Readers and Reading discussion

The more I try to get ahead with my reading, the more behind I get. I always have such high expectations for myself!

I have all of these books sitting here, staring at me, waiting, waiting

The Job - Douglas Kennedy

Birds of a Feather - Jacqueline Winspear

Little Bee - Chris Cleave

Summer on Blossom Street - Debbie Macomber (my secret vice is her books about a yarn shop)

Pictures at an Exhibition - Sarah Houghtelling - I started this late last night and think I will finish it

Home Safe - Elizabeth Berg - I bought this one

Wesley the Owl : the remarkable love story of an owl and his girl -Stacey O'Brien I have a good friend who is a "birder" and she loved this book. She has her own owls who live in the woods near her house and she has taken some amazing photos of them over the years. Did you know that owls mate for life AND do not build their own nests but use those of other birds?

The Legal Limit - Martin Clark - I read about 1/4 of this and stopped because the book was waaaaay too wordy. But it was an intriguing story, so I may skim the rest.

The Lost Recipe for Happiness - Barbara O'Neal

Never Change- audio - Eliz. Berg - I read this in hardcover long ago and know it will be a good car book


With the exception of Berg's new book, these are all from the library. Why do I do this? Why do I bother to bring all of these home when there is no way I will get to them? It is an obsession, I think.

There could be worse vices, I suppose!

Never Change by Elizabeth Berg is one of my all time favorite books..there is a scene in that book that is so poignant (spelling??) that thinking about it makes me misty..
Susan

Susan, I loved this book too (Never Change). In fact, I once saw Berg and she loves it too. She was a nurse before she was an author.

JoAnn-
I use to be a Berg stalker--she would regularly stop at the local indy bookstore in Cincy--think I saw her five or six times...now, we live in Columbus and authors for some reason don't make their pitstops here...
Haven't liked her latest books..
Susan

Susan, I have not liked many of Berg's recent books, either....at least not as much as her older ones. But at least I finished them which is more than I can say about many books that I start.

I used to stalk Anne Tyler after my daughter moved to a house just a couple of blocks away. I am definitely a groupie.

Is totally out of control those who know me will agree. My name is Donna Jo I'm a bookbuyingholic.

My hubby ad I were traveling over the weekend and he was talking about getting rid of stuff and he mentioned that I should probably get rid of "all" the books I have read. I said I do, and I mentioned where or who they went to, and he said but what about all of those in the den, and on the end table? I said oh those? I havent read them yet. He was not a happy person. I said, I am reading 6 - 8 books a month now, but it didnt make him happy. I hope he never looks in the cabinet behind the doors in the den!!!! Wow, would I really be in trouble them.

I am also a book-a-holic.

Deb

Deb, believe what I say no one is as bad as me. I have probably close to 2,000 unread pbs and trade size and between 300-400 hcs. As for read books I used to keep all of them until I moved. Our garage sale before we sold the house was the biggest anyone ever saw. One guy who we think had to be a dealer came and my cousin gave him a deal which was a good one and he picked what he wanted for a certain price, he came back the next day and wanted a better price we said no, he also had a friend with him who wanted the same price. alot of my books went no alot of my mom's which were alot older. Alot of mine was never read and the ones that were read didn't don't look it. Now only certain books I keep that I read other's go to Salvation Army or friends. I tell them if I want books back or I say just pass them on. I've been resisting with buying new hcs. Usually they are discounted if possible if I do buy them. Trades which lately I've been bad buying too many is hopefully the next thing I cut down on buying. If I can get my hcs down I would be in better shape than I am with finding spots for everything. I was in very good shape when I moved here everything fit on the bookcases now I'm going back to bad habits.

I have over 70 books on my TBR list but the actual books here at home I haven't read is growing. Used book stores, library, Borders, Goodwill, I visit them all weekly. It's raining today so I went by the bookstore and bought:

Far From The Madding Crowd
Lonesome Dove
Night

All for $6.80.

Then I stopped by the library, I checked out:

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
A Reliable Wife
Chasing Fireflies
The Saddlemaker's Wife
Prayers For Sale

I'm not even going to count the ones on my bookshelf I haven't read yet, they are there waiting and I will get to them as soon as I'm done with my shopping :-)

Patricia, I really enjoyed STIFF (is enjoyed a bad word to use in regard to this?). She is an engaging writer, for sure.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Patricia, I really enjoyed STIFF (is enjoyed a bad word to use in regard to this?). She is an engaging writer, for sure."

I've heard others say they enjoyed it so I guess not :-) Have you read any of her other books?

