokers, you name it). She has a grand plan to steal $50,000 in cash but needs his expertise to pull off the job. Will he or won't he?
Tricky Business:
I really liked Dave Berry's debut novel, Big Trouble; I had high hopes for this one too, but alas, it wasn't as good. An undercover Coast Guard agent posing as a cocktail waitress on a seedy floating Casino struggles to contain the mayhem when multiple plans to hijack a cocaine and cash exchange at sea go awry. Some humorous moments but also some very gruesome ones.
I don't really recommend any of these, but they were easy reads after the struggle of Nana.
A Long Way From Chicago
A Year Down Yonder
both by Richard Peck
Joy read both of these and passed them to me - what delightful books! They are short, each took me about an hour. Set in the depression, two "city kids" from Chicago spend summers with their old-school, trigger happy, justice delivering Grandma. Hijinks ensue.
My favorite line from the book was from Grandma, when a hoity-toity neighbor came to ask a favor "6:10 in the morning and she's already girdled and gallivantin' "
Great reads for 10 year olds AND adults. Highly recommended.
On the Beach by Nevil Shute
Another recommended (on Amazon anyway) read by Nevil Shute. It takes place in Australia and is extremely depressing so A will LOVE IT!
Takes place in the 50's, the US, China and Russia are in a war and explode bombs - radioactive. This is the story of what happens in Australia in the fall out of the war. The northern hemisphere is completely wiped out. Australia has some time to survive since the winds do not carry the radioactive elements to Australia quite as quickly. It is basically about how the country spends their last months alive. All the citizens are given cyanide pills (FREE) to alleviate their last days. And of course at the end, everyone is dead. So A - you will love this book! The ultimate depressing story.
Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman
This is based on the real life story of Katherine Mary O'Fallon. In the early 1900's, Katherine (age 16) is sent to her uncle's house in Canada to relieve her pleurisy. While there, she falls in love with a young Canadian Mountie, marries him, and moves to the wilderness of Northen Alberta, Canada. This is the story of her first years there.
One part that struck me was Katherine's friend tells her everyone in that part of the country has 3 families, the one they left befind, the one they have buried (because of the harsh conditions) and their current one. At the time, Kathy finds that intriguing and eventually that does play out in her life.
It is a very memorable story, laughing one minute (the garbage can incident is unforgetable) and then crying the next (the forest fire and diseases). I won't forget it.
Recommended.
Sophie's Choice by William Styron
I guess I forgot to write about this book. I finished it about a month ago. So what I remember....
this was made into a movie although I've never seen it. It is rather depressing.
Main characters are Sophie, Nathan and Stingo. Sophie and Nathan are lovers, he is a psycho and abuses Sophie horribly but to her, it is not as bad as her life in a Nazi prison camp. Stingo is Sophie and Nathan's neighbor and friend. Intertwined in their story in Brooklyn is Sophie's story in Poland. You get sucked in to the whole story and I wanted to SCREAM at the end (it was NOT what I was expecting).
Recommended.
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
A spiritual story based on:
1) follow your dreams
2) enjoy the journey
Story of a shepherd boy, Santiago, who has a dream about visting the pyramids and finding "treasure". The rest of the book is just this, his quest to reach the pyramids (t takes him several years) and the treasure he finds there.
Recommended.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Read this just before the movie came out and since it was on the best seller list for SO LONG...
It was okay. I can see how high school girls would LOVE this book. Story of 2 teens each with cancer and how they deal with it. The boy's cancer is in remission and so you are lead to believe that he is "healthier" but not so....
The good part for me was the insight into what it is like dealing with cancer, especially the weekly support group meetings. I don't know if these are legit or Green's interpretation.
The ending - so-so.
A Coin in Nine Hands by Marguerite Yourcenar
Rome, 1933: In the course of 24 hours a 10 Lira coin is passed between nine people. Each has their few chapters and each is somehow connected to the others by more than just the coin. A bisection of Italian life under Mussolini, from poor to rich to dissident assasin. Made me realize that in all the WWII novels that I've read, very few have been set in Italy, nor do I know much about Mussolini. Looking forward to broadening my knowledge there.
Overall it was an OK book, more like a novela, though the last few chapters were rather flowery and I ended up skimming a lot. Paid a dime for it and worth every penny.
I've done a bunch of reading and haven't posted:
A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters
One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters
Drowned Hopes by Donald Westlake
Gold Coast by Elmore Leonard
A Morbid Taste for Bones (Brother Cadfael #1) and One Corpse Too Many (Cadfael #2) were both good books and I recommend them. I didn't even mind reading them out of order (I read #3, then 1, then 2) and I will continue to look for these books at used book sales! Thanks M for turning us on to this series.
