This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Slattsy

Slattsy wrote: »

Giving A Tale of Two Cities another go (wish me luck)

It aint easy, slowly slowly catchey monkey
#prayforslattsy

Ice Storm

Slattsy wrote:

It aint easy, slowly slowly catchey monkey

Once I got into A Tale of Two Cites, I read it very quickly. I actually stayed up all night reading it to get to the end.

I only started reading Dickens a few years ago and found him much more accessible than I expected. I'm about to start another but I'm not sure which to read next.

minnow

Callan57 wrote: »

Starting Burial Rites by Hannah Kent tonight ... hope it is as good as the reviews say

I started it a couple of days ago. 100 pages in and really enjoying it. Was a bit worried when I noticed that most of the praise on the cover was from authors I'd mostly never heard of (generally a bad sign) but it's a good read.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Ice Storm wrote: »

Once I got into A Tale of Two Cites, I read it very quickly. I actually stayed up all night reading it to get to the end.

I only started reading Dickens a few years ago and found him much more accessible than I expected. I'm about to start another but I'm not sure which to read next.

Great Expectations, if you haven't already. Nicholas Nickleby is a snooze fest so I wouldn't bother with it.

Ice Storm

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Great Expectations, if you haven't already. Nicholas Nickleby is a snooze fest so I wouldn't bother with it.

Thanks, I've read Great Expectations. I've just started David Copperfield so I'll see how I get on with that.

IvyTheTerrible

I've started Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, I love the way it's written! And I think I get some of the underlying meaning!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Finished Room. It was alright but it wasn't great. I think the idea was better than the execution. I had no idea it got such critical acclaim, I just knew that Lenny Abrahamson was directing the film version so I thought I'd give it a read. I wasn't expecting them to

actually get out of the room and certainly not at the point of the book that they did.

It was all just a bit too easy for me and Jack's level of intelligence and interpretation of what was happening around him was so up and down that I couldn't really buy into it. It's not the worst book I've ever read but I've read much better.

SarahBM

Finished Jurassic Park today. Really enjoyed it. (first time in my life I have found misprints in a book I was reading which made me a bit )

I was going to pick a book out of the "Book Cup" when I got home, but I happened to pick up a few books in Chapters, so while I was waiting around for a concert I started Burial Rites. Only about 20 pages in, but I think I will like it.
Picked up and Arthur Conan Doyle book The Lost World, never read him before.

I also picked up the Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson (same man who wrote The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared)

mel84

Elliemental wrote: »

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel. It`s one of the best historical fictions I have ever read.:D

Absolutely loved wolf hall-- any other recommendations from this author??

Callan57

mel84 wrote: »

Absolutely loved wolf hall-- any other recommendations from this author??

Bring Up The Bodies is possibly, slightly better. Loved both books:)

Kalimah

Bring up the Bodies is nearly better than Wolf Hall. I read A Place of Greater Safety recently; also by Hilary Mantel. The last page or two was probably the most moving ending to a book that I have ever read. It's a long book but worth the read.

Hidalgo

Just finished
'Year 501: The Conquest Continues' By Noam Chomsky.

My first foray into Chomsky, and its quite deep. Was working away from home a good bit lately and thought I'd fly through this but after a very long day a few pages is all I could manage some nights.

Book was released to coincide with the quincintenial of the discovery of the Americas. It examines the leading role the US plays in global affairs and economics through US style neo-colonialism whereby poor nations export raw materials to the US or to US owned industries and then imports the manufactured goods in return. A loss loss for the poor, win win for the rich.
Also looks at examples where the US gets rid of what Chomsky calls 'rotten apples' before a single apple contaminates the entire barrel i.e a state that where the masses have a right in how industry and natural resources are used must be prevented in case it starts a domino effect in that region.

Brazil, Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua Vietnam are all looked at and how US foreign policy in the 20th century has played a central role in these states. Basically, whilst preaching democracy, its better have a military style fascist ruling minority to keep the great unwashed in their place. Chomsky argues that both the media and intellectual circles have played their part if following the desired path of going along with US style colonialism.

Going to continue the theme of globalisation, next up is Thomas Friedman and 'The World is Flat'.

karaokeman

Read the first 50 pages of Ulysses today, actually wasn't that bad. After reading summaries prior to the actual text I got the gist of the story up to this point with the exception of a few detailed and complex sentences.

Slattsy

Kalimah wrote: »

Bring up the Bodies is nearly better than Wolf Hall. I read A Place of Greater Safety recently; also by Hilary Mantel. The last page or two was probably the most moving ending to a book that I have ever read. It's a long book but worth the read.

On my phone so can't really check, but are Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies in any way connected?
Ie can you read one without the other.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I've started Deathless by Catherynne M Valente.

It's some kind of retelling of a Russian folk tale, I think. I'll be honest, I'm not 100% sure what's happening but I am 100% sure I love it.

Callan57

Slattsy wrote: »

On my phone so can't really check, but are Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies in any way connected?
Ie can you read one without the other.

Yes they are very much connected both dealing with the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell and his dealings with HenryV111 but they are equally good reads on their own. Enjoy

AnnyHallsal

I read Roberto Bolano's The Savage Detectives, which was predictably brilliant. Martin Amis's memoir Experience started well. By the end I loathed him so much I left it on the train.

