Book Nook Cafe discussion

We always love to hear what others are reading! No matter the genre, manner, or title. Please share in this thread; remember it's makes it SO EASY for the rest of us to check out your titles on Goodreads if you will use the "Add book/author" button when you list them. I always find some I can add to my "To Read" shelf.

Thanks for sharing!
Donna in Southern Maryland

Here is my list for November:

1.Gone With the Wind
2.American Wife
3. Orley Farm
4. Revolution
5. The Story of Lucy Gault
6.The House of Mirth
7. Never Let Me Go
8. Moonlight Mile
9. My Reading Life
10.Great House
11.A Secret Kept
12. Parrot and Olivier in America
13.Full Dark, No Stars
14. and half of War and Peace :)
I think you can find my ratings and reviews (if I did this right) here if you want .
http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

My favorite would have to be Gone With the Wind. I just loved the pageantry that Martha Mitchell was able to create, the characters, the settings were ever so perfect. My least favorites were: Ape House and Moonlight Mile. I guess I was expecting another Shutter Island and it was far from that. I kind of classify it as a very fluffy read and Ape House was just plain disappointing.

That is some list, Marialyce ! And half of W&P, too !

I'm very impressed.

Could you tell us your favorite and the one you liked least?

My goodness, Marialyce! That's a very impressive list! You are a fast reader. I have read Gone with the Wind a couple of times, and I want to read it one more time, to savor. I have never braved W&P. I'll look forward to checking out the others and reading your reviews. Thanks for posting!

Donna

Donna, It is the result of being newly retired and doing very little housework!!! :)

Here are my November 2010 reads


~~Adventures of Huckleberry Finn~~Mark Twain
Fiction
Rate 2+
I thought the book was only OK. The pranks and journey just didn't grab me.

~~ Shanghai Girls~~Lisa See
Fiction
Rate 2 minus
I read this for my f2f book group and it is also our December read. To be fair, this just isn't my type of book. I didn't care for the characters. They were unlikeable and even worse boring. I thought the plot was very predictable. A lot of people like her books so don't judge the book by my review. The owner of the book store that holds the f2f meeting said this author is one of her all time favorites.

~~ The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates~~Wes Moore
non fiction
rate: 4 minus
I found this book very interesting. Though I think the author should have included more on Moore's prison experience. I also would have liked to read more about the Moore who turned his life around. What specifically was his thoughts on the time he was in college and how he managed to become a Rhodes Scholar.

~~ Ape House~~Sara Gruen
Fiction
Rate: 3 minus
Ok Good read. I would have liked to read more about the apes and their language skills, how they learn, their brains etc. But I guess that is more for a non fiction book. The last half of the book got way too unbelievable and caused me to downgrade the rating.

~~ The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks~Rebecca Skloot
Non fiction
Rate: 4
Very interesting book. The book is one that gives the reader a lot to think about. The Lacks family is not an easy family to like. They are involved with crime and incest to name just a few things. I give the author props for being able to deal with them so even handed. I understand that their issues stem from extreme poverty and lack of education, but they are still a very unusual family, especially, the daughter, Deborah, who is the main focus. Her manic mood swings had to be very difficult for the author to work with.

I so agree with you on Shanghai Girls and Ape House, Alias. The first was (imo) totally whiney and the second was ever so blah!

I liked the Rebecca Skloot book and want to read the Wes Moore book soon.

You can see my November books, with comments, here:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

I enjoyed seeing your books and reading your comments, JoAnn.

It looks like this has been a good reading month, despite the busy holiday. I always enjoy seeing what other people have been reading. Thank you all for posting.

Because I usually manage to mess up my posting before I get it posted, I'm putting the book and author links at the bottom. Most of these have longer reviews at http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/....

The Distant Hours / Kate Morton
A great old English castle, two spinster twins caring for their younger half- sister, their author father, famous for writing The True History of the Mud Man. A young Londoner sent to the castle to avoid the WWII bombing in London, and later, her grown daughter, back at the rundown castle and trying to discover its secrets. Add the requisite stormy nights, some deranged behavior, mysteries and betrayals of loved ones, and you have the makings of a deliciously creepy Gothic novel. This is my favorite Kate Morton novel so far.

American Rose / Karen Abbott
The story of Gypsy Rose Lee is fascinating. The writing sometimes felt choppy and disjointed, the book a little too long for the story it was telling. Still, a very interesting biography.