I first discovered Mary Roach at Salon.com where I read her articles. STIFF is the only book I have read. Here is a link to the Salon index for her articles:

http://dir.salon.com/topics/mary_roach/

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I first discovered Mary Roach at Salon.com where I read her articles. STIFF is the only book I have read. Here is a link to the Salon index for her articles:

http://dir.salon.com/topics/mary_roach/

Thanks!
"

I just brought home the new Lee Child Jack Reacher from the library. It looks like my library has abandoned rental in favor of a shelf called "Lucky You". The shelf contains new books that can be checked out for seven days. Of course, I really didn't like the previous Lee Child, but I'm hoping he's back in form.

Just breezed through Jody Picoult's newest, "Handle with Care". It really wasn't very good, IMHO. I think I may be breaking up with her!

Hi, Karla, good to see you!

I broke up with Picoult years ago and do not miss her at all! LOL

I am hoping Lee Child is back in form too...I always liked his books until that last disaster.

I don't usually read Picoult but I did love Handle with Care...so much I think I'm going to try My Sister's Keeper..now I'm reading and loving The Lytton trilogy by Penny Vincenzi...surprised how much I am enjoying these books..read the first on the beach no doubt that made me enjoy it even more..tried to save the second for my next beach trip but couldn't wait :)

Jean wrote: "I don't usually read Picoult but I did love Handle with Care...so much I think I'm going to try My Sister's Keeper..now I'm reading and loving The Lytton trilogy by Penny Vincenzi...surprised how m..."

Ohh... So you couldn't wait...;)they are addicting.I should count how many of her's I've read in the past year.

I recently read My Sister's Keeper and I thought it was very good. Did not see the ending coming at all.

My Sister's Keeper was the nail in Picoult's coffin for me. I read sections to my husband (who IS a lawyer) and he was rolling on the floor laughing. I wrote some of his comments in my journal:

"She clearly knows nothing about this legal topic."

"Her depictions of the lawyers, including the guardian ad litem were completely unbelievable, total fantasy."

"The court procedures were nothing short of ludicrous and had no grounding in reality"

"the Guardian ad litem's relationship with Anna's attorney was absolutely unethical. I have never encountered a lawyer who would have put him or herself into this position without notifying all the parties and the judge. These idiots would have faced some serious discipline by the bar."

"No way would the judge have let those lawyers represent that child..... at a minimum, a judge would have appointed a different guardian ad litem."

"this author called the mother the 'opposing counsel' but.....she WAS the defendant!! Her attorney would have been opposing counsel. Just because she was representing herself does not make her 'opposing counsel' DUH!"

"Calling the guardian ad litem as a witness was ludicrous.... she could be asked for her opinion but not under oath like a witness. DUH again"

"No lawyer would be able to get Jesse on probation with one hearing (and no parents there). This was in the domain of fantasy."

"Did this author not do ANY legal reserach?"

"in what alternate universe would a father be allowed to take a 13 year old on a fire run? AS IF!"

I can only imagine what my husband would have said if he had read the entire book. I hate it when authors think their readers do not know any better. GRRRRR

I got my fresh order from Amazon today, having run out of books, except for the Paul Bowles biography I'm reading (and may give up immediately :))

Death and Restoration by Iain Pears - a Jonathan Argyll, Flavia di Stefano art mystery set in Italy -always enjoyable.

Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson - an autobiography of Jackson's "hilariously charming . . . life in rural Vermont.

We Have Always Lifed in the Castle by Shirley Jackson - I always like a nice, spooky story.

Walking in the Shade by Doris Lessing - second half of her autobiography. I read the first half a couple of months ago.

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly - finally broke down and bought the hard cover. Should this be my first choice?

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - They've been advertising this one on the side - it looks good to me.

Anne of Green Gabels by L. M. Montgomery - I realized I'd never read this one. About time.

The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight by Elizabeth Von Armin

And two rereads -

All Creatures Great and Small by James Harriot
Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Good night all - I'm off to bed right after Weeds.

Bunny, yes, read the Connelly book first. For sure.

Neither Leslie nor I could get thru "Elegance of a Hedgehog"....and I was reading it while I was in Paris, thinking that would inspire me!

I enjoyed reading your list, Bunny.

I will be particularly interested in your reviews of Life Among the Savages and Elegance of a Hedgehog.

Life among the savages sounds interesting and funny.

and
my book club selected Hedgehog, but I wasn't able to read or attend the meeting. It sounds interesting and I still want to read it.
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Can anyone suggest a good audio book? I need to download one for next week to my ipod when I will be slightly incapacitated for a few days. I love the Harry Bausch books, but think I need something a little lighter and easier to follow.

Wish I hadn't already read THE HELP because I heard it was fabulous on audio.

