Book Nook Cafe discussion

I thought I would put this thread up a bit early before people scatter for the holidays.

Share with us what you read in December.

Please provide:
~ A GoodRead link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

In December I read:

Elsewhere--Richard Russo
Non Fiction
Rated 5/5
Audio book
This book was read by the author. He is a terrific reader. He has a really nice voice that is perfect for an audio book. I enjoyed this memoirs a lot. It is mostly about the author's mother who had an anxiety disorder. The mom was sure blessed to have a son like Russo.

Jephte's Daughter--Naomi Ragen
Fiction
Rate: 3/5
I think this was one of the author's first books so it's not her best but it still kept me interested. I found it to be a fascinating look into the world of Hasidim. It's a world I know little of. I will definitely read more of her books.

My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir=-Noelle Hancock
Non fiction
Rate: 3/5
I read this on my Kindle. It didn't live up to my expectations but it was a pleasant read. The author seeks to overcome various fears and uses Eleanor Roosevelt as her inspiration. Though I don't think the fears the author tries to overcome are what Eleanor had in mind.

Carry on, Jeeves--P.G. Wodehouse
Fiction
Rate: 3/5
Audio Book
The reader of this book was quite good. He added much to my enjoyment of the book. I adore a British accent. This book is the introduction of Jeeves to his employer, Bertie Whooster. It's a collection of short vignettes where Jeeves, the valet, gets Bertie out of various jams. Simply pleasant fun. Amazon has a bunch of the Jeeves books for free if you have a Kindle.

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison--Piper Kerman
Non fiction
audio book
I am almost done with this audiobook so I will post it.
It's about a young women who gets caught delivering drug money. She is sentenced to 15 months in the minimum security federal prison in Danbury, Conn.
Nothing too outrageous here. It's more the grind of daily life behind bars with all the petty rules of the prison and also from fellow inmates. I'll probably rate it 3/5

Carol's December 2013 reads --

American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell-- Deborah Solomon
biography
rate: 5/5
Excellent biography! I have a long review on his life and art. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears--Mark Batterson
rate: 5/5
I am currently praying "the 40 day" program with others at church. Amazing results! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Dog Songs--Mary Oliver
rate: 5/5
I'm a big fan of Mary Oliver. (You have to love dogs to love this book.)

A Child's Christmas in Wales & Five Poems--Dylan Thomas
Fiction
rate: 4/5
Beautifully done audio disk by Dylan Thomas.

Ruth--Elizabeth Gaskell
Fiction
rate: 5/5
Theme of the fallen woman in the mid-Victorian era. Heart breaking moments.

Maya's Notebook--Isabel Allende
Fiction
rate: 4/5
Totally different from what I thought it would be.

One of Ours-- Willa Cather
Fiction
rate: 5/5
It won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize. A story of Claude Wheeler's life, he was born and raised in Nebraska around the turn of the 20th century. He is the son of a successful farmer and a pious mother. Therefore, he is guaranteed to have a very comfortable livelihood, except it's not the one Claude desires.

The Snowflake--Kenneth Libbrecht
Non Fiction
rate: 5/5
Excellent photographs of "snow crystals" (aka snowflakes). In order to capture these images, the photographer had to quickly photograph each individual snowflake as it fell in seconds. Snowflakes are a mystery due to their complex and symmetrical shapes. Snowflakes forms when water vapor in the air condenses directly into solid ice. As more vapor condenses, the crystal grows and develops, and this is when elaborate patterns emerges.



Currently reading & will finish by the end of the month.
Willa Cather: A Memoir-- Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant

The Garden of Ruth--Eva Etzioni-Halevy

Kipling Sahib: India and the Making of Rudyard Kipling--Charles Allen

What a terrific month you had, Carol. So many 5 stars.

I was going to put One Of Ours by Cather on my 2014 DL as I own it. However, I didn't want to put two by the same author on the list. So I went with The Professor's House I'm glad to see you gave a top rating to One of Our.

Is the Circle Maker something that can be done by one person on their own or is it more for a group?

Thanks for sharing your reads with us.

Alias Reader wrote: "Is the Circle Maker something that can be done by one person on their own or is it more for a group?"

The answer to your question is: Yes!! It can be done by one person on their own.

