Book Nook Cafe discussion

Share with us what you read in September 2015 !

Please provide:

~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

Here are my Sept. reads. Most of which I've already shared my thoughts on during the month.


My Two Italies~~Joseph Luzzi
nonfiction memoir
rate: 4/5
I enjoyed this memoir. Professor Luzzi grew up in the U.S. He explores the divide in Italy between the North and the South. He also shows how Italians who grew up in America are also quite different. It's well done and quite poignant.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania~~Erik Larson
Nonfiction
The first 250 pages I thought were a bit tedious and contained too much minutia. However, once you hit that mark and the ship is torpedoed, the book takes off. The last part raised my rating from a 3 to a 4.

The Theft of Memory~~~Jonathan Kozol
Audio Book- Reader Sean Runnette
nonfiction memoir
rate: 4/5
Kozol is famous for his books on abysmal state of education and inner city youth. This book is different. This is a heartfelt memoir about his aging parents, particularly his dad. He dad was a famous psychiatrist who diagnosis his own Alzheimer. He then must tell his son, Jonathan.

I am sure I enjoyed the book more having seen the author discuss it on Book TV. Also the audio was quite good. The book is quite touching.

SEPTEMBER 2015




1. Rodin's Lover by Heather Webb-4 stars.
Review: Well . . . this shows my age. I've been an artist for decades. I have also read almost everything on art and artists, especially women artist like Camille Claudel. She was amazing, truly a brilliant artist. I do remember reading about her stealing clay. Unfortunately, her ending was tragic. Why are the most talented, treated so badly? If you get a chance, check out -- La Valse (The Waltz), 1889-1905, bronze – by Camille Claudel, in the Rodin Museum. The older book, I spoke of earlier, is on amazon.

2. Sophie and the Sybil by Patricia Duncker-4 stars.
Believe it or not, Sophie and Sibyl (George Eliot) was modeled by John Fowles’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman, a postmodern blending of history, fiction, and metafictional commentary. Max and Wolfgang Duncker were Eliot’s publishers. In 1872, the novel opens in Berlin, the venerable English author is exploring Homburg and Berlin in the company of her 'husband' while ushering her latest novel, Middlemarch, into German translation. Max, a young cad fond of casinos and brothels, has two tasks: ensuring Eliot's loyalty to their publishing house, and securing Countess Sophie von Hahn's hand in marriage. Overall I found it quite different from other books, even though I like George Eliot's books.

3. Amherst by William Nicholson-4 stars.
It took a little while to ignore the present time; instead of the 19th century. I am a fan of Emily Dickinson's poetry, and her books. I thought that the story was very, well done. I was surprised by the re-appearance of Don Quixote "He's a narcissist with deep recessive tendencies." I had read an older book about Austin and Mabel decades ago. Because it is part of the Victorian period, I was expecting death, or negative outcomes. But actually I enjoyed it immensely.

A few quotes:
"You can have passion or you can have gratification, but you can't have both."
Amusement, if trivial, it's the polar opposite of boredom."
"The great temptation for the Victorians, is that it almost makes me want to be dead too."

Emily's last poem in the book --
"This is my letter to the World
That never wrote to Me --
The simple News that Nature told --
With tender Majesty
Her message is committed
To Hands I cannot see --
For love of Her -- Sweet--countryman--
Judge tenderly--of Me

4. Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins by Susan Casey-5 stars.
After losing her marriage and the death of her father, she took a solo swim in Hawaii. She which was joined by a group of spinner dolphins, which helped bringing up her spirits. She returned home to realize that she had a great book (entitled 'Voice in the Ocean' for all to read. Her mission to capture "the strange, enduring, occasionally tragic and often wonderful relationship between humans and dolphins” quickly takes a turn for the odd. Many remarkable stories, including the lucrative live dolphin trade, where a wild-caught animal can fetch $200,000 in a sale; and their destinations. I had no idea of how knowledgable they are.

5. Why We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They Do by Meredith Maran-5 stars.
What a great book! So many excellent authors -- Isabel Allende, David Baldacci, Jennifer Egan, James Frey, Sue Grafton, Sara Gruen, Kathyrn Harrison, Gish Jen, and Sebastian Junger. I like how the book features each author's chapter which includes: (1) The Vitals, (2) The Collected Works, (3) Why I Write, (4) Where I Write, (5) How I Write, and then roughly four more paragraphs covering personal issues that the author shares with the reader. Thank you!! It made my day!!

6. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee-4 stars.
I was somewhat disappointed regarding this book (not what I was looking forward to). Scout (aka Jean Louise) leaves NYC and returns to back to Maycomb, where she is engaged in some undefined career-girl enterprise. For the first few chapters, she is avoiding her 'lowborn' but well-meaning suitor, Henry Clinton; also fighting aunt Alexandra wearing her medieval corset. Jean Louise realizes that her father, Atticus, becomes a member of Citizen's Counsil (a marginal version of wrong doing, and Atticus becomes a some-what bigot in the book. The Southern Agrarians were apart of their complexity. They just didn’t see themselves as racists; really quite the opposite. Isaiah 21:6 "Go, set a watchman." This was said to Isaiah in the vision (New Testament). Isaiah represents himself as in Babylon, and as hearing God command him to go set a watchman on the watch-tower, who would announce what was to come to pass. Thou wilt keep him in peace; in perfect peace, inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times. Whatever we trust to the world for, it will last only for a moment; but those who trust in God shall not only find in him, but shall receive from him, strength that will carry them to that blessedness which is forever. Let us then acknowledge him in all our ways, and rely on him in all trials.

7. Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton-3 stars.
I was surprised by the beginning of the book. Megan hasn't spoken in months and is pushing away everyone that she cares about. At first I thought she was abused, but it turns out that it is something else. I really like her Megan's character. Then comes Jasmine (a newbie to school) who becomes Megan's friend. The book is well written, I just didn't want to ruin the ending.

8. Between the Tides by Susannah Marren- 4 stars.
The mother of four and happily married wife Lainie Smith Morris has built a life in New York City that most women would envy. Everything is perfect until her successful surgeon husband, Charles, accepts a job in the suburbs of New Jersey. Lainie admits it’s not that far away from the Big Apple, but just the idea of relocating and leaving her friends and favorite things behind hurts. So she focuses on her art to keep her distracted, and then she reconnects with Jess, a former rival. Shows her around town, befriends Lainie quickly; she forgotten why she initially had a bitter taste. Jess is a schemer, plans on sabotaging Lainie’s entire life.

9. A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett-5 stars.
Sylvia, a 9 yr. old visits her grandmother in a lush environment. A young man appears asking to kill a white heron. Early in am, Sylvia chooses to save the heron life, as she brings the man into a place where they are no Herons.

10. A Fable by William Faulkner-5 stars.
World War I (allegorical), set in the trenches in France and dealing with a mutiny in a French regiment. It has come to be recognized as one of his major works and an essential part of the Faulkner oeuvre. Faulkner himself fought in the war, and his descriptions of it "rise to magnificence," according to The New York Times, and in Malcolm Cowley's words, "some of the most powerful scenes he ever conceived."

11. The Reivers: A Reminiscence by William Faulkner-4 stars.
This story, The Reivers (1992) by Faulkner. I had heard that it was just the right mix of action and adult content (which it did). A boy, Lucius Priest, leaves Mississippi to the town of Jefferson in Yoknapatawpha County; for another adventure in Memphis with a child of a man named Boon Hogganbeck.'Boon' was somewhat like 'Huck Finn,' and Lucius was like the character, Tom Sawyer.

12. Flags in the Dust by William Faulkner--5 stars.
FLAGS IN THE DUST. Faulkner completed the book in 1927, but his publisher removed a great amount (40,000 words). In 1929, it was published as Satoris in 1929. Faulkner's original manuscript of Flags in the Dust was published in 1973 and Satoris was taken out of print. It deals with the decay of an aristocratic southern family. The wealthy Sartoris family of Jefferson, Mississippi under the shadow of Colonel John Sartoris, who was a Confederate calavary officer during the Civil War, built the local railroad, and is a folk hero. The surviving Satorises- Virginia, Bayard, and Young Bayard. Young Bayard is haunted by the death of his brother, and also feels intense survivor guilt, he feels that all in town, liked John better. Later, young Bayard crashes the car off a bridge. During the convalescence which follows, he establishes a relationship with Narcissa Benbow, whom he marries. Despite promises to Narcissa to stop driving recklessly, he gets into a near wreck with old Bayard in the car, causing old Bayard to die of a heart attack. Young Bayard disappears from Jefferson, leaving his now pregnant wife with Aunt Jenny. He dies test-flying an experimental airplane on the day of his son’s birth.

13. Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart-4 stars.
Set in New Jersey in 1914, Constance Kopp is different from her sisters, Norma and Fleurette, yet they are a trio. Norma is stoic and reserved; Constance is bold and proud; and Fleurette, the youngest, is wide-eyed and excitable. Since the death of their mother, the sisters have become closer than ever, living in the countryside after the need to keep secrets, they also forced their move from the city. On a trip in the city, their vehicle was damaged due to the owner of the silk factory, Henry Kaufman, who refused to assume responsibility for the damage he caused. Unfortunately, things get worse, destroying the house. (Based on a real story.)

14. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry-5 stars.
The Youngers lives in Chicago, and wait to see what's on the stage. Someone who supported them left a check (to financially help them.) Instead they moved with others in order to escape. I loved mama. She worked hard, dedicated her life to her children (Beneatha & Walter) and struggled to instill values to them.

15. A Bully Father: Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to His Children-5 stars.
Teddy Roosevelt was great man-father-friend-president, etc. TR was a man who truly loved his six children immensely.
REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...

16. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley-4 stars.
Jane Smiley's novel is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear and is set on a thousand acre (four hundred hectares) farm in Iowa that is owned by a family of a father and his three daughters.
REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...

Carol wrote: This is my letter to the World
That never wrote to Me -..."

That line is so touching.

The Pope's Rhinoceros by Lawrence Norfolk : The latest Big Read (next: the Grossman translation of Don Quixote). This one starts at the beginning, and I mean The Beginning: back in the Ice Age. Once land is formed, creatures start to walk upon it, and apes have mostly lost their fear of fire, the story can begin. It's about a couple of guys who are sent to capture a rhinoceros for the Pope, who wants it to fight his elephant (naturally). There's a long section on a crumbling monstary, which is wasted, and another on an African tribe, which is almost head-scratching in its irrelevance. The sections on Rome and the Papacy are rather jolly, with some rightful skewering of decadence. The Rats of Rome make two scene-stealing appearances, and should really be spun off into their own series. Three stars.

Terraplane by Jack Womack : The second novel in the Ambient series, though I'd read all the others before I ever heard of it. This is a series of cyberpunk novels set in a dystopian NYC. The best of the series is by far Random Acts of Senseless Violence, which I highly recommend; Terraplane is probably the next-best. Plot: some agents in the future end up jumping through time to an alternate-history 1939, where things are a lot different than one would expect. Womack takes his futuristic lingo for a test drive here, having standard English spoken by the native 1939ers. Five freaking futuristic stars (which, accounting for inflation, is maybe one-star-fifty).

Solar Lottery by Philip Dick : I grabbed this off the shelf to re-read because it fit in my pocket, and I had a long subway ride to Brooklyn for a Carribean Day party. In The Future, the ruler of the world is determined by lottery, and society is run according to the MINIMAX algorithm. It's your standard PKD: perspectives shift and the walls melt, only this time there's a perfectly reasonable explanation (*cough*Time Out Of Joint). It was early in his career (1955?), so maybe he was being conventional. As with all good sci-fi, much of it rings true still. Four stars.

King John by Mr Shakespeare : A currently-overlooked classic. Apparently this was one of The Bard's most popular plays for centuries; somewhere around the 50s or 60s it fell out of favor. Unjustly so, in my opinion. The character of John is complex and real, wavering between malice and incompetence, with occasional shining moments of nobility to remind you why you voted for him in the first place. Except of course you didn't, because government really sucked back then. There are actually characters in the play named Lord Bigot and The Bastard, and I have to say, The Bastard is a clear favorite. Five backstabbing stars.

The Door in the Wall by H. G. Wells. A book of short stories that supposedly represents H G Wells at his most palatable for modern readers. I find this to be fairly true: the first few stories are so heavily retold in sci-fi/fantasy that it feels like this will turn out to be the ur-text for the genre. Unfortunately, things get rather silly about halfway through, and don't ever recover. Three stars.

