This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Dibble · 24-11-2015 2:12pm

I'm currently reading The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

Absolutely loving it!

Hrududu · 24-11-2015 2:57pm

Just started All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Looks like a goodun' so far.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 24-11-2015 3:07pm

I've been re-reading Under The Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon-McKenna.

Had it read to me as a child and then read it myself when I was a bit older. It's very much a young kids book so I'm flying through it (which helps with my Goodreads target

). Still a good read though.

SarahBM · 25-11-2015 4:13pm

Last night I finished My Husband's Sin. very good, I enjoyed it and decent for a debut novel!
I started After the Crash. 40 pages in, but I'm intrigued so far.

Wyldwood · 25-11-2015 8:48pm

Read We Were the Mulvaneys by Oates and while the story is very well told I found a lot of the descriptive passage way too long and overly detailed. Could have been cut by a third easily. However, worth a read.

Followed that with Sebastian Barry's The Secret Scripture which has been on my to-read list for ages. This was a great read on the whole, although very depressing subject matter. A quite good social history of the repression of women in the early 20th century in Ireland and the priest driven attitude of small communities. Unfortunately, an extremely contrived ending ruined the book for me.

Now on to Tartt's Secret History.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 25-11-2015 8:52pm

Wyldwood wrote: »

Read We Were the Mulvaneys by Oates and while the story is very well told I found a lot of the descriptive passage way too long and overly detailed. Could have been cut by a third easily. However, worth a read.

Followed that with Sebastian Barry's The Secret Scripture which has been on my to-read list for ages. This was a great read on the whole, although very depressing subject matter. A quite good social history of the repression of women in the early 20th century in Ireland and the priest driven attitude of small communities. Unfortunately, an extremely contrived ending ruined the book for me.

Now on to Tartt's Secret History.

I agree. Could have done without that "twist".

Ice Storm · 25-11-2015 9:21pm

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I agree. Could have done without that "twist".

I remember The Secret Scripture winning an award and even the judges admitted that they had chosen it despite the terrible ending!

echo beach · 25-11-2015 11:40pm

I'd say the ending to A Secret Scripture let the book down but it didn't ruin it, at least not for me. I'd still rank it as a 'must read'.

Wyldwood · 26-11-2015 3:23pm

echo beach wrote: »

I'd say the ending to A Secret Scripture let the book down but it didn't ruin it, at least not for me. I'd still rank it as a 'must read'.

Mea culpa! I guess I exaggerated when I said it ruined the book, maybe spoiled might be a better word. I agree it's definitely worth reading.

ivytwine · 26-11-2015 9:40pm

I actually didn't mind the ending of the Secret Scripture at all. Which makes me into a minority of one

Finished Elizabeth is Missing last night and it's a great book. Very sad, and Healey is a very skilled writer.

I need to find something cheerful now but my to-read shelf is full of gloom!

minnow · 26-11-2015 9:53pm

100 pages into The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen and really enjoying it.

SarahBM · 26-11-2015 11:35pm

ivytwine wrote: »

I actually didn't mind the ending of the Secret Scripture at all. Which makes me into a minority of one

Finished Elizabeth is Missing last night and it's a great book. Very sad, and Healey is a very skilled writer.

I need to find something cheerful now but my to-read shelf is full of gloom!

read a YA book or Roald Dahl. Always cheers me up. Sometimes you need something lovely after reading a heavy or tough book. After the Count of Monte Cristo I read Matilda.

Have you read the 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared? Its lovely!

heathledgerlove · 27-11-2015 12:13am

Wyldwood wrote: »

Read We Were the Mulvaneys by Oates and while the story is very well told I found a lot of the descriptive passage way too long and overly detailed. Could have been cut by a third easily. However, worth a read.

Followed that with Sebastian Barry's The Secret Scripture which has been on my to-read list for ages. This was a great read on the whole, although very depressing subject matter. A quite good social history of the repression of women in the early 20th century in Ireland and the priest driven attitude of small communities. Unfortunately, an extremely contrived ending ruined the book for me.

Now on to Tartt's Secret History.

I didn't like the Secret Scripture either, made Sligo look like such a kip!!

*crickets*

It's not THAT bad!

But really I thought it was more Irish misery-lit. Can't imagine the movie will be a bundle

heathledgerlove · 27-11-2015 12:14am

SarahBM wrote: »

read a YA book or Roald Dahl. Always cheers me up. Sometimes you need something lovely after reading a heavy or tough book. After the Count of Monte Cristo I read Matilda.

