Short & Sweet Treats discussion

Share any and all other books, short stories, or monster reads that you're reading at the moment. Feel free to share your thoughts with us!

Is anyone reading anything in the spirit of Black History Month?

I'd completely forgotten about that! I do have a few books that would fit the theme...
The Temple Of My Familiar
Native Son
Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents

I'll have to make an effort to read one or two of those this month.

I'm going to focus on the poetry during Black History Month. This site has a list of the top African American poets and their poems: http://www.poetrysoup.com/famous_poet...

And this site offers more poetry: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travis-...

I'll post some of these poems in the Poetry thread under "Side Dishes" and hope other will join me :-)

Right now I am reading Frankenstein . I really like it so far and the use of language is beautiful. I have however been on a Haruki Murakami kick and am reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I read his book After Dark and loved it and I heard the Wind up Bird Chronicle is one of his best so I have decided to tackle it, for it's quite a large book. Have you guys read any of his books? If so what is your favorite?

I read Kafka on the Shore a couple of years ago and found out I really don't like Murakami's writing style at all. Unfortunately, I'd already bought 1Q84 since it'd been on sale in the meantime, so now I have this book stuck on my TBR that I feel I really ought to give a try, but I'm absolutely dreading it!

Melanti wrote: "I read Kafka on the Shore a couple of years ago and found out I really don't like Murakami's writing style at all. Unfortunately, I'd already bought 1Q84 since it'd bee..."

I keep hearing about 1Q84, so maybe it is a good read! It seems quite popular.
Keep us posted, Melanti!

Melanti wrote: "I read Kafka on the Shore a couple of years ago and found out I really don't like Murakami's writing style at all. Unfortunately, I'd already bought 1Q84 since it'd bee..."
I've heard Kafka on the Shore is one of those books you either love or hate. I own it and am planning on reading it, for it sounds interesting to me.Haruki Murakami's writing style does not follow the traditional literary style of problem and resolution. Breaking this literary style is very common outside English literature and I personally find it interesting.Haruki Murakamistyle feels more like real life to me, for life is not always black and white and we don't always get a resolution to our problems. I've heard 1Q84 is good and quite fascinating, so I encourage you to give him another try.

Miriam wrote: ".Haruki Murakami's writing style does not follow the traditional literary style of problem and resolution. Breaking this literary style is very common outside English literature and I personally find it interesting...."

It wasn't that that bugged me most. It was all the short choppy sentences and long preachy monologs.

Plus, if you want to reference The Symposium or Oedipus Rex, just reference the books! He should have a whole lot more faith in his audience to either know what he's talking about or go look it up themselves if they're interested. He shouldn't spoon feed his readers by spending pages retelling the stories and then spend further pages telling the readers how that story applies to his book.

Granted, Plato and Sophocles are some of the cornerstones of Western literature and I'm not sure if they're as widely read in Japan, but IMO, that's where trusting your readers comes into play...

I love Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Murakami, but I didn't even attempt 1Q84.

"1Q84 (One Q Eighty-Four or ichi-kew-hachi-yon (いちきゅうはちよん Ichi-Kyū-Hachi-Yon?)) is a novel by Haruki Murakami, first published in three volumes in Japan in 2009–10. The novel quickly became a sensation, with its first printing selling out the day it was released, and reaching sales of one million within a month. The English language edition of all three volumes, with the first two volumes translated by Jay Rubin and the third by Philip Gabriel, was released in North America and the United Kingdom on October 25, 2011."

Why they put all 3 novels together when it was translated is a mystery to me--plus they used two translators. Reading translations is very dependent on the translator; Alfred Birnbaum translated Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, and he captured Murakami's magical realism beautifully, imho.

Philip Gabriel translated Kafka on the Shore and the third book of 1Q84; I've read comments by readers who liked the first two chapters translated by Jay Rubin, but not the third. "(Murakami originally ended the novel after Book 2 and then decided, a year later, to add several hundred more pages.)" http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/mag...

I like his short stories in After the Quake, which was dramatized by Frank Galati in after the quake. I saw 3 of the stories performed at Steppenwolf in Chicago, and they were incredible.

I can't even keep up with the reads as it is lol;)
I'm a slow reader I guess

Julia wrote: "I love Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Murakami, but I didn't even attempt 1Q84.

"1Q84 (One Q Eighty-Four or ichi-kew-hachi-yon (いち..."

I've heard that the translators do matter with his books Julia. What translator is your favorite as far as his books go?

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/200...

From a 2005 article: Haruki Murakami and his long-time literary translator Jay Rubin



Rubin is currently translating Murakami’s latest novel, After Dark. Their professional relationship has turned into a friendship over the course of fifteen years. While living in the same Cambridge neighborhood, Rubin often consulted Murakami over his translation of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

I'm reading Veronika Decides to Die. Veronika tries to kill herself and wakes up in a mental institution to find she has just five days to live. She starts for once actually living her life and feeling emotions she never allowed herself to feel before. And you see the impact she has on those around her.

Since I'm studying anatomy and physiology, I'm keeping my reads light, mostly reading cozy mysteries.

