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This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

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    #7592
    A Summer In Provence
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭A Summer In Provence


    That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron.


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    #7593
    el Fenomeno
    Registered Users Posts: 3,159 ✭✭✭el Fenomeno


    el Fenomeno wrote: »
    I finished Station Eleven last week. The first fiction book I've finished in years, as it happens. I've a new commute to work that has me on the Luas for 90 minutes a day so it's nice to be getting back into reading again.

    I really enjoyed it. It's a very easy read and not your typical post-apocalypse collection of near misses and close calls. Very much character driven and while I usually dislike books/films that are constantly jumping backwards and forwards in time, it worked for this book.

    Keeping up with the post-apocalyptic theme, I've just started The Road this morning. I hear it's very bleak but great nonetheless. Hard to get used to the writing style at first especially as it's so different to Station Eleven, but I'm sure I'll adapt.

    Finished The Road today. Fantastic read, really grey to love it. Now to decided between Seveneves, The Dog Stars and Into The Wild for the week ahead.


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    #7594
    eire4
    Registered Users Posts: 6,642 ✭✭✭eire4


    Finished Dee Brown's amazing book Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. This is a book that really should be as widely read as possible detailing as it does the genocide of the native American population in the 19th century. It is a heart wrenching read in ways but nonetheless so important to read and the author does a superb job with the horrific subject matter as he details the massacres, the forced marches, broken treaty after broken treaty, broken promises and lies and worst of all the utter dehumanization and contempt for the culture of the Native Americans shown.


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    #7595
    Callan57
    Registered Users Posts: 4,160 ✭✭✭Callan57


    eire4 wrote: »
    Finished Dee Brown's amazing book Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. This is a book that really should be as widely read as possible detailing as it does the genocide of the native American population in the 19th century. It is a heart wrenching read in ways but nonetheless so important to read and the author does a superb job with the horrific subject matter as he details the massacres, the forced marches, broken treaty after broken treaty, broken promises and lies and worst of all the utter dehumanization and contempt for the culture of the Native Americans shown.


    Feel like a lifetime since I read it but remember it as a tremendous and deeply disturbing book. Might be time to reread it.


    Currently reading This House is Haunted by John Boyne


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    #7596
    A Summer In Provence
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭A Summer In Provence


    Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney


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    #7597
    lockman
    Registered Users Posts: 550 ✭✭✭lockman


    Approximately halfway through Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz. An epic tale, expertly told. I am finding it hard to put this one down and don't want it to end.


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    #7598
    Xofpod
    Registered Users Posts: 714 ✭✭✭Xofpod


    Blitzed, by Norman Ohler, about the role of drugs in the Third Reich (spolier - they were off their heads the entire time......)


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    #7599
    Callan57
    Registered Users Posts: 4,160 ✭✭✭Callan57


    The Binding by Bridget Collins


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    #7600
    Oops69
    Registered Users Posts: 5,477 ✭✭✭Oops69


    George Orwell's essays , his powers of description and incisive and clear commentary are a joy.


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    #7601
    A Summer In Provence
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭A Summer In Provence


    TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »
    The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

    Really enjoying this so far but again it's a book where there's a present day framing device used to tell the actual story and it doesn't always work. Thankfully the present day bits are generally quite short on comparison to the main story.
    I’m on husband four and I’m struggling to remain interested (perhaps it’s because I’m 99% sure of the ending already).
    I can’t help thinking Elizabeth Taylor is the inspiration for this story - she had seven different husbands. She was also devoted to her gay best friend, Rock Hudson and set up her AIDS Foundation in his memory.


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    #7602
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,929 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    A Summer In Provence wrote: »
    I’m on husband four and I’m struggling to remain interested (perhaps it’s because I’m 99% sure of the ending already).
    I can’t help thinking Elizabeth Taylor is the inspiration for this story - she had seven different husbands. She was also devoted to her gay best friend, Rock Hudson and set up her AIDS Foundation in his memory.

    I think it's a combination of a few different screen icons from that period.
    I just loved the character of Evelyn and was invested in her story from very early on, and by the end of it, it was easily one of the best books I've read for quite some time. But that's just my opinion.


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    #7603
    New Home
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,588 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    In one room, I've "Long time, no see" by Dermot Healy. I'm only a couple of chapters in, so I'm not yet sure what it is about exactly, apart from being the life of a lad who's just done his Leaving as told by himself. I like it a lot.

    In another room I've "Home Fires" by Kamila Shamsie. I love her style of writing and her stories.
    It's the story of a young British woman of Pakistani origins who moves overseas for her doctorate, leaving behind her younger sister by 8 years (whom she raised since their mother died, many years before), and whose father died in unclear circumstances while being deported to Guantanamo.

    Her younger brother (her sister's twin) was also radicalised, and she was the one to report him to the police, so now he can't go back home, and her sister cut off all contacts with her when she found out. While she's away, she meets the son of a controversial British/Pakistani politician who had links with her own family years before, and, true to form, she falls for him.

    But, just to be clear, this is not a "chick-lit", "fluffy" book, hers never are, even though there are love stories in them.


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    #7604
    thefasteriwalk
    Registered Users Posts: 565 ✭✭✭thefasteriwalk


    The Human Stain by Philip Roth. It’s my first Roth novel and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.


