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Great book. If you haven't read The Kite Runner by the same author (Khaled Hosseini) you should. Both of these books are on my best of all time list. You are right - Wow.
Finished Master and Margarita in the original Russian and now on to The Life of Arsenev by Bunin. Having finished the difficult to translate, on to the nearly impossible...
I couldn't get through The Master and Margarita but I know a lot of people who liked it. I'm reading Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. A little bit slow going as the story unravels gradually, but I like that kind of pace as long as the characters and the dialogue are intriguing. Since 19th century English literature is my thing anyway, I'm really enjoying it.
Finished Nikki Sixx's Heroin Diaries... HOW IS HE NOT DEAD? Gives new insight to the word "debauchary". Interesting & insightful. I've looked up on youtube some recent interviews with him, & cannot believe how "normal" he seems now, he must be clean. Good for him.
Thousand Splendid Suns was so beautiful, if I don't have anything else maybe I'll pull it out again.
I recently finished "Gift From The Sea" by Anne Morrow. I found it interesting that a book written so long ago was still pretty on target regarding the issues women face finding/making time for their own thoughts. Some of it annoyed me, it's not the normal writing style I would choose, but overall I liked it.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,018,915 times
Reputation: 28903
I finished a book that I would never have heard of if it weren't for this forum: The Giver. Not my cup of tea -- I'm not a fan of fantasy or fantastical -- but I can appreciate that it was an interesting concept and story.
I just started A Death in the Family (by James Agee). This ain't no easy readin'! I'm only on page 25, so I'm hoping that it gets a little less dense. It's autobiographical fiction and I know that I'll see it through to the end -- I just don't want to end up resenting it!
About to start Tim O'Brien's "In the Lake of the Woods".
Just finished Tom Perrotta's "Little Children", which I thought was mostly disappointing. I like his take on human nature, but there weren't really any characters in the story to whom I cared what happened. (Trying not to end a sentence with a preposition there.)
Catfish Alley.....By, Lynne Bryant
Just happened upon it while scanning the library shelves, hoping for something to strike my fancy. A bit on the lines of, The Help, but deals more with friendships personal growth that develop along the way. Quite the page turner and tear jerking moments.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,018,915 times
Reputation: 28903
I'm back to my old problem again, I think.
I tried to read A Death in the Family. Either the writing is very dense (it is) or my brain is too dense right now (a possibility), but it just wasn't working for me. I've put it away for another time.
Then I got to page 6 (!!!) of The Magicians and got scared that it was going to be fantasy. I don't *do* fantasy. But I think this book is fantastical, and I don't want to be stuck on a plane this weekend with a book that's not working for me. That said, I haven't tossed it in the Goodwill pile -- I really do want to give it a fair go -- so I've put that one away for another time too. Convince me that it's a good book, if you've read it?
So now here I am with a pile of books... and I've chosen to take Never Let Me Go on the plane. I think it's a little sci-fi (totally not my thing) or fantastical (again?!?!) but it got SUCH good reviews (from the New York Times AND from Ketabcha!), I feel like it's worth a shot. And, being stuck on a plane, it's not like I can just reach over and grab another book, so I'll be able to give it my all. Unless someone sitting next to me is reading something that looks interesting...
Maybe I should bring my Kindle? No. I'll just spend the entire time on the plane downloading free classics that I'll never, ever read. Woe...
So now here I am with a pile of books... and I've chosen to take Never Let Me Go on the plane. I think it's a little sci-fi (totally not my thing) or fantastical (again?!?!) but it got SUCH good reviews (from the New York Times AND from Ketabcha!), I feel like it's worth a shot. And, being stuck on a plane, it's not like I can just reach over and grab another book, so I'll be able to give it my all. Unless someone sitting next to me is reading something that looks interesting...
Never Let Me Go is a nice book but I expected more, maybe because the reviews, as you say, were amazing. That also happens to me when I read a new Murakami's novel and most other current narrative. I should probably stop reading reviews altogether lol.
By the way, the film based on the novel (I'm talking about Never Let Me Go again) is good too, but I had the same problem I had with the book: it left me a little cold because I expected more.
I cannot believe I didn't post this book before now, because I loved it when I read it and couldn't say enough good things about it.
I bring it up now because I just listened to the author's interview during a KQED podcast, dated 9/12, and found her to be articulate and engaging as an interviewee as well.
I recommend the book AND the podcast, and plan to look for her other books now, too.
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A bit on the lines of, The Help, but deals more with friendships personal growth that develop along the way. Quite the page turner and tear jerking moments.
Cleopatra: a life By Stacy Schiff