I don't blame you Jen! keep it light :)

I was standing in Barnes and Nobles the other day staring at the popular picks shelf trying to decide what to read when a stranger hopped over and pointed at the book I was looking at and told me it was one of his top 5 favorite books of all time and then he hopped away like the magical book choosing fairy.

The Forever War

The Forever War is a science fiction interstellar war novel. I haven't cracked it open quite yet, but I intend to as soon as I finish the monthly reads. I find the synopsis very interesting indeed.

We're reading Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson for our library book club. It won the Pulitzer for biography in 2008.

I'm really looking forward to his second book as well: The Lives of Margaret Fuller. Fuller was an important member of the Transcendentalists, which seems to be Matteson's specialty.

Lexa wrote: "I was standing in Barnes and Nobles the other day staring at the popular picks shelf trying to decide what to read when a stranger hopped over and pointed at the book I was looking at and told me i..."

Lexa, you will have to let us know if the book is any good. It sounds interesting. I added it to my ever growing TBR shelf haha

I am currently really enjoying The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I think this will be a five star when I have finished.

Ashley wrote: "Lexa wrote: "I was standing in Barnes and Nobles the other day staring at the popular picks shelf trying to decide what to read when a stranger hopped over and pointed at the book I was looking at ..."

I will!

Sarah and Alicia...I have that one on my kindle waiting to be read also:)

I really enjoyed it, though its probably could be classed as YA book, but still enjoyable and a quick read.

Just started The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Alicia wrote: "I find Gaiman sort of hit and miss, though he's such a cool guy."

I had only read one other of his, American Gods, and I didn't really enjoy it that much so I was dubious about this, but clearly as you put it I found Ocean at the end of the Lane a definite Hit!

American Gods is one of my top ten books ever--just goes to show how wonderful it is that we all can like different authors and styles :-) I really enjoyed his The Graveyard Book as well--and his children's book Instructions is a little gem! If we could tour an author's mind, I'd choose his lol. He's even written for DOCTOR WHO!

I just finished a re-read of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in preparation for reading the sequel, Hollow City. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just bought the sequel for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I enjoyed. I liked the blend of fantasy, history, and the contemporary.

Jen ƸӜƷ wrote: "I just bought the sequel for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I enjoyed. I liked the blend of fantasy, history, and the contemporary."

I agree, Jen--and I was so astonished to find that all the photographs used in the books are real! I like that Riggs gives credit for them at the end of the books.

I have both books on e readers which don't have the same quality as a real book. But, it certainly is cool that they're real photographs :)

Jen ƸӜƷ wrote: "I have both books on e readers which don't have the same quality as a real book. But, it certainly is cool that they're real photographs :)"

I agree, Jen--and here's an article Riggs wrote about 9 of the photographs: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ransom-...

He says: "Every snapshot collector has obsessions. Some only collect photos of cars. Others like World War II, or babies, or old-timey girls in old-timey swimsuits. I happen to collect the weird stuff: photos that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up a little. The uncanny. I don't mean circus freaks and kids in Halloween costumes, either -- I mean photos that seem wrong in a way that's hard to put your finger on, so unusual they make you look at them a second and then a third time, then reward you with uneasy dreams. The kind of photos that seem to stare at you from across a room. That's what I looked for when choosing images for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, my first novel, which weaves four dozen vintage photos into its story."

~cue Twilight Zone music~

You guys have made Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children sound interesting. Just added it to my TBR shelf

Julia wrote: "Jen ƸӜƷ wrote: "I have both books on e readers which don't have the same quality as a real book. But, it certainly is cool that they're real photographs :)"

I agree, Jen--and here's an article Ri..."

Very cool!

Currently I'm reading Absalom, Absalom!The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayLady Chatterley's Loverand1Q84

I finished No Book but the World. I love the author's writing style. I was not however in love with the story itself.

Ignorance is Blitz: Mangled Moments of History From Actual College Students

So darn funny!

I just finished A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore. He has such a dark, quirky style. My review of the book is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My favorite by him is Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, to which I gave 5 stars. That review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I tend to go to Moore and Jasper Fforde in between "heavier" reads, as they both have such great imaginations :-)

thank you Julia! I always like when you share your reviews :)

Thanks, Laura--that's because you make the group such a warm place for us to share our thoughts :-)

Just finished The Bell JarI didn't have a loathe it or love it reaction as most people do. I found it just meh for me. I'm not sure if it's because I don't have experience with mental illness and so just didn't "get it" but (no offense to anyone who may have suffered a mental illness past or present as I don't have experience in the subject) most of the book I found myself just wanting to slap her and tell her to snap out of it. I got this very selfish/superficial vibe from Esther and with such I was unable to sympathize with her no matter how hard I tried.