I am actively doing it with a group because we have many people we are praying for (decades for some.) One woman organized it and it's based it Batterson's Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge which will end in January for us. Daily she emails everyone so that we know what is going on with those we pray for.

In the book, Batterson took a prayer walk around the perimeter of the area they were looking at to expand. He prayed through a 4 mile circle. I did my prayers at home. Instead of circling the people I was praying for, I just made a circle around me (in my floor carpet) and I prayed. Everyday my prayers were deeper -if that makes sense. We (everyone) has been praying for this little boy named Logan who has brain cancer since he was very young (I think 2 yrs.) and he has had multiple surgeries and the doctors said that the cancer is too aggressive. (I believe he is now 6 years old.) The doctors describe the cancer like sand, impossible to remove it all. But when they did the surgery, the cancer came out is one full piece. The doctors were shocked. They ran more tests after the surgery, and said that he was cancer free! Amazing!!

If you are interested in having someone to pray with you, I'm here and I would love to do it with you.

Carol, thank you so much for the information.

The story of Logan gives us all hope and strengthens our faith.

I see my library has the book. I plan on checking it out.

No stinkers for Alias & numerous top ratings for Carol's reading choices. Good way to end the year. I'm holding off, as I may well finish 2 more books by years end.

One of the first things our son wanted to do here in NYC was visit The Paley Museum. For a $10 admission you can view old tv & radio programs (well, listen to the radio ones). I mention it because i watched an episode of Edward R. Murrow's "Person to Person" in which he interviewed Fidel Castro, followed by Norman Rockwell. Quite the contrast now but this was prior to Castro's declaration to make Cuba a communist country. ANYway, Rockwell even showed how he created a painting, so to speak. Neat.

Also, Carol, I see Deborah Solomon wrote the Rockwell bio. A few years ago I read her bio on Joseph Cornell, Utopia Parkway: The Life And Work Of Joseph Cornell. I felt she did a good job with that. It's nice to know she's fairly consistent.

I have yet to read Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell. She also wrote a book on Jackson Pollock: A Biography. I bought the Norman Rockwell book because she is coming to the Wadsworth Atheneum (where I was a docent for 7 yrs.) in January and I can't wait to meet her and have her sign my book! I will do my best to read her other two books before the event.

An Evening with Author Deborah Solomon--
http://www.thewadsworth.org/ai1ec_eve...

Madrano wrote: .One of the first things our son wanted to do here in NYC was visit The Paley Museum. For a $10 admission you can view old tv & radio programs (well, listen to the radio ones). I mention it because i watched an episode of Edward R. Murrow's "Person to Person" in which he interviewed Fidel Castro, followed by Norman Rockwell."

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I see they changed the name. I used to work a few blocks from there. It used to be the museum of radio and TV.

I've never gone there. I'll be interested in your thoughts on it. It's a great area. So many things to see.

I'm adding one more book for 2013 The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne.

EXCELLENT READ!!!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

My reads for December:

Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund: Set in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1960s, before and after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church on Sept. 15, 1963 (the title of the book refers to the "four spirits" of the four young girls who were killed in the bombing). Told from the perspectives of a number of different Birmingham residents --black, white, children, adults, college students, members of the Ku Klux Klan, local business people, civil rights activists, etc. Very well written, although the constant alternating between characters in each chapter was somewhat distracting. 3.5/5 stars

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis: The story of Hattie Shepherd, who flees Georgia as a 15-year-old in 1923 and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries at 17 and lives a life of disappointment, sadness and despair. Each chapter is a story about one of Hattie's 11 children (and one grandchild), told over a span of six decades. 3/5 stars

The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb: In 1952, the concept of being able to run a mile in less than 4 minutes was thought to be beyond the limits of human endurance. So three world-class runners--one from Australia, one from England and one from American--each set out to break this barrier. The ensuing race to be the first one to set the record consumed the sports world and the newspapers and captivated people around the world--which runner would be the first? Well written and engaging. If I was a runner, I probably would have liked it even more. 3.5/5 stars

13½ by Nevada Barr: I enjoy Barr's mystery series featuring National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon, so I thought I'd give this one a go. It's not one of that series--instead, it's a mystery about a mass murderer. Unfortunately for me, the ending was not much of a mystery, as I could see it coming a mile away. Still, I like Barr's writing style. 3/5 stars