The Radleys / Matt Haig
There are way too many vampire/zombie/living dead books available right now, but The Radleys presented itself to me as a fun book about a funny and warm family of reformed vampires, including a vegan. So I bit, pun intended. And I made it to about 150 pages before I gave up. For me, this book was neither funny nor warm-hearted.

Amen, Amen, Amen / Abby Sher
I am a literary voyeur, I love to look at others' lives, so I thought this “memoir of a girl who couldn't stop praying (among other things)” would be right up my alley. In some ways it was, in others – not so much.

The Wayward Bus / John Steinbeck
I liked it, but it is far from my favorite Steinbeck book.

A Cup of Friendship / Deborah Rodriguez
...since we're all fools, why not dance?
Sunny is an American expat who just wants to run a nice, friendly coffeehouse in Kabul, not an easy task given the state of Afghanistan. Someone to love wouldn't hurt either. Her coffeehouse blends Afghans, some much more traditional than others, and foreigners, both somewhat misguided do-gooders and hard-boiled professionals for whom war is livelihood, people who didn't quite fit in their own countries. And Sunny feels responsible for a young and pregnant Afghan widow but doesn't know how she can save her from a fate all too common to Afghan women guilty of “loose” morals through no choices of their own. Not a heavy read, this book was thoroughly engaging.

Don't Go Round Tonight / Tim Weaver
WI like mysteries, detective stories, and can suspend disbelief long enough to enjoy the occasional vampire book, so when I read in the description of this book that Detective David McAllister didn't believe in vampires...until he was bitten by one, I thought this should be an entertaining read. The premise for the book is interesting. I'm afraid it just didn't work for me. It really could have used a good editing. There were so many formatting oddities, typos, and outright mistakes that I couldn't forget I was reading a book long enough to enjoy the story. The protagonist is just not likeable. He is at best a chauvinist, and not one of those you can love, flaws and all – no, he is a dyed-in-the wool jerk. The police procedures and some of the actions are not believable. Either that, or a lot of people in this book are very stupid. The story could have been good but is in need of work before it is ready for prime-time. Not a winner for me.


Cryer's Cross / Lisa McMann
The most exciting thing to happen in the tiny Montana town of Cryer's Cross is the annual potato harvest. Until a teenage girl, Tiffany, disappears. Kendall copes the best she can, dealing with not only the disappearance but with her OCD and the shame of being different. And then her best friend is gone. Two new kids show up. Is it all connected? Is a monster lurking? Between the chapters about Kendall, there are cryptic quotes from “We.” How do they tie into the story? This is a fast-paced and dark story suggested for teens 14 and up. The characters are entertaining and engaging. There are a few bad words, not excessive, but something that parents probably don't want younger kids to be reading. This story is too disturbing and dark for the younger crowd anyway, but one I think older teens will enjoy.

Hidden Wives / Claire Avery
A very interesting novel about two half-sisters caught in the trap of polygamy. For me, it was too black and white, the good characters with no bad in them, the evil ones with no good. Still, this story is touching, interesting, emotionally charged, and entertaining.

American Sphinx / Joseph J. Ellis
The best and worst of American history are inextricably tangled together in Jefferson...
This book, subtitled The Character of Thomas Jefferson, is not a biography in the traditional sense. Although much of it is biographical, it is more a look into the mind of the man, the reasons for his ideas and his opinions. I enjoyed it but should have read a different biography of Jefferson first.

The Lonely Polygamist / Brady Udall
Polygamy is a serious subject, fundamentalists are no laughing matter. So why am I laughing? Because of quotes like this:
Golden flinched, struck by the moment he found himself in: standing in a dark closet, knuckles smeared with barbecue sauce, tinkling into a bucket while delivering a lecture about bathroom manners to a dog wearing jockey shorts. Could it get, he wondered, any worse than this? Sure it could.
Golden is the polygamist father, and the book could have as easily been titled The Unlikely Polygamist. While it has funny moments, it is also heartfelt and touching. I very much enjoyed this long (~600 pages) novel.

Bad to the Bone – Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger / Bo Hoefinger
Bo, the author of this book claims to be 1'10” and 63 pounds of mutt outside, purebred inside. His memoir mostly covers his life after being adopted from a doggie prison, more of a revenge adoption than a well planned decision. The book is a funny and fun read, good for a cheer-up, feel-good, quick read.

