What book are you reading?

[Mikala43]

20% into A Thousand Pardons and enjoying it.

[miguel's mom]

Originally Posted by Marlow

If I'm talking to a real-life friend about books, I refer to y'all, collectively, as my "online reading friend." Love this thread and all the people who post!

Ha ha me too. I'm glad here there are a few people online who still read books. I don't have ANY friends who read a lot. A book here or there but not as much as I do and mostly not the genres I like.
I even got a reading buddy for October and it really is fun.

Originally Posted by pinetreelover

for our 20,000th post, I thought it was appropriate to quote this very first post in this thread and thank Isbella (wherever she is) for getting this started!

I have really enjoyed getting to know so many of you through the books that we read together. New folks are always welcomed and we have such healthy, respectful discussions. I call you all my "Other Book Club". I hope that is OK!

Cheers and Happy Reading!

That is sweet. I love to come here, read about what you all read/like and add to my TR pile

Originally Posted by greatblueheron

I WILL read some of your very good list
....only read a few so far.


MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA was particularly interesting...the Japanese culture is fascinating especially that surrounding the geisha...I remember being surprised it was written by a man...

[/quote]

Memoirs of a Geisha is a really great book. The author is a magician. It feels like you are walking through her life with her. Loved it!

[ylisa7]

Originally Posted by miguel's mom

Ha ha me too. I'm glad here there are a few people online who still read books. I don't have ANY friends who read a lot. A book here or there but not as much as I do and mostly not the genres I like.
I even got a reading buddy for October and it really is fun.

I don't have any friends irl who read either. The people I know from the library don't read the books I like so no good conversations of helpful suggestions. I have read so many enjoyable books because of everyone here

Ooh fun. Enjoy reading with your buddy. I have done a few of those and liked them.

[Troyfan]

Originally Posted by southwest88

Quote:
Originally Posted by southwest88
By Ricks? Yah, I'm reading that one too. it's well reviewed & full of detail on Churchill's uphill struggle to become PM - when Hitler/WWII essentially vindicated his stance on Hitler. There's something odd about Churchill - the histories, biographies either adore him or loathe him. From a US POV, I think he was much more dedicated to preserving the British Empire than he was to the notion of universal freedom - see him on India & Gandhi, for instance. So I keep looking for something more balanced on Churchill - I tend to shy away from Churchill's own writing - a talented man, but he couldn't shut up, & apparently he himself was his favorite topic.



Yah, Churchill's name is on the prize, true enough. But he didn't write all that stuff by himself. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Se...r_(book_series)

"The Second World War is a history of the period from the end of the First World War to July 1945, written by Winston Churchill. It was largely responsible for his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.[2] Churchill labelled the "moral of the work" as follows: "In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill".[3]

"Churchill wrote the book, with a team of assistants, using both his own notes and privileged access to official documents while still working as a politician; the text was vetted by the Cabinet Secretary. Churchill was largely fair in his treatment, but wrote the history from his personal point of view. He was unable to reveal all the facts, as some, such as the use of Ultra electronic intelligence, had to remain secret. From a historical point of view the book is therefore an incomplete memoir by a leading participant in the direction of the war.

...
"When Churchill assumed office in 1940, he intended to write a history of the war then beginning. He said several times: "I will leave judgements on this matter to history*– but I will be one of the historians." To circumvent the rules against the use of official documents, he took the precaution throughout the war of having a weekly summary of correspondence, minutes, memoranda and other documents printed in galleys and headed "Prime Minister's personal minutes". These were then stored at his home and Churchill wrote or dictated letters and memoranda with the intention of placing his views on the record, for later use as a historian. The arrangements became a source of controversy when The Second World War began appearing in 1948. Churchill was a politician not an academic historian and was Leader of the Opposition, intending to return to office, so Churchill's access to Cabinet, military and diplomatic records denied to other historians was questioned.[4]

I didn't repeat your entire message because it was so long.