Lost Girls by Caitlin Rother: A nonfiction account of two girls who went missing in San Diego County just eight miles and one year apart. Ostensibly, it's about the lost girls, that is. The book is really about John Gardner, their killer; his relationship with his mother; and his formative years. The author conducted extensive interviews with Gardner's mother, and the book tends to take an apologist slant about his actions that I found distasteful. 2/5 stars

The Book of Secrets: A Novel by Elizabeth Joy Arnold: Read for my f2f book club. Started off with promise, but a predictable, eyeball-rolling ending. 2.5/5 stars

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz: Novel about a Princeton admissions officer whose buried secrets from the past catch up with her. 3/5 stars

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker: Read for another book club. A love story set in Burma that spans the decades between the 1950s and the present. 3/5 stars

The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen: A novel about how a family deals with the tragedy when a baby is born and dies within a few days. I wasn't all that enthralled. 2/5 stars

The Moment bt Douglas Kennedy: A love story set in Cold War Berlin in the 1980s, just before the wall came down. I could have done without some of the overly emotional dialogue and the "love at first sight" nonsense, but the description of the stark differences between life in East and West Berlin was fascinating. 3/5 stars

The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America by John Demos: A nonfiction account set in colonial Massachusetts where, in 1704, a French and Indian war party descended on the village of Deerfield, abducting a Puritan minister and his children. Although John Williams was eventually released after several years in captivity in Canada, his daughter Eunice--who was 7 at the time of her capture--horrified the family by staying with her captors and eventually marrying a Mohawk husband. As a direct descendant of the Williams family (through Stephen Williams, Eunice's brother, who was himself taken captive during the raid on Deerfield and lived with a Mohawk family for several years), I was enthralled by this book. Demos, a professor of history at Yale, skillfully weaves the actual historical records into his own observations and commentary from a historian's point of view. 4.5/5 stars

Amy wrote: "Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund: Set in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1960s, before and after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church o..."

You are the first person I know besides me who has read this!

Julie wrote: "You are the first person I know besides me who has read this! ..."

:) Did you like it?

Amy wrote: "My reads for December:

Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund: Set in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1960s, before and after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church o..."

I remember our elementary school teachers discussing the tragedy. I will put it on my TBR.

I'm adding one more short book to end this year of reading -- Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata.

Amy wrote: "Julie wrote: "You are the first person I know besides me who has read this! ..."

:) Did you like it?"

Three stars

Carol wrote: "
I'm adding one more book for 2013 The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne.

EX..."

It so nice to end the year on a high note. Glad you closed out the year with a book you really enjoyed.

Amy wrote: "My reads for December:

Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund: Set in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1960s, before and after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church o..."

----------------

I enjoyed reading your December list very much, Amy. Thanks for sharing.

I had The Twelve Tribes of Hattie on my To Read list. It was an Oprah selection. I see you gave it a 3/5. I think I won't rush to read it.

Carol wrote: "I'm adding one more short book to end this year of reading -- Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata.
."

I see the author won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

I see you gave it a top GR rating. I'm glad you ended the year on a 5 star book.

Alias Reader wrote: "I had The Twelve Tribes of Hattie on my To Read list. It was an Oprah selection. I see you gave it a 3/5. I think I won't rush to read it. .."

It wasn't bad, Alias. 3 stars is a solid rating from me--remember, I didn't give any books a 5-star rating this year. It's a quick read, too--I think I finished it in a few days. I mean, I would probably recommend other books to read first, but it was a decent read.

RE:The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Thanks for the follow up, Amy. I had taken the book out of the library this year, but returned it unread. I just didn't have time to read it. I'll get to it one day.

Books I finished in December, both 4 stars:
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - In some ways this book was a bit simplistic and seemed like a young adult book. But it was funny and I loved CeeCee's character. It was also the book I could finally concentrate on when I needed something light during a stressful couple weeks. That ups my rating.
The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories - A few boring stories in there, but most of them I liked. They were not all US stories, which made it different too.

Oh, I also finished and audiobook Never Knowing. It wasn't as good as Still Missing by the same author, but it was a good book to keep my interest while driving.

Julie wrote: "Books I finished in December, both 4 stars:
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - In some ways this book was a bit simplistic and seemed like a young adult book. But it was funny and I loved Cee..."

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Thanks for sharing your December reads with us, Julie.