Today I got from Amazon:

April and Oliver by Tess Callahan
Perfection by Julie Metz
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I am going to sit down with something cool to drink and read the first chapter of each one to see which one appeals to me the most. And everybody better leave me alone!

Leslie, I thought I replied to you...Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was the best audio ever!

I read the Curious Incident a couple of years ago---actually I remember now that i listened to it and it was wonderful.

Others I have likes on audio were Rick Bragg's books, Fanny Flagg's books, and The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries.

Fanny Flagg's books would have been my next suggestion....

Schmurgals I was listening to NPR and heard a very interesting author interview. I think you would enjoy the book. It received very good reviews in the NY Review of Books.

I've added it to my TBR list.

Ordinary Injustice- How America holds Court- Amy Bach
Product Description

From an award-winning lawyer-reporter, a radically new explanation for America’s failing justice system

The stories of grave injustice are all too familiar: the lawyer who sleeps through a trial, the false confessions, the convictions of the innocent. Less visible is the chronic injustice meted out daily by a profoundly defective system.

In a sweeping investigation that moves from small-town Georgia to upstate New York, from Chicago to Mississippi, Amy Bach reveals a judicial process so deeply compromised that it constitutes a menace to the people it is designed to serve. Here is the public defender who pleads most of his clients guilty; the judge who sets outrageous bail for negligible crimes; the prosecutor who brings almost no cases to trial; the court that works together to achieve a wrong verdict. Going beyond the usual explanations of bad apples and meager funding, Bach identifies an assembly-line approach that rewards shoddiness and sacrifices defendants to keep the court calendar moving, and she exposes the collusion between judge, prosecutor, and defense that puts the interests of the system above the obligation to the people. It is time, Bach argues, to institute a new method of checks and balances that will make injustice visible—the first and necessary step to any reform.

Full of gripping human stories, sharp analyses, and a crusader’s sense of urgency, Ordinary Injustice is a major reassessment of the health of the nation’s courtrooms.



About the Author

Amy Bach, a member of the New York bar, has written on law for The Nation, The American Lawyer, and New York magazine, among other publications. For her work in progress on Ordinary Injustice, Bach received a Soros Media Fellowship, a special J. Anthony Lukas citation, and a Radcliffe Fellowship. She lives in Rochester, New York, where she taught legal studies at the University of Rochester. This is her first book.

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Metropolitan Books (September 1, 2009

Patricia wrote: "I have over 70 books on my TBR list but the actual books here at home I haven't read is growing. Used book stores, library, Borders, Goodwill, I visit them all weekly. It's raining today so I went..."

Patricia,Lonesome Dove is one of my all time favorite books! When I first started reading it, I thought it was very strange -- IIRC, I think it starts off in the middle of a conversation about the pigs eating snakes -- but after 25 or 30 pages I was hooked, and have since read the other books in the Trilogy, plus any other "Western" books he's written.

I've also read the The Saddlemaker's Wife. Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper series is very high on my list of favorites, and this stand alone is very good too.

I just had to return A Reliable Wifeto the Library unread, but I put it on request again as I really do want to read it.

I'd say I'm a Bookaholic too, except I can no longer afford to buy books. I am my Library's BEST CUSTOMER! Thank goodness it is only 5 miles away! I've often said that if I couldn't read to just take me down to the Cemetery and leave me off............:o)

Donna in Southern Maryland

Patricia wrote: "I have over 70 books on my TBR list but the actual books here at home I haven't read is growing. Used book stores, library, Borders, Goodwill, I visit them all weekly. It's raining today so I went..."

I read "Reliable Wife" in 2 sittings,and I loved it. It is not for everyone as it is a 'dark and haunting" book with some unlikeable characters, but it is a page turner!

Count me in as a fan of A Reliable Wife. I like something "dark and haunting" now and then.

A Reliable Wife

Sherry (sethurner) wrote: "Count me in as a fan of A Reliable Wife. I like something "dark and haunting" now and then."

I thought it was one of the best books I read this year.
Cheef

Glad to hear so many positve remarks about A Reliable Wife! Can't wait to get it back from the Library and read it.

Donna in Southern Maryland

I got an e-mail from the library that Joyce Carol Oates newest (I think --- it is hard to keep up with her) book is waiting for me. Little Bird of Heaven

And even better, the audio of Michael Connelly's Nine Dragons Harry Bosch 14 is also waiting for me. (Weird how I had to enter that title!)

I also have an existing pile of library books here already:
Baking Cakes in Kigali
Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen
A Homemade Life

I finally made it to Barnes & Noble last Saturday - I've been down to the bottom of my TBR books for weeks but too busy to get to the bookstore. As a result, I bought a whole lot of books - I'm not going to get stuck again!