Have you read the 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared? Its lovely!

Someone has been recommending that to me for ages, might check it out so if it's lovely!

echo beach · 27-11-2015 12:28am

SarahBM wrote: »

Have you read the 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared? Its lovely!

I would second that recommendation. It does require you to suspend disbelief but I'll be very surprised if you don't enjoy it.

ahlookit · 27-11-2015 12:56pm

heathledgerlove wrote: »

I didn't like the Secret Scripture either, made Sligo look like such a kip!!

*crickets*

It's not THAT bad!

But really I thought it was more Irish misery-lit. Can't imagine the movie will be a bundle

Haha, its not that bad. I'm originally from about 20 miles away from there. First came across Sebastian Barry's books in Keohanes lovely shop in Sligo. The old guy who owned it recommended his stuff to me (he always had some great recommendations any time you went in). He said Sebastian Barrys father was from Sligo I think? He's certainly set lots of his books in the area, so he seems to have a good connection to the place.

kirk buttercup · 27-11-2015 1:03pm

echo beach wrote:

I would second that recommendation. It does require you to suspend disbelief but I'll be very surprised if you don't enjoy it.

It was recommended to me by my local bookshop ,they are usually brilliant with recommendations but I didnt like . it could be just me but I thought it kind of ripped off forest gump

IvyTheTerrible · 27-11-2015 1:13pm

ahlookit wrote: »

Haha, its not that bad. I'm originally from about 20 miles away from there. First came across Sebastian Barry's books in Keohanes lovely shop in Sligo. The old guy who owned it recommended his stuff to me (he always had some great recommendations any time you went in). He said Sebastian Barrys father was from Sligo I think? He's certainly set lots of his books in the area, so he seems to have a good connection to the place.

Not sure how much he visited Sligo, some of the details about Strandhill were a bit "off" (like there is one part of the story where the main character is on the strand and she can see the cairn on Knockanarea, it's impossible to see the cairn from there).

ahlookit · 27-11-2015 1:44pm

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Not sure how much he visited Sligo, some of the details about Strandhill were a bit "off" (like there is one part of the story where the main character is on the strand and she can see the cairn on Knockanarea, it's impossible to see the cairn from there).

Maybe it was a *very* clear day

Actually, a quick bit of research shows it was his mother who was from Sligo...
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/11/sebastian-barry-booker-prize

From the article

The story of The Secret Scripture came, as so often with Barry, via his mother, who once pointed out to him a ruined hut in her home town of Sligo and told him that his great-uncle's first wife had lived there before being put in a lunatic asylum by the family. She knew nothing about the woman except that she was beautiful and in some way "no good". She thought the two things were related.

IvyTheTerrible · 27-11-2015 1:50pm

ahlookit wrote: »

Maybe it was a *very* clear day

Actually, a quick bit of research shows it was his mother who was from Sligo...
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/11/sebastian-barry-booker-prize

From the article

She played Eunice Phelan in Fair City, fact fans!

ivytwine · 27-11-2015 5:56pm

SarahBM wrote: »

read a YA book or Roald Dahl. Always cheers me up. Sometimes you need something lovely after reading a heavy or tough book. After the Count of Monte Cristo I read Matilda.

Have you read the 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared? Its lovely!

Oh thanks Sarah! Read it last year and loved it

great book.

I started Us by David Nicholls. It better not eff me over like One Day! :P

katydid · 27-11-2015 9:08pm

ivytwine wrote: »

Oh thanks Sarah! Read it last year and loved it great book.

I started Us by David Nicholls. It better not eff me over like One Day! :P

I agree, One Day was a terrible let down

eire4 · 28-11-2015 10:23pm

Finished a re read of Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat.Loved how she developed the characters introduced in Interview so well not just Lestat.

heathledgerlove · 29-11-2015 5:58pm

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

She played Eunice Phelan in Fair City, fact fans!