It isn't unusual for histories to be written by an author and assistants. More likely it's usual. Also, Churchill had more important things to do during the war than writing.

Special access to official documents and writing partly for personal or political advantage are not necessarily demerits. I shy away from these books, especially those of recent vintage, because they are transparently self-serving. The last one I read was by Henry Kissinger about Viet Nam, which though self-serving but was at least frank about it.

[southwest88]

Originally Posted by Troyfan

I didn't repeat your entire message because it was so long.

It isn't unusual for histories to be written by an author and assistants. More likely it's usual. Also, Churchill had more important things to do during the war than writing.

Special access to official documents and writing partly for personal or political advantage are not necessarily demerits. I shy away from these books, especially those of recent vintage, because they are transparently self-serving. The last one I read was by Henry Kissinger about Viet Nam, which though self-serving but was at least frank about it.

Yah, no worries on the first.

Churchill had lots of time - & copies/summaries of official UK documents @ home, & a swarm (don't know how many precisely) of assistants. He had time because he was voted out of office before VJ Day, & apparently went home in a rage. No, TMK he didn't write about the war during WWII.

Special access - yah, that's a problem. Churchill was privileged, he'd maneuvered & cut deals for that access. & he had exclusive access for years - long enough for him to make sure his version was in general circulation. & of course, he sold first rights to the American cousins, who paid a pretty penny for the privilege. Not a complaint, certainly Churchill had been pilloried often enough by the various political parties he joined & led & abandoned often enough of being American @ heart (his mother, Lady Churchill, apparently cut a wide swath through London's social circles).

I think he was the right guy @ the right time, UK PM May 1940 - Dec. 1941. After that, I'm not so sure. & no one has much praise for his second hurrah as UK PM - apparently he sank into very partisan party politics.

[Michael Way]

I'm currently reading Our Mathematical Universe by theoretical physicist Max Tegmark and have just finished section one which contains the first six chapters. Written for the popular audience, the book takes readers though the quest for the ultimate nature of reality which Tegmark believes to be that our Universe is a mathematical structure. He explains four of the models, four levels of multiverses which possibly exist and the theories which predict the existence of the level I, level II, level III, and level IV multiverse. It's both educational and fun to read.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by DawnMTL

Based on the fact that I loved his (John Boyne's) The Absolutist, I just started The Heart's Invisible Furies. I'd been hemming and hawing because it's a long (for me) book at 592 pages, but he had me hooked on the second page, and I remembered EXACTLY why I'd loved The Absolutist so much.

Absolutely rave reviews, I loved his The Absolutist, but I'm giving up on his The Heart's Invisible Furies at 20%. Reviewers have said that they loved it, they cried, blah blah blah. Nobody mentioned that there's so much silliness and unbelievability (new word!). And nobody mentioned that 7-year-old boys, and even 14-year-old boys, don't know all that and talk like that. Well, I just did. Done.

[AZgarden]

I have just found Susan Meissner "A Fall of Marigolds" and "The Secret of a Charmed life". Both are historical fiction and very enjoyable. A couple scenarios just don't ring true, but for the most part, I am enjoying her books. I now have "A Sound Among the Trees" and all are easy reading so far. I love the history intertwined with the story.

[Holly-Kay]

I just finished The Alice Network and I loved it! I can’t remember who mentioned it here but thank you, thank you!

[Holly-Kay]

Originally Posted by DawnMTL

Absolutely rave reviews, I loved his The Absolutist, but I'm giving up on his The Heart's Invisible Furies at 20%. Reviewers have said that they loved it, they cried, blah blah blah. Nobody mentioned that there's so much silliness and unbelievability (new word!). And nobody mentioned that 7-year-old boys, and even 14-year-old boys, don't know all that and talk like that. Well, I just did. Done.

Argggg, I just now downloaded it onto my Kindle before reading to the end of the posts here. I hope I can get into it!