I recall a few posters preferred CeeCee to another popular book that it was being compared to. I can't recall which one. Maybe The Help or The Secret Life of Bees

I would rank those: 1. The Help 2. Ceecee 3. Bees

I wasn't a huge fan of The Help either. I enjoyed Bees. I think every book club read that one.

I look forward to this thread every month to see what everyone read and to add to my TBR stack! Because of your recommendations, I got the a couple of the books for Christmas even.

December I completed:

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

I really enjoyed this book! Loved the english humor and sweet relationships within the book. 5/5

The Rosie Project

Cute book! Reminded me of Sheldon in Big Bang Theory. 4/5

Wonder

Absolutely loved this book! Have talked about it for days and want my son to read it this summer. It is not sad even though a lot of people think that it will be. It reads with more humor of his situation. Love the middle school relationships that are so true to real life. Oh, the author had different sections that read from a few of the main characters. I actually liked this a lot because it made me have a stronger connection with the character, even if I didn't like that particular one at the moment. LOVED!!!! 5/5

Gjscollins wrote: "I look forward to this thread every month to see what everyone read and to add to my TBR stack! Because of your recommendations, I got the a couple of the books for Christmas even. ."

=====================
Glad you enjoy the thread, Gjscollins. :)

I will second your recommendation of Major Pettigrew. I really enjoyed that book a lot. It's hard to believe it was her first book. I hope she will write another one soon.

Gjs, if you should ever find another author whose books take place in England and have the same feel as Major P. please let me know. I am always on the lookout for books like this.

Thanks for sharing your December reads with the group. The more people that do the better the thread will be each month.

My December reads:

Orphan TrainbyChristina Baker Kline
Rating 4/5
I really enjoyed this book. The history of the orphan trains. The characters were well written. My one comment was the ending was a bit contrived.
Stone QuarrybyS.J. Rozan
Rating 3.5/5
This is part of a series that I read. This was a solid mystery.
Among the MadbyJacqueline Winspear
Rating 4/5
This is a mystery series I follow. I enjoy that the heroine is an intelligent and compassionate women and the time period the books are set(years between the world wars.

Thanks for posting your December reads for the group, Meredith.

I've had my eye on Orphan Train. I see that Amazon has it as one of their Kindle sale books. I think it was $2.

Finally I have time to sit down and post! I hope everyone had a good holiday. I had hardly any time for reading in December but picked up pace towards the end of the month. Here goes:

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - 5/5
This is a fun, very wordy and clever book. It put me in mind of Alice in Wonderland but with more wordplay. The story wasn't quite strong enough to stand up to me as an adult reader, but I was so impressed by the intelligence and very taken by the message about the importance of reading and education that I gave it five stars. I am really excited to read this with my son when he is old enough!

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks - 3.5/5
This is a strange book about an odd, murderous teenage boy living on a remote island with his father, and an older brother who has escaped from a secure hospital. The tale of his life and crimes unfolds in first person through the chapters as he awaits his brother's return home. This is less compelling than it sounds because although much happened in the past, not much goes on in the present, aside from a big twist which I didn't feel really added anything. Still, it was quite an interesting character study so it was a solid 7/10 for me.

Watchmen by Alan Moore - 5 STARS
This is supposed to be perhaps the best graphic novel ever written and I can see why. Watchmen upends the superhero genre and puts people under the costumes in a terrifying alternative present (well, the past to us now - the 80s). Nixon is still President and the Cold War never ended, nuclear destruction looms and the world is spiralling out of control. I found it still relevant to the fears of the world today and the never-ending news cycle. A dark meditation on fear, the dangers of power, vigilantism and what it means to do the right thing. I am now firmly convinced I need to read more graphic novels. A masterpiece.

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier - 3 Stars
This was a bit of a strange one - a sort of gothic sci-fi about a man who takes a drug made by his scientist friend and travels back in time to the 1300s in Cornwall. He quickly becomes obsessed with this medieval world and this has serious ramifications for his real life. Du Maurier's writing is wonderful as always but nothing that interesting happens in the world in 1328, just the machinations of the landed gentry and nothing compelling. The first person narrator also got on my nerves a bit - more of a cipher than anything. I didn't really care what happened to any of them but the plot didn't exactly give me anything to hang on to. A shame because Rebecca is one of my favourite ever novels.

