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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BereniceUK
The book I bought most recently is one that's more for dipping into, rather than reading, as the emphasis is on the visual. It's a collection of reproduction World War 1 posters; UK publication, but there are plenty of US and Canadian posters included. Have to admit I do enjoy this sort of book, and I'd love to get one of Spanish Civil War posters - visually, they're quite stunning, influenced at times, to my eyes, by the art moderne movement.
Good luck to me, because "essays" is just a code word for non-fiction "short stories," and we all know my horrible relationship with THOSE. (That said, I have not one but TWO other story collections on my "to read" list -- Property: Stories Between Two Novellas by Lionel Shriver and You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld -- because I'm a glutton for "failure to finish." Funny fact about these two: Lionel and Curtis, both male names, are both women.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinetreelover
PS - I am a short-story lover - another under-appreciated genre. I take personal pleasure every time someone here posts something about enjoying a short story.
Pinetreelover
The two that I mentioned in my earlier post -- the ones by Curtis Sittenfeld and Lionel Shriver -- are supposed to be excellent. I'm reading the one by Tim Kreider (but those are ESSAYS! so, really, non-fiction short stories.... and they do read like short stories so far [I'm on the second one]) and enjoying it.
While in town this morning, I popped into the local bookstore, just to browse. Of course, I came out with a purchase - 'Long Road From Jarrow,' an account by Stuart Maconie of his personal recreation of the 1936 Jarrow March, which was a 291 mile-long walk, from Jarrow, in the north-east of England, to London, by around 200 unemployed men, to protest at the closure of the town's shipyard - there was 80% unemployment - and requesting the creation of a steelworks there. It was only one of the many hunger marches which were made from different parts of the country to London in the early 20th century, up to the late 1930s.
Having bought the book 'on spec,' I'm pleased to see online that it's got good reviews. Looking forward to reading this.
Last edited by BereniceUK; 04-26-2018 at 07:01 AM..
I read Before Mars by Emma Newman. I really enjoyed Planetfall and so I had been looking forward to the release of this book. I did enjoy the book but the ending felt rushed. I felt puzzled as to just how we got there and didn't feel an explanation tacked on to the end of the book made that much sense. I might have felt differently had I reread the books in order. It isn't a standalone book. But I do love her writing voice.
And now I've started a strange book - Wonderblood. I'm not that far along and not sure what to make of it. It is a literary book as far as I can tell and not your run-of-the-mill dystopian fiction. It's really dark.
The puppy thing is going a lot better than I had thought. Nina was definitely the worst puppy I have ever had. I don't think she has ever in her life been tired in spite of non-stop activity, which far too often includes me. I love her dearly. But she had become my norm, and so one of my fears was dealing with a puppy like her. I had no memories of my other dogs ever being anywhere near as awful as Nina was but I thought that maybe memories had softened due to time. But nope. This puppy is a walk in the park. 10 of them could not be as energy consuming as Nina was. Nina is a discriminant friend and wasn't sure about the new girl but now they are getting along great and playing together.
I read Before Mars by Emma Newman. I really enjoyed Planetfall and so I had been looking forward to the release of this book. I did enjoy the book but the ending felt rushed. I felt puzzled as to just how we got there and didn't feel an explanation tacked on to the end of the book made that much sense. I might have felt differently had I reread the books in order. It isn't a standalone book. But I do love her writing voice.
And now I've started a strange book - Wonderblood. I'm not that far along and not sure what to make of it. It is a literary book as far as I can tell and not your run-of-the-mill dystopian fiction. It's really dark.
The puppy thing is going a lot better than I had thought. Nina was definitely the worst puppy I have ever had. I don't think she has ever in her life been tired in spite of non-stop activity, which far too often includes me. I love her dearly. But she had become my norm, and so one of my fears was dealing with a puppy like her. I had no memories of my other dogs ever being anywhere near as awful as Nina was but I thought that maybe memories had softened due to time. But nope. This puppy is a walk in the park. 10 of them could not be as energy consuming as Nina was. Nina is a discriminant friend and wasn't sure about the new girl but now they are getting along great and playing together.
Well, this is embarrassing. Typos. I meant that Nina discriminates in her affections. I was in a hurry and thought "discriminant" looked wrong. I sometimes get my languages mixed up.
The Kings Depart: The Tragedy of Germany, Versailles, and the German Revolution by Richard M. Watt.
Copyright 1968
Over the last couple years I've read a few books about World War 1, and have an audio-book going about the Weimar Republic and the consequential rise of Nazism and the Third Reich in Germany. The Kings Depart is sort of a bridge book.
So far I'm enjoying it. He has an easy-going writing style, and because I've read so much on the subject lately, it all goes down smoothly.
Her writing is so fluid and it's so easy to relate to her characters -- they are exactly like people I know (or am!). I've read -- and very much enjoyed -- the first three so far. She gives enough detail in each story to feel just as -- well, almost as -- invested in the characters as you would in a full-length novel. Not quite as amazingly as Lahiri does (so brilliant!) but pretty close!
I finished Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan and thought it was very good. I don't usually like murder mysteries, but this was more like a sweet, sad, domestic fiction story that revolved around a murder. It moves quickly and there aren't too many characters or details that you have to try to remember to figure out the mystery. If murder mysteries aren't your genre either, but you want a page-turner, you might like this.
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so, really, non-fiction short stories.... and they do read like short stories so far [I'm on the second one]) and enjoying it.
Typos. I meant that Nina discriminates in her affections. I was in a hurry and thought "discriminant" looked wrong. I sometimes get my languages mixed up. 