Wasn't Sebastian's mother or aunt a harpist or an opera singer. Very vague of me I know :P
But still, I did find the landscape stuff very evocative but maybe uncomfortably familiar; I kept picturing the asylum as The Clarion ha-ha/
Reminds me of Amongst Women, where the young fella went out with the girl and they spent their time day-tripping around Sligo and Ballymote and Charlestown etc, you're like oh hey, I know there, but at the same time, what must the Americans make of us :P

heathledgerlove · 29-11-2015 5:59pm

katydid wrote: »

I agree, One Day was a terrible let down

Best Nicholles I thought was Starter for Ten, just for humour value. And the Understudy was pretty good too. One Day depressed me, only because it was so horribly realistic!!

ahlookit · 29-11-2015 11:17pm

heathledgerlove wrote: »

Wasn't Sebastian's mother or aunt a harpist or an opera singer. Very vague of me I know :P

Yep, seems his aunt was a harpist

A former student of the Ursuline College, Joan was reared with her sister, the renowned harpist, Mary OHara, at Harbour House in Finisklin

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/sligoborn-fair-city-star-dies-27555007.html

katydid · 29-11-2015 11:23pm

ahlookit wrote: »

Yep, seems his aunt was a harpist

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/sligoborn-fair-city-star-dies-27555007.html

Mary O'Hara was very famous in her day

kylith · 30-11-2015 10:46pm

Reading Dumas - The Man in the Iron Mask.

I can't get either the Billy Bragg song or the Muskahounds theme tune out of my head.

Dibble · 01-12-2015 2:23pm

I started The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving last night.

I really enjoyed Garp a few years ago so can't wait to immerse myself in this one.

SarahBM · 01-12-2015 4:36pm

kylith wrote: »

Reading Dumas - The Man in the Iron Mask.

I can't get either the Billy Bragg song or the Muskahounds theme tune out of my head.

I was going to read that, then I realised there are 3 other books in between and it's been years since I read the Musketeers. So after Xmas I'm going to re-read the Musketeers and bread the others then.
Over half way through After the Crash. A real page Turner!

heathledgerlove · 01-12-2015 5:04pm

Dibble wrote: »

I started The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving last night.

I really enjoyed Garp a few years ago so can't wait to immerse myself in this one.

Starting an Irving is an undertaking

Garp was the best written I reckon as well, though I liked the Cider House Rules, first one of his I read, sucked me in! I do buy his books & then leave them for a while, they are exhaustingly long!

katydid · 01-12-2015 5:07pm

heathledgerlove wrote: »

Starting an Irving is an undertaking Garp was the best written I reckon as well, though I liked the Cider House Rules, first one of his I read, sucked me in! I do buy his books & then leave them for a while, they are exhaustingly long!

I went through a John Irving phase in my twenties. Even called my dog Garp.

I have most of them still on my shelf; must revisit them. Reading John Irving requires a certain frame of mind and a willing suspension of disbelief. I still remember Sorrow, the farting labrador - was that Hotel New Hampshire?

IvyTheTerrible · 01-12-2015 6:14pm

I like Irving's books, but I feel they are best read with a gap of time between each, otherwise I just get bored of 40 something wrestlers who do something bad in a relationship but get redeemed in the end.

kylith · 01-12-2015 6:27pm

SarahBM wrote: »

I was going to read that, then I realised there are 3 other books in between and it's been years since I read the Musketeers. So after Xmas I'm going to re-read the Musketeers and bread the others then.
Over half way through After the Crash. A real page Turner!

I haven't read any of the other books, I just figured I'd give it a go

Fathom · 01-12-2015 10:00pm

Aeronaut's Windlass, by Jim Butcher.

Dibble · 02-12-2015 2:31pm

katydid wrote: »

I went through a John Irving phase in my twenties. Even called my dog Garp.

I have most of them still on my shelf; must revisit them. Reading John Irving requires a certain frame of mind and a willing suspension of disbelief. I still remember Sorrow, the farting labrador - was that Hotel New Hampshire?

It is indeed!

Kurtosis · 02-12-2015 3:38pm

I finished reading Ghostwritten last week and I'm actually quite sad it's over. I think I could happily read David Mitchell writing snippets of people's lives for the rest of my days! Though I may have been a little disappointed with the ending, it really is a fantastic book especially considering it was his debut. I've asked for The Bone Clocks for Christmas so my next fix won't be too far away.

I'm about 60 pages into The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien now. Having read the synopsis of it, I've been surprised how normal and non-turbulent goings-on have been so far in the Sligo village setting but the writing is a delight.

ahlookit · 03-12-2015 10:52am

Just finished Slade House by David Mitchell. Its shorter than his "regular" books at 240 pages. It inhabits the same world as Bone Clocks, so probably helps if you've read that first. I read it in a couple of sittings and loved it. Wont give too much away, as I don't want to spoil it on anyone. I started it knowing nothing about the plot and really enjoyed it. Suffice to say, its written in the voice of several characters, in different time periods, and in the usual style and wit you'd expect from him. My only issue with it was that it was over too soon!