An illustrated, big book of Edgar Allen Poe stories - I haven't read them in a long time.
Small Sacrifices and Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule - guess I'm in a true crime mood.
Deaf Sentence by David Lodge - this is an author I never hear about but is one of my favorite writers. Erudite and amusing always.
Duma Key by Stephen King -
Winter Study by Nevada Barr
Land Girls by Angela Huth
A Bohemian Youth by Josef Hirsal - well, we'll see about this - Dada in all its' glory.
The Stone Diaries by Carole Shields - A Pulitzer Prize winner that I haven't seen before - looks good.
We All Went to Paris by Stephen Longstreet - an old memoir by a man who was in Paris when everyone was in Paris, one of the few eras I wish I'd been part of. The other two are Happy Valley Isak Dinesen lived there and the Beatniks in San Francisco.
dingley falls by Michael Malone - OK - this one will take a month. Hugh book.
Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner
Memoirs of Egotism by Stendhal - Back to Paris -
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, and more by Miss O'Dell - Groupie's memoir - love that stuff.
Aunt Dimity, Paranormal Detective by Nancy Atherton - the first two books which I don't remember reading, but who remembers this kind of thing anyway :)
Curse of the Pogo Stick and The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill - more lovely Laotian myteries.
In the Merde for Love by Stephen Clarke - new for me - looks good.
The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom - Irish mystery

That should hold me until the New Year.

Quite a haul!! I really enjoyed Duma Key - truly vintage Stephen King.

LOL, I am looking forward to reading Duma Key too, though it'll have to be after January 1, when my 2009 resolution to read books of fewer than 500 pages expires.

Bunny wrote: "We All Went to Paris by Stephen Longstreet - an old memoir by a man who was in Paris when everyone was in Paris, one of the few eras I wish I'd been part of. The other two are Happy Valley Isak Dinesen lived there and the Beatniks in San Francisco. ..."

I remember seeing Beatniks in a coffee house window when we visited SF in the late 50s or early 60s. The pale white skin & flat, long hair of the women impressed me. I also recall seeing Keane artwork (big eyed girls), which i loved enough to take a snapshot of. As it was in a storefront window, i have more of the street reflection than the art, but it still called to me. I'm with you, Bunny, that would have been a great "scene" in which to partake.

deborah

Sherry (sethurner) wrote: "LOL, I am looking forward to reading Duma Key too, though it'll have to be after January 1, when my 2009 resolution to read books of fewer than 500 pages expires."

Sherry, how did that work out for you? Are you feeling more frustrated than pleased? Would you do it again? I've made a sort of mental note not to read long books yet with my DL classics, i went WAY over that limit several times.

deborah

Bunny, I am surprised you didn't pick up the new Stephen King. It is a 1000 page book, Under The Dome. Some are comparing it to his great novel, The Stand.

I plan on reading it in January. I am on the list at my library.

http://www.amazon.com/Under-Dome-Nove...

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Deborah, I have been perfectly happy with my self-imposed 500 page limit. Only the fact that there are a few title longer out there waiting (East of Eden, Duma Key) is making me abandon the page limit for 2010. There are so so many titles out there to read that limits have helped me make sane choices.

Alias Reader wrote: "Bunny, I am surprised you didn't pick up the new Stephen King. It is a 1000 page book, Under The Dome. Some are comparing it to his great novel, The Stand.

I plan on reading it in January. ..."


I thought that's what I was getting!! OK, I've written the title down - next time for sure.

Having been in the biggest reading slump in years I picked up a sequel to a Nazi book I read last year called The Kommadandt's Girl by Pam Jenoff. This one is called The Diplomat's Wife. Picks up in post war Europe fighting Communist takeover. so-so.
I am also reading Little Woman for my book club...........

Hope your newest Nazi book gets you out of your slump, R.

For once, I do not have a slew of library books here, just a couple, plus two audios. I am going to the beach for a week and was hard-pressed to find books to take. One book I am taking is the latest Kick Keswick book by Marne Kellogg. The next will not be published for a year. BOO HOO.

I had lots of time to just browse the stacks at the library yesterday and found only one book that interested me. Wow, there sure were a lot of mysteries and romances!

re memoirs -- blame her? Mary Karr

Interesting interviews (two links below) with her regarding her most recent book Lit A Memoir and her life in general. Made me sympathetic, but unsure whether I would give the time to someone who has written three autobiographies....so far.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazi...

On her spirituality: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article...

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "The more I try to get ahead with my reading, the more behind I get. I always have such high expectations for myself!

I have all of these books sitting here, staring at me, waiting, waiting

[b..."

The Job by Douglas Kennedy is quite a good roller coaster of a ride thriller. I must have read it and another of his 10 years ago now but remember I liked them!