The Distant Hours Kate Morton
American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee Karen Abbott
The Radleys Matt Haig
Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying Abby Sher
The Wayward Bus John Steinbeck
A Cup of Friendship: A Novel Deborah Rodriguez
Don't Go Round Tonight Tim Weaver
Cryer's Cross Lisa McMann
Hidden Wives Claire Avery
American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson Joseph J. Ellis
The Lonely Polygamist Brady Udall
Bad to the Bone: Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger Bo Hoefinger

You sure had an excellent reading month, Susan !

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on each book. Thanks so much for taking the time to do that.

Susan wrote: "It looks like this has been a good reading month, despite the busy holiday. I always enjoy seeing what other people have been reading. Thank you all for posting.
.."

Thank YOU for your nice post...and I am glad to see your comments on A Cup of Friendship which I have on reserve at the library. It is still "on order".

And might I add that I love the cover of this book?

Bad to the Bone sounds good too....I would reserve it but my library does not have it. GRRRR So I will head over to ABE.

A good friend gave me a copy of Bad to the Bone: Memoir of a Rebel Doggie Blogger. She ordered it from Bo's website so it was signed by Bo himself. :)

I really like that cover, too.

I loved reading all that you wrote, Susan. Thank you and I got a few :) more books for my TBR list!

You are all certainly welcome! Maybe by posting my eclectic reads, not always great successes, I'll get to read more posts about what everyone else reads - one of my favorite things to do.

Wow, I am impressed with the months reads I see here.

I don't think I finished any book except our group read last month.

Here are my November reads.

Buffalo Lockjaw Greg Ames

This was a read for my F2F book club. Author from Buffalo, NY and set here as well. A lot of the fun of the book is the background which is absolutely on target. Don't know how those segments would play to someone not from here. The basic plot of the story is pretty tough. The author as son comes home to visit his mother who is in a nursing home suffering from early onset alzheimers. Good book, but don't know if I would have read it on my own.

Here If You Need Me: A True Story Kate Braestrup

This is a very inspiring book about a woman who becomes a Unitarian Minister and then is the chaplain for the Forest Rangers in Maine. So you get her life and background and the flavor of Maine. Really enjoyed it. Couldn't put it down. Read it in two days.

The Wayward Bus John Steinbeck

I enjoyed this book but as someone has said before me -- not my favorite Steinbeck.

The Swan Thieves Elizabeth Kostova

I enjoyed this book. Very different. Two different time periods which isn't always my cup of tea. I think it helps to have some interest in art to truly enjoy this book.

Uh-oh - another one for my to-read list: Here If You Need Me: A True Story.. Thanks, Bobbie57 (and I mean that nicely, not sarcastically).

Yep, I added that one too, Bobbie! Thanks!

Bobbie57 wrote:
Here If You Need Me: A True Story Kate Braestrup

This is a very inspiring book about a woman who becomes a Unitarian Minister and then is the chaplain for the Forest Rangers in Maine. So you get her life and background and the flavor of Maine. Really enjoyed it. Couldn't put it down. Read it in two days. ."
---------------

This sounds like a book I would like. I'm adding it to my TBR list.

That is why I so appreciate it when people post their monthly reads with a brief comment. I find so many books off the beaten path that I otherwise would never have heard of.

Thanks, Barbara !

Marialyce wrote: "Here is my list for November:

1.Gone With the Wind"

Gone With the Wind is such a fabulous book! I've read it several times, and your post is making me think about picking it up again.

Susan Mallery wrote: "Marialyce wrote: "Here is my list for November:

1.Gone With the Wind"

Gone With the Wind is such a fabulous book! I've read it several times, and your post is making me ..."

In his new book, Conroy writes about the impact this book had on his reading life and that of many other Southerners.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Susan Mallery wrote: "Marialyce wrote: "Here is my list for November:

1.Gone With the Wind"

Gone With the Wind is such a fabulous book! I've read it several times, and y..."


That book and War and Peace did get their own chapter. I had just finished Gone With the Wind and so I was happy to share in with his enthusiasm. War and Peace, I am still bogged down with (about 60% done) but I thought if Pat Conroy thinks it is so great so should I. lol!!!

My November Reads

Night Elie Wiesel 5/5
The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again Nancy Thayer 3/5
Drop Shot Harlan Coben 4/5
Alex Cross's Trial James Patterson 3/5
Knitting Bones Monica Ferris
3/5

Meredith, I agree with your rating of Night. It sure is a powerful book.

That one (Night) has been on my to-read list for much too long. Thanks for reminding me of it.

Susan, it really is a terrific book. I think the straightforward, almost unemotional style, made it even more powerful. It really is a must read.