The Martian by Andy Weir. I think we all know the story, and try hard not to picture Matt Damon as the title character. Quite entertaining: it reads like an article on cracked.com. The technical stuff is spot-on, so any nit-picking hard-sci-fi types will be pleased. Four stars.

Wow. Lotta sci-fi this month. Guess I needed something to counter all that medieval-european stuff.

Very nice reading month, Mkfs !

This thread is an easy way for people to join in and post. Tell us what you read in September !

Carol, you read a lot of Faulkner in September. I've only read The Sound And The Fury and loved it. I hope to read some of his other works next year.

Mkfs, I saw a copy of The Pope's Rhinoceros at a book sale awhile back. I think I may have bought it because I'd never heard of it before. I should go check. Thanks for the review.

In September I read:


Eleven on Top - I listen to this series occasionally in the car, while commuting. They are a fun way to pass the time. Nothing much to discuss about them, though. They are completely fun fluff.

At Swim-Two-Birds - a very strange story and difficult to read (think James Joyce). A student/writer wiles away his time, spending more in bed and out drinking than he does in classes. His writing is about an author who is writing a story. In the fictional author's world, his characters begin to rebel and live lives of their own every time the author sleeps. The characters start to drug the fictional author so that he sleeps more and they are more independent. Meanwhile, in the real world, the student writer keeps loafing around, sleeping & drinking.
It's very well written but so full of Irish myth and legends that a lot is lost, I think, unless you know them.

Papa's Letters: Love Via First-Class Male - a Giveaway win. Too one-sided for my taste. We have Papa's letters but not Mama's.

Blood and Bone - another Giveaway win. This one was rather good. A light, fun, intriguing murder mystery.

The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation & the Evidence That Could Change History - such an interesting archaeological find! This book, however, is more about the making of the documentary of the tomb than it is about the tomb. An interesting read but not what I was expecting or looking for.

Goodreads isn't working for me this month. I tried to post my books and it wouldn't provide links, then when I did it without links, would post my comment. Probably won't do it again, but appreciate your efforts and will try again next month.

Michele

Thank you for sharing, Petra !

Two GR Giveaways ! Nice.

Michele wrote: "Goodreads isn't working for me this month. I tried to post my books and it wouldn't provide links, then when I did it without links, would post my comment. Probably won't do it again, but appreciat..."

Sorry you are having issues with the GR links. :(

If anyone is having these issues, please don't hesitate to share your monthly reads without the links.

Looking back, September was a fairly decent reading month for me. Only one real clunker in the bunch.

NONFICTION:

Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow: Very well written (and very detailed) account of the life of George Washington. I learned a lot about GW, and I really appreciated that Chernow presents the full picture of GW, warts and all. He doesn't gloss over any negatives in order to plump up the positives. I felt like I saw George Washington as a human being rather than simply as the mythical, stoic, heroic Father of Our Country that he is often portrayed/remembered. I was fascinated by the story of his difficult relationship with his mother, his fears that he would die before the age of 40 because all of the males in his family died young, his doubts about his own abilities (a lifelong holdover from his regret about his lack of education), and his warm and loving relationship with Martha. 4 stars

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed: I enjoyed this memoir by a woman who attempted to work out some of her personal issues by hiking the Pacific Coast Trail for 4 months. Alone. And without having really done a whole heck of a lot of hiking before taking off on her trip. Some people complained that the author was not enough of a sympathetic character. I admired the way she wrote so candidly about herself, flaws and all. 4 stars

The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World by Lucette Lagnado: A memoir by a woman whose family, who were wealthy and prominent members of the Jewish community in Cairo, are forced to flee Egypt in the early 1960s after the fall of King Farouk and Gamal Abdel Nasser's rise to power. The book chronicles the family’s sudden poverty and the hardships they encounter in their flight from Cairo to New York, where they try to assimilate into a country and culture that is foreign to them. A decent read. 3 stars


FICTION:

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A collection of short stories by the author of “Americanah,” “Purple Hibiscus” and “Half of a Yellow Sun.” I don’t even usually like or read short stories, but I’ve been so impressed by Adichie’s work that I didn’t hesitate to pick up this collection. And then I couldn’t put it down. 4 stars

The Martian by Andy Weir: After reading this rollicking thriller, I am totally in awe of engineers, botanists, chemists, physicists and mathematicians. And potatoes. And duct tape. And even disco. 4 stars

The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney: A crime story set in Oklahoma City in the summer of 1986, when two tragedies shake up the community. Six movie-theater employees were killed in an armed robbery, while one inexplicably survived. Then, a teenage girl vanishes from the annual State Fair. Neither crime was ever solved. Twenty-five years later, the impact of those unsolved cases echo through survivors’ lives. I was engrossed all the way through. 4 stars.