Meredith wrote: "My December reads:

Orphan TrainbyChristina Baker Kline
Rating 4/5
I really enjoyed this book. The history of the orphan trains. The characters were well written. ..."

Thanks for the review! I've been wondering how this one was! Looks fascinating.

Soph wrote: "Finally I have time to sit down and post! I hope everyone had a good holiday. I had hardly any time for reading in December but picked up pace towards the end of the month. Here goes:

[book:The Ph..."


LOVE "The Phantom Tollbooth"---possibly my all-time favorite children's book. Glad to hear that you loved it as well, Soph!

Sorry I just copied this from another site and know it isn't done the way you requested. I will do this correctly the next time if you continue to do this.

December
143. Mom and Me and Mom by Maya Angelou
144. The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
145. Still Fooling Them by Billy Crystal
146. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
147. The Fastdiet by Michael Mosley
148. The Moon Below by Barbara Bickmore
149. Cross My Heart by James Patterson
150. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
151. My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall
152. The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze
153. Starry Night by Debbie Macomber
154. The Far Side of the Sky by Daniel Kalla

Nancy wrote: "Sorry I just copied this from another site and know it isn't done the way you requested. I will do this correctly the next time if you continue to do this.

December
143. Mom and Me and Mom by May..."

Nancy, you are a machine! Especially in December! That is impressive! Did you like Eat Pray Love? I've picked it up but never gotten into it yet. I liked Starry Night. Sweet old fashioned Debbie Macomber book! :)

I'm pleased to see that I'm not the only person who reads just 2 or 3 books a month. I hang my head in embarassment if I compare my reading with you fantastic readers. Great job! Know that I will try harder due to your efforts.

I read my 2 books in December. The Stranger's Child, 3/5 stars, took about 2 weeks of my time. This book had promise but was a huge stretch for me. I didn't feel that I was prepared for the theme which is about the Gay/Lesbian lifestyle throughout the 20th century. Why was I so surprised? Hard to say. But the theme aside, the book was not at all fulfilling. I was disappointed.

The 2nd book of the month was chosen just because of the relative lightness of it's being. While We Were Watching Downton Abbey, 3/5 stars, was not quite a delight but I enjoyed. The author has promise, knowing how to keep the reader engaged and interested in the characters. The women leads were pretty light-weight themselves and I wanted to smack them a few times throughout. But they all were well intentioned so I forgave them. The Downton Abbey thread that ran through the story was the main draw and I'm looking forward to the show starting up in a couple of weeks.

Gjscollins wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Sorry I just copied this from another site and know it isn't done the way you requested. I will do this correctly the next time if you continue to do this.

December
143. Mom and Me ..."

This was a most unusual year for me. I usually set my goal at 100 and while I usually come close to this number I never read as much as this year. And I don't know why or how I read so many books.

I decided to listen to Eat Pray Love when I saw the audio at the library. Previously, I saw the movie and even heard Elizabeth Gilbert speak at a series of women's lectures. I really loved her and thought it might be time for me to finally listen or read this book.

As for Debbie Mamcomber, some of her books I really enjoy but others are just eh. I did like Starry Night. As you said it was a sweet, old fashioned novel.

Soph wrote: The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier - 3 Stars
This was a bit of a strange one - a sort of gothic sci-fi about a man who takes a drug made by his scientist friend and travels back in time to the 1300s in Cornwall. He quickly becomes obsessed with this medieval world and this has serious ramifications for his real life. Du Maurier's writing is wonderful as always but nothing that interesting happens in the world in 1328, just the machinations of the landed gentry and nothing compelling. The first person narrator also got on my nerves a bit - more of a cipher than anything. I didn't really care what happened to any of them but the plot didn't exactly give me anything to hang on to. A shame because Rebecca is one of my favourite ever novels. ..."

Thanks for posting your December reads, Soph. I know it can get hectic.

Sorry to hear the Du Maurier novel wasn't the greatest. I would love to read a novel set in current Cornwall or in England if you know any good ones.

I did enjoy Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I am looking for a novel along these lines.

Nancy wrote: "Sorry I just copied this from another site and know it isn't done the way you requested. I will do this correctly the next time if you continue to do this.

December
143. Mom and Me and Mom by May..."

No problem We do this thread every month. If you are looking for some good reads you can go back over the threads from prior months.