Callan57 · 03-12-2015 2:53pm

ahlookit wrote: »

Just finished Slade House by David Mitchell. Its shorter than his "regular" books at 240 pages. It inhabits the same world as Bone Clocks, so probably helps if you've read that first. I read it in a couple of sittings and loved it. Wont give too much away, as I don't want to spoil it on anyone. I started it knowing nothing about the plot and really enjoyed it. Suffice to say, its written in the voice of several characters, in different time periods, and in the usual style and wit you'd expect from him. My only issue with it was that it was over too soon!

Thank you for the restraint ... I'm 81% into Bone Clocks

ahlookit · 03-12-2015 4:57pm

Callan57 wrote: »

Thank you for the restraint ... I'm 81% into Bone Clocks

oh wait til you get to the bit where <snip!>

Wyldwood · 03-12-2015 10:50pm

Just finished The Secret History and it is one of the best books I've read for a while, really enjoyed it to the point where I didn't want it to end. From what I've read The Goldfinch was a disappointment so will give that a miss, has anyone read The Little Friend?

Hate when I finish a good book and have to find another one to follow.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 03-12-2015 11:17pm

Wyldwood wrote: »

Just finished The Secret History and it is one of the best books I've read for a while, really enjoyed it to the point where I didn't want it to end. From what I've read The Goldfinch was a disappointment so will give that a miss, has anyone read The Little Friend?

Hate when I finish a good book and have to find another one to follow.

I would say skip The Goldfinch. Definitely.

Callan57 · 04-12-2015 9:23am

Wyldwood wrote: »

Just finished The Secret History and it is one of the best books I've read for a while, really enjoyed it to the point where I didn't want it to end. From what I've read The Goldfinch was a disappointment so will give that a miss, has anyone read The Little Friend?

Hate when I finish a good book and have to find another one to follow.

Little Friend is superb, I loved it & have no hesitation in recommending it.
I was also somewhat disappointed in Goldfinch but I did finish it so I wouldn't reject it totally & I happen to know a few readers who absolutely loved it.

FloatingVoter · 04-12-2015 9:37am

Reading Beatlebone by Kevin Barry. And the latest Rebus (Even Dogs In The Wild). I now have Rebus and John Lennon juggled up in my mind. The two awkward grumps actually suit each other.

Swiper the fox · 04-12-2015 4:53pm

FloatingVoter wrote: »

Reading Beatlebone by Kevin Barry. And the latest Rebus (Even Dogs In The Wild). I now have Rebus and John Lennon juggled up in my mind. The two awkward grumps actually suit each other.

I may have given up on Beatlebone with only about 60 pages left, the dialogue between the two characters is good but I honestly don't see the point of it, reading the non fiction part hasn't changed my mind at all, I just don't get it.
I will probably finish it but I've started something else, I think Kevin Barry is an outrageously good short story writer but a poor novelist.

Ice Storm · 04-12-2015 7:50pm

Callan57 wrote: »

I was also somewhat disappointed in Goldfinch but I did finish it so I wouldn't reject it totally & I happen to know a few readers who absolutely loved it.

I have a friend who loved The Goldfinch and didn't like The Secret History... what a weirdo!

Callan57 · 04-12-2015 9:20pm

Swiper the fox wrote: »

I may have given up on Beatlebone with only about 60 pages left, the dialogue between the two characters is good but I honestly don't see the point of it, reading the non fiction part hasn't changed my mind at all, I just don't get it.
I will probably finish it but I've started something else, I think Kevin Barry is an outrageously good short story writer but a poor novelist.

But Bohane was riveting IMHO

Swiper the fox · 04-12-2015 10:37pm

Callan57 wrote: »

But Bohane was riveting IMHO

Glad you liked it as I have a lot of time for the author, did nothing for me though:o
I noticed a new Patrick DeWitt book on the shelves, I'll definitely be checking that out as I thought The Sisters Brothers was one of the best books of recent years.

Callan57 · 05-12-2015 12:40am

Swiper the fox wrote: »

Glad you liked it as I have a lot of time for the author, did nothing for me though:o
I noticed a new Patrick DeWitt book on the shelves, I'll definitely be checking that out as I thought The Sisters Brothers was one of the best books of recent years.

What are you doing to me! I loved The Sisters ... Now I have to go in search of .... What's the title?

eire4 · 07-12-2015 7:49pm

Finished a re read of Anne Rice's The Queen of the Damned where she finishes off the story line from The Vampire Lestat.

This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

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