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    #7605
    lockman
    Registered Users Posts: 550 ✭✭✭lockman


    thefasteriwalk wrote: »
    The Human Stain by Philip Roth. It’s my first Roth novel and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

    It's one of his finest works.


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    #7606
    lockman
    Registered Users Posts: 550 ✭✭✭lockman


    Tender Is The Night; F. Scott Fitzgerald


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    #7607
    Joe_ Public
    Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    Just finished Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Good writer, very talented, but found it a slog to get to the end to be honest. The dialogue wore me out. First of a trilogy, but that's as far as I'm willing to go.


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    #7608
    KJ
    Registered Users Posts: 1,053 ✭✭✭KJ


    About to start Dante's Inferno.


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    #7609
    miamee
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 12,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭miamee


    Just started Three Sisters, Three Queens - Philippa Gregory. They are usually easy reads once I get to grips with which Henry is which or which Elizabeth or Margaret or James - they weren't very imaginative in the naming department back then :D


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    #7610
    A Summer In Provence
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭A Summer In Provence


    TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »
    The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

    Really enjoying this so far but again it's a book where there's a present day framing device used to tell the actual story and it doesn't always work. Thankfully the present day bits are generally quite short on comparison to the main story.
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »
    I think it's a combination of a few different screen icons from that period.
    I just loved the character of Evelyn and was invested in her story from very early on, and by the end of it, it was easily one of the best books I've read for quite some time. But that's just my opinion.

    Tickle Me Elmo, I finished it!!! I really wanted to love this book as I adore this period in Hollywood history but I struggled to remain interested. Parts of the book were movingly beautiful, it started off well and the ending was good but I found the middle tediously boring. The plot was very obvious from the outset and I believe that didn’t help.
    There were so many similarities between Evelyn Hugo & Elizabeth Taylor that by the end I wished I had spent the time reading Elizabeth’s real life story instead.


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    #7611
    A Summer In Provence
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭A Summer In Provence


    The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride.


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    #7612
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,929 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    A Summer In Provence wrote: »
    Tickle Me Elmo, I finished it!!! I really wanted to love this book as I adore this period in Hollywood history but I struggled to remain interested. Parts of the book were movingly beautiful, it started off well and the ending was good but I found the middle tediously boring. The plot was very obvious from the outset and I believe that didn’t help.
    There were so many similarities between Evelyn Hugo & Elizabeth Taylor that by the end I wished I had spent the time reading Elizabeth’s real life story instead.

    Someone posted a list on Twitter the other day of books about that sort of period in Hollywood, a lot of them written by the actresses themselves. They all sound amazing.
    That said, I still loved Evelyn :)


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    #7613
    eire4
    Registered Users Posts: 6,642 ✭✭✭eire4


    Finished Lars Brownworth's The Sea Wolves A History of the Vikings. A really enjoyable account of the Viking age from around 750 to 1050.


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    #7614
    Daisies
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,644 Mod ✭✭✭✭Daisies


    About half way through A Little Life and really enjoying it


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    #7615
    A Summer In Provence
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭A Summer In Provence


    The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.


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    #7616
    New Home
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,588 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    I still have the other two books on the go, but I've also started "Spill Simmer Falter Wither" by Lisa Baume. So far, it's very good, and I really like her style of writing.


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    #7617
    Callan57
    Registered Users Posts: 4,160 ✭✭✭Callan57


    Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry :)


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    #7618
    Xofpod
    Registered Users Posts: 714 ✭✭✭Xofpod


    Callan57 wrote: »
    Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry :)

    Interested to hear your opinion. I'm a big fan but Beatlebone just didn't click for me. Might give it another go though.


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    #7619
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Am reading Troubles by J.G. Farrell, one of the empire trilogy, a series which focuses on the disintegration of the British Empire.

    Have to admit that I had never heard of him or his books but I note that the second book in this trilogy, The Siege of Krishnapur, won the booker prize in 1973.

    I am only a few pages in but so far this books is set in a crumbling hotel in Wexford in 1919 and is quite funny!

    I think I'll enjoy these books.


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    #7620
    Joe_ Public
    Registered Users Posts: 13,023 ✭✭✭✭Joe_ Public


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Am reading Troubles by J.G. Farrell, one of the empire trilogy, a series which focuses on the disintegration of the British Empire.

    Have to admit that I had never heard of him or his books but I note that the second book in this trilogy, The Siege of Krishnapur, won the booker prize in 1973.

    I am only a few pages in but so far this books is set in a crumbling hotel in Wexford in 1919 and is quite funny!

    I think I'll enjoy these books.

    They are great books and, just to note, Troubles also won a Booker prize, albeit a retrospective one as there was no prize awarded for technical reasons in 1970, the year of its publication. Farrell was just 44 when he drowned tragically off the coast of Bantry. How many more great novels he might have left us?


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    #7621
    GRACKEA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 129 ✭✭GRACKEA


    I just finished the Country Girls trilogy by Edna O Brien. Oh my god I tore through them in 5 days. The characters and situations were so accurate and believable that I put the book down numerous times feeling second hand emotions and anxiety.

    I feel like leaving my partner, getting sterilized, and living the rest of my life as a "savage". I want to read everything the author's ever written.


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