Nice list ! What did you think of Eat, Pray, Love. It seems to be a book you either love or hate. I enjoyed it a lot.

Lori wrote: "I'm pleased to see that I'm not the only person who reads just 2 or 3 books a month. I hang my head in embarassment if I compare my reading with you fantastic readers. Great job! Know that I will t..."

Lori, it's not the quantity that matters but the quality. I am just happy when people join in and share with the group. That's what makes the board a success. :)

I really appreciate you posting your list.

As to Downton Abbey, I love the show. The costumes are gorgeous. My niece just told me in an email that the new season starts this Sunday. Don't forget ! I can't wait to post about it when it airs in our TV thread.

Alias Reader wrote: "As to Downton Abbey, I love the show. The costumes are gorgeous. My niece just told me in an email that the new season starts this Sunday"

Thanks for the reminder!

I read Hothouse: The Art of Survival and the Survival of Art at America's Most Celebrated Publishing House, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Here's my review:

http://mypointbeing.com/2014/01/02/ho...

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mike wrote: "I read Hothouse: The Art of Survival and the Survival of Art at America's Most Celebrated Publishing House, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Here's my review:

http://mypointbeing.com/20..."

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That looks like a very interesting book. Especially for anyone connected to publishing.

I like your blog, Mike. I enjoyed the Neil Diamond rendition of War Is Over. I like that song, too. :)

Alias Reader wrote: "I like your blog, Mike. I enjoyed the Neil Diamond rendition of War Is Over. I like that song, too. :) "

Alias Reader, Thank you!

December was a light month for me. I'm a little distracted these days, so am just referencing where my comments are in other threads - sorry for the lazy approach, but it's all I can manage right now.

Christmas Day in the Morning - 4/5. Lovely story - read with the group, so comments in that thread.

Crime and Punishment - 4.5/5. Great story with interesting characters. Comments are in my Determination List thread.

Human Voices - 4/5. Interesting snapshot of life at the BBC in WWII - humorous and engaging.

Ulysses - only 1/3 completed, so cannot rate yet. This is a challenging book because it is not plot-driven or even particularly character-driven; it is sort of minutia-driven, I guess! It is a snapshot of a day in the life of several characters in early 20th century in Dublin. So far, it is part flow of consciousness that draws on the local context (especially Irish history) and environment, and part character analysis that draws on other works of literature, most notably The Odyssey and Shakespeare's Hamlet. The Odyssey, in particular, I haven't read for a while so for Ulysses, I am using sparknotes online after each section to make sure that I got the main points. It's taking a little longer to read this way and I'm sure I'm missing a lot, but I am enjoying the book and will finish in January.

For a month when you are so busy, I think you did amazing, Susan. Thank you for posting your reads with us.

C&P and Ulysses in the same month is quite a challenge.

I am happy you enjoyed C&P. I would love to take a class on Dostoyeksky's books. There are so many layers and ideas to explore.

I love Russian literature and would love to explore it in more depth. Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, et al. are really so beautifully and deeply written that it's a joy to read them. Maybe when I retire, I'll take a class, as I don't think I'll have time before then!

Alias Reader wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Sorry I just copied this from another site and know it isn't done the way you requested. I will do this correctly the next time if you continue to do this.

December
143. Mom and Me ..."

I never thought I would read Eat Pray Love since I saw the movie and heard the author speak at a women's series of lecture. But I came across the audio while at the library and thought why not. I know listening to a books is a very different experience and sometimes I don't give it my undivided attention but I did enjoy this book. We will be traveling to Tuscany and Milan in the spring so I certainly enjoyed her take on Italy and I loved the portion about India and the ashram.

I also have downloaded Gilbert's new book, Signature of All Things and hope to read it soon.

Susan wrote: "Christmas Day in the Morning - 4/5. Lovely story - read with the group, so comments in that thread. ..."

Well darn. I forgot to read this!

Nancy wroteWe will be traveling to Tuscany and Milan in the spring so I certainly enjoyed her take on Italy and I loved the portion about India and the ashram.
."

Lucky you ! I would love to go to Italy someday.

Julie wrote: "Susan wrote: "Christmas Day in the Morning - 4/5. Lovely story - read with the group, so comments in that thread. ..."

Well darn. I forgot to read this!"

It's very short, so you could always revisit Christmas!