Now reading the first Karl Ove Knausgard A Death in the Family and the non-fiction Why the West Rules for Now.

a0ifee

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I've started Deathless by Catherynne M Valente.

It's some kind of retelling of a Russian folk tale, I think. I'll be honest, I'm not 100% sure what's happening but I am 100% sure I love it.

I absolutely adored that book!! didn't really fully understand what the plot was, but i loved it

Callan57

Finished Burial Rites by Hannah Kent last night - superb for a first novel, I found it really gripping and by the last page the tears were pouring down my face & that was at 3am
(I'm too lazy to check back to see who recommended it here but whoever you are a big thank you).

Next for me is Philippa Gregory's, The White Princess

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

a0ifee wrote: »

I absolutely adored that book!! didn't really fully understand what the plot was, but i loved it

I can't decide whether I should go an read the traditional story of it first to get an idea of who and what everyone is or just keep going as I am? I might understand it more but I don't want to spoil it either.

Callan57 wrote: »

Finished Burial Rites by Hannah Kent last night - superb for a first novel, I found it really gripping and by the last page the tears were pouring down my face & that was at 3am
(I'm too lazy to check back to see who recommended it here but whoever you are a big thank you).

I think it was pretty much everyone

Swiper the fox

Swiper the fox wrote: »

I'm in a strange situation, for some reason unknown to me I bought a book called "when mr dog bites" last week, even as i was at the till I knew it wasn't really my thing. I started reading it the other night and it seems to be a book for teenagers, thing is it's not so bad that I want to give up on it, it looks like I'll have to press on, will probably scan read through most of it.

My wife is reading Burial rites which i bought from the recommendations on here, she's nearing the end now and was in absolute bits last night, sobbing uncontrollably, can anybody reassure me that it's to do with the book and not the fact that she's married to me:o:pac:

Callan57 wrote: »

Finished Burial Rites by Hannah Kent last night - superb for a first novel, I found it really gripping and by the last page the tears were pouring down my face & that was at 3am
(I'm too lazy to check back to see who recommended it here but whoever you are a big thank you).

Next for me is Philippa Gregory's, The White Princess

That's a relief to me anyway:P. i'll start on that soon myself.

I'm reading a book called Beyond the game by Gary Smith. It's a collection of his feature articles from Sports Illustrated. I had previously read his other collection called Going Deep. There is crossover between some of the stories but I cannot recommend these books highly enough for sports fans. This is the best sports writing you will ever read IMO. You will thank me for this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/%2522Sports-Illustrated%2522-Classic-Sports-Stories/dp/160320024X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399805609&sr=1-1&keywords=gary+smith+going+deep

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Game-Collected-Sportswriting-Smith/dp/0802138497/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=185EWKHYTD5S5AZ0Z5QK

SarahBM

I can't wait to get stuck into burial rites as soon as im finished this exam tomorrow.

Lisha

I just finished Donal Ryan's first book 'the spinning heart'
I loved it. He is particularly good at building multi layered characters. Initially the characters are unlike able then you read a but more background and you understand them and feel sorry for them.

I would have preferred a but more closure in the ending but that's only being picky .

I'm very interested to know what others thought of it

Huzzah!

Kalimah wrote: »

Bring up the Bodies is nearly better than Wolf Hall. I read A Place of Greater Safety recently; also by Hilary Mantel. The last page or two was probably the most moving ending to a book that I have ever read. It's a long book but worth the read.

I'm reading A Place of Greater Safety at the moment. It's good but loooonnng. I may be some time...

IvyTheTerrible

Lisha wrote: »

I just finished Donal Ryan's first book 'the spinning heart'
I loved it. He is particularly good at building multi layered characters. Initially the characters are unlike able then you read a but more background and you understand them and feel sorry for them.

I would have preferred a but more closure in the ending but that's only being picky .

I'm very interested to know what others thought of it

I really enjoyed it, I think he nailed modern small-town Ireland (I could "recognise" a lot of his characters!)

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Swiper the fox wrote: »

That's a relief to me anyway:P. i'll start on that soon myself.

SarahBM wrote: »

I can't wait to get stuck into burial rites as soon as im finished this exam tomorrow.

Should we rename this thread "This week I am mostly reading Burial Rites."

Swiper the fox

Lisha wrote: »

I just finished Donal Ryan's first book 'the spinning heart'
I loved it. He is particularly good at building multi layered characters. Initially the characters are unlike able then you read a but more background and you understand them and feel sorry for them.

I would have preferred a but more closure in the ending but that's only being picky .

I'm very interested to know what others thought of it

I absolutely loved it, one of the best books I've read in recent years, amazing how he nailed so many diverse characters. Great humour in a rural Irish way. For some reason it hasn't been popular on this thread, each to their own.

biZrb

I started The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson last night. I was looking forward to reading it on my lunch today but a chatty colleague sat beside me instead.

I've made a mental note to look out for Burial Rites, seems very popular with everyone here.

Swiper the fox

60 pages into Burial rites after last night, only intended starting and reading about 10 or 15 pages before I turned the lights out, I know already that this is going to be an outstanding book.

kirk buttercup

Swiper the fox wrote: »

60 pages into Burial rites after last night, only intended starting and reading about 10 or 15 pages before I turned the lights out, I know already that this is going to be an outstanding book.

it is.