Drowned Hopes (Dortmunder #7) was a nice change of pace from what I had been reading, though not my favorite Dortmunder. It did redeem itself in the end though, with some really classic Westlake humor.
Plot: Dortmunder's former cellmate, a highly undesirable character, shows up and coerces Dortmunder to help him retrieve a casket full of cash from the bottom of a reservoir. Multiple attempts fail, as expected.
Gold Coast was.. eh, it was ok. I think Elmore Leonard is really hit or miss. Some I have really, really liked. The rest have been ok, but with big let downs at the end. Maybe that's what made him "gritty?" Crap endings because oftentimes life is crappy?
Plot: Mob widow inherits a mansion, massive art collection and heaps of cash - with the stipulation that she never have sex again. More mobsters ban together to keep an eye on her, violence and politics ensue.
I've noticed that Leonard has a thing for cowboy hats. The bad guy in his books almost always sports a hat (and usually a cowboy hat) and inevitably someone dies for disrespecting the hat. Was that a "thing" in the 70s?
Vacation gave me some great reading opportunities!
MOO by Jane Smiley
Don't Ask (Dortmunder#8) by Donald Westlake
The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer
MOO was so disappointing that I left it in a hotel room when I finished. I didn't think it merited space in my return luggage. The blurb on the book jacket led me to believe that it was a murder mystery. NOT SO. Set on the campus of a un-named Midwestern university, acronym MOO, the book details the lives of several professors, students and administrators throughout the course of one academic year around 1990-ish. The "plot" is driven forward by the fallout of drastic budget cuts imposed by the new state Governor. Everyone is sleeping with everyone, the administrators are inept and basically the institution is controlled by a couple of secretaries. M might like it, but unless you work for/attend a university you're sure to find it as bland and boring as I did.
Don't Ask was a classic Dortmunder which I enjoyed very much. Occasional "consultant," Tiny, asks Dortmunder's crew to heist a religious relic to help out his cousin from the old country. The relic turns out to be a saint's thighbone, ownership of which is hotly contested by two former Soviet republics. Whichever country can prove possession of the relic will win a seat in the UN. Like the title suggests... don't ask. =) Good lazy weekend read. Bonus, one of the characters "dates" an actress starring in "Nana, the Musical" - I love when other books I've read pop up in others!
I just started The Pickup, but I'm not sure I'll even bother finishing it. The plot and writing seem ok. There's a lot of dialogue - which normally is great - but this book has no quotation marks or any other indication of:
WHO is speaking
TO WHOM the speaker is speaking
WHEN dialogue begins or ends
.. it's just so much work to keep up with who is saying what, I'm not sure it's worth the effort.
Set in South Africa, a white woman's car breaks down. A black mechanic repairs it, then helps to find her a better used car. They fall in love, but can their relationship withstand the politics of race, immigration and family acceptance?
OOOOoooo lots of reading and NO posting!
The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter
Little Tree, a native American, is raised by his grandparents. He learns the "Indian" ways, although his grandfather is an excellent moonshiner, that IS part of Little Tree's upbringing. Very good middle schoolish book, especially good for this area of fishing and hunting.
The Fabulous Saga of Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor by William Upson
I saw this book in this delightful book store in Carlisle, PA and from the title and the cover, I just had to read it. The first few chapters had me in stitches as Alexander Botts is a very ego-centric salesperson of bulldozers in the 30's and 40's. The chapters were originally printed in the Saturday Evening Post and finally produced in book form. My father would LOVE this book!
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
I can't remember reading this book although I think I must have. Anyway I did NOT remember it.
Story of several people travelling across Europe on a train, of course, one is killed as the train is stuck in a snow drift. Whodunit? Of course, Hercule Poirot is one of the passengers en route and tackles the mystery. I loved the ending. 5 stars!
Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
One of Agatha's best mysteries, Roger Ackroyd of course, is murdered. He leaves a small fortune, who will gain? Several have motives. This one I was able to guess early on, it is NOT the butler!
Speak by Laurie Anderson
On my banned books list (mainly for subject matter - rape). Melinda, a high school freshmen, is raped at a summer drinking party and then does not speak (well, she doesn't speak to adults, does speak to some friends). She secludes herself at school in an un-used janitor's closet. Her ex-best friend starts dating the rapist and Melinda finds herself struggling to SPEAK the truth about what happened. EXCELLENT book for high school students.
Wow, you two did some serious posting here lately. A- I'll have to try Moo and see what I think.
J- I also read Speak and thought it was an excellent book for high school students. Very powerful.
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