I also just started Candidealong with the other books I'm still reading that I mentioned above :-)

I am reading "For Whom the Bells Toll" by Ernest Hemingway . Here is an interesting passage:
You could take the pistol out of the drawer and hold it. “Handle it freely,” was Grandfather’s expression. But you could not play with it because it was “a serious weapon” …. Then after your father had shot himself with this pistol, and you had come from school and they’d had the funeral, the coroner had returned it after the inquest saying, “Bob, I guess you might want to keep the gun. I am supposed to hold it, but … . He had put the gun back in the drawer in the cabinet where it belonged, but the next day he took it out and he had ridden up to the top of the high country … had stopped by the lake which was supposed to be eight hundred feet deep …. He climbed out on a rock and leaned over, and saw himself holding the gun, and then he dropped it, and saw it go down making bubbles until it was just as big as a watch charm in that clear water, and then it was out of sight …. Then, as he thought, he realized if there was any such thing as ever meeting, he and his grandfather would be acutely embarrassed by the presence of his father. Any one has the right to do it, he thought. But it isn’t a good thing to do. I understand it, but I do not approve of it … Sure, I understand it, but. Yes, but. You have to be awfully occupied with yourself to do a thing like that.

My favorite writer is Ernest Hemingway. I am a Spaniard, and reading this novel about the Spanish Civil War makes me feel terrible emotions. He graphically depicts the horrendous crimes committed by men spurred by ideologies capable of turning humans into cruel beasts. In this work, the main character Robert Jordan criticized the terrible selfishness of suicide. But then, I am at a loss, how could Hemingway do it to himself? What did it lead him to execute such an act of utmost selfishness? I guess, we will never know.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/peo...

Being Ernest: John Walsh unravels the mystery behind Hemingway's suicide

"After 1960, however, he found he could no longer write. The words wouldn't come. Depression came instead, and with it (as we learn from the memoir, Papa Hemingway), paranoid delusions. He thought that the two men he saw working late in a bank were "Feds", checking his bank account for irregularities. He thought his friends were trying to kill him. When his car slightly grazed another vehicle, he fretted that he'd be thrown in jail. It was a sorry thing, to see the epitome of "grace under pressure" succumbing to dementia.

He was given medication and, horribly, a course of electroconvulsive shock treatments. In the spring of 1961, he was asked to contribute a single sentence to a presentation volume for John F Kennedy's inauguration. Hemingway couldn't oblige. "It just won't come any more," he told Hotchner, and wept. In April, his wife Mary found him sitting with a shotgun and two shells. He was sent to hospital in Ketchum, Idaho, his birthplace, but he tried twice more to end his life, once by walking into the path of a plane taxiing on the runaway. There was a two-month period of hospitalisation and comparative peace and quiet, when he appeared sane to his doctor and deranged to his wife. He seemed to be acting, right to the end. He was released home one more time, had a picnic lunch with wine and, the next morning, shot himself."

The book Walsh mentions and which our students read is Papa Hemingway by A.E. Hotchner, and it's an excellent biography, especially for those who like Hemingway.

I am currently reading by Vladimir Nabokov. I love it so far and I am enjoying Nabokov's dark sense of humor. I am also reading and will let you guys know my thoughts on it once I get further into the story. Is the discussion board still open for Pnin?

Yes. Laura doesn't close the BOM threads.

It's in the enjoy some leftovers section of the boards it just doesn't show up on the home page because other topics in that section are newer. Just click on the name of the section and you will get all of the older discussions.

amber wrote: "It's in the enjoy some leftovers section of the boards it just doesn't show up on the home page because other topics in that section are newer. Just click on the name of the section and you will ge..."

Thank you Amber! I'll check it out!

Sounds like something I'd enjoy reading. Thanks for the suggestion.

You're welcome Miriam!

Can anyone explain to me why these "literary" authors can get away with writing their books with a broken keyboard?

I'm reading Blindness at the moment, and it's one of those with no quotation marks... Yuck!

Not only is there no quotation marks, the character voices are VERY similar (and IMO it's vital to have distinct voices if there's no quote marks), he doesn't break up the different speakers into different sentences, let alone different paragraphs!

In fact, page long paragraphs seem to be the norm.

You'd think that with as much as a famous author like this has earned, he could afford a crappy $5 keyboard so he could get working punctuation marks and enter keys...

I'm not sure I'm going to bother finishing this one!

Oh, how awful, Melanti! I do not like reading a book with dialogue that lacks quotations, in fact, I don't recall ever reading one. I will add Blindness to my NTBR pile. :)

I've read some. They aren't my favorite but if they're really, really, really well done, I don't even notice the lack of quotation marks. But this is lacking everything... No quotes, no periods, no paragraph breaks. Just really, really long run-on sentences.

Here's one single sentence: (well, actually two, but the first is to give a tiny bit of context.)
A few minutes later, the telephone rang yet again. It was the medical director, nervous, jumbling his words, I’ve just been told that the police have been informed of two cases of sudden blindness, Are they policemen, No, a man and a woman, they found him in the street screaming that he was blind, and the woman was in a hotel when she became blind, it seems she was in bed with someone, We need to check if they, too, are patients of mine, do you know their names, No names were mentioned, They have rung me from the Ministry, they’re going to the surgery to collect the files, What a complicated business, You’re telling me.


I snuck a peek at one of his other books and didn't see any quote marks there either and it looked like the first paragraph was four pages long and formed the entirety of chapter one. I've heard great things about this guy but I don't think I'll ever bother to read another of his books, even if I manage to finish this one!