A Trick of the Light byLouise Penny: Book #7 in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series. Still going strong. While each book has a mystery that needs to be solved, it is the evolution and development of the main characters that keeps me coming back for more. 4 stars

The Vintage Teacup Club by Vanessa Greene: Typical “chick lit”: three woman meet at a flea market, bond over a vintage tea set they all want to buy, and decide to share it. I was skimming by the end because I just didn’t care about any of the characters. 2 stars

Amy wrote:The Martian by Andy Weir: After reading this rollicking thriller, I am totally in awe of engineers, botanists, chemists, physicists and mathematicians. And potatoes. And duct tape. And even disco. 4 stars..."

Congrats on the terrific month !

I have to check out The Martian just to see the connection among all those items. :)

Glad to see you enjoyed the GW book. Especially since it was such a big book.

If you wish to read more on Martha, I would recommend
Martha Washington: An American Life---Patricia Brady

As usual, it's a pleasure to see the variety of books read and commented upon in this thread. I've taken note of the positive & negative. Thanks to all for sharing. I am mentioning two books i read, feeling the mysteries were the same ole in series i like.

The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill. This was on my TBR from early in our switch to GR and the person who recommended it hasn't been around for years. Still, i liked the idea. The mystery is set in Laos, 1976, the first year after the Communist takeover. The 72 year old main character is a doctor who has been assigned to be the nation's sole coroner. He ostensible joined the revolution due to his love of a committed solder he met while in Paris. By the time the book begins, she has died, leaving him with the party reputation.

This book (& the subsequent books) is written by an Englishman, which is a bit uncomfortable to me. I stopped reading Alexander McCall Smith's series set in Botswana because i tired of what i perceived to be a patronizing attitude. While this book isn't nearly as offensive, it still bothers me, so i'll read no more. (I must add, however, that Cotterill lives in Asia and contributes to cultures there.) ANYway, i liked the glimpse into that time, the politics and the characters.

Narrow Dog to Indian River by Terry Darlington is about an elderly couple who, with their whippet dog, travel the US Intercoastal Highway from Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico in their British-made "narrow boat". Mostly i wanted to know more about the Intercoastal waterways, which this book shared. However, the story of the couple and their travels were uninteresting to me. It may be that i already knew the stereotypes or that i tired easily of stories about how much liquor one consumes, but the bottom line is it was hard to finish this book. Still, as noted, i found out much. I wanted more--they passed some fascinating historic sites with barely mentioning them. Bummer.

I appreciate you sharing with the group, deb.

Sorry you didn't really enjoy your reads this month. Hope October is better.

I read the first book in the Alexander McCall Smith' series and was so disappointed, I never read another. It just wasn't what I was looking for. In fact, I had purchased the second book in the series and just gave it away unread.

I thought it was in this thread, maybe not. Either way, I thought someone asked about a book on the new breakthroughs with the brain.

Perhaps the book I am reading now may be of interest.

How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens---Benedict Carey

madrano wrote: "As usual, it's a pleasure to see the variety of books read and commented upon in this thread. I've taken note of the positive & negative. Thanks to all for sharing. I am mentioning two books i read..."

I loved Coroner's Lunch, but I didn't think that any of the other books that followed it were as good. I did continue with the series, but there's been a long string of disappointments punctuated by a couple that I liked but didn't love.

I appreciate your comment, Shomeret. As i mentioned, the bits about Laos itself & life at that time were of interest, just not enough to keep me going.

Alias, the Carey book is certainly highly praised on the GR page for it. At my age i'm impressed by the number of ways we learn, the best is when least expected, at least in my case. I hope you continue to be pleased with the book.