Last month in November I read book "Zwei halbe Leben" by Rebecca Stephan. This book was translated from German language to Slovakian language and was really nice reading.

Maria wrote: "Last month in November I read book "Zwei halbe Leben" by Rebecca Stephan. This book was translated from German language to Slovakian language and was really nice rea..."

Maria, thanks for the link. Unfortunately the link doesn't tell us about the book and the photo doesn't share much info either, so i googled it. http://translate.google.com/translate...

I found & had this translated, always a fun adventure in reading. From it i learned Rebecca is a pseudonym for Stephanie Wolff. The premise of the novel sounds good; thanks for sharing the title and your impression, Maria. Have you read other books by this author?

deborah

Before my 5 week vacation i fell (missing two steps) at the library's book sale. If ya gotta fall, it should be for books, right? I was in pain because, even though i didn't fall on my "frozen" (still thawing, btw) shoulder, the jar of the fall produced more pain than i've been in for years, including several sprained ankles.

ANYway, i preface the post with this because the pain addled my brain and i made poor decisions just prior to leaving. One of those choices was to travel (hold onto your hats!) without a book to read. Yes, m'friends, i did! I decided i couldn't concentrate enough and would rather be sightseeing. Addled!

DH brought along two novels, both of which i'd read. However, i reread Fahrenheit 451, which i again loved. For the 3 weeks in Spain that was all i read, and that only toward the end. However, once we got on the ship, i headed for the library. Below are the books i devoured on our two week cruise. It was all purely random, in one sense. I've put a star by the ones i probably wouldn't have read otherwise.

* The Trail to Seven PinesLouis L'Amour
A Hopalong Cassidy novel, which L'Amour wrote under another name rather early in his career. He didn't care for the work after his success but once he died his son cashed in. This is the second L'Amour i've read, never what i consider "real" L'Amour. The first was The Haunted Mesa, which was more about sci-fiction than i wanted. Much more...and not well written, imo.

* Armageddon in RetrospectKurt Vonnegut
These are writings not published during KV's lifetime. They are mainly short stories with an anti-war bend to them. He wrote, but died before he could give, a speech when Indiana honored him with a sort of key-to-the-state thing. It's printed here. My favorite line--he defined jazz as, "Safe sex of the highest order."

Vonnegut used to be my favorite author but i haven't read his last few novels. These were not particularly great, although i did like the (disjointed, imo) "speech". Still, i wouldn't have read it if i weren't confined, as it were.

* Lynch TownJohn Kilgore (Real name Lauran Paine.)
Not very good western. Surprisingly i learned that that the author wrote over 1000 books, mostly westerns, under many pseudonyms. This one is about a Nebraska sheriff, a horse-thieving teenager, his wife, and a thieving uncle, who robbed the kid of his inheritance.

One might ask why i read TWO westerns while in the middle of the ocean, right? Probably because there were no sea novels aboard. ;-)

Reread Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, originally read 10/84.
I like this book very much as well as a line toward the end when on character states, "We're nothing more than dust jackets for books, of no significance otherwise."

The Bondwoman's Narrativeby Hannah Crafts and edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
I got lucky here because this has been on my TBR for a long time. And i liked it for what it is, even though Gothic lit isn't my cuppa. Gates bought this manuscript at auction (one specifically holding African-American memorabilia) and researched it to see whether the story was true, as well as to determine what can be learned about the author. Ultimately he decided it is pretty much autobiographical, although the name used was not real. The book appears to name several real people, one of whom had some fame in U.S. government and kept a diary, which helped with some details. This is believed to be the first novel by a female African American slave, probably the first novel by a black woman, period. It is Gothic and religious in tone, presenting the black perspective with characters who are human first, later identified by racial characteristics. This also gave what's believed to be an authentic look (as opposed to white writers) of how house slaves viewed field slaves, including their bias.

* American RealismEdward Lucie-Smith
This isn't a book i would have read usually, either, even though i like reading about art. This was too comprehensive and only one man's thoughts on American Realism. However, i'm Very Glad i read it, as it opened up all sorts of new artists and ideas to me.
This book explores US art under the "Realism" category, by British expert. I learned the following:
Dallas had a respected "Dallas Artists' League", which was founded in May, of '32. From it Otis Dozier rose, "His career is thus an early example of the impact of new printing technology." An artist could acquire information easily from magazines, learning and seeing the latest works without leaving home. This was a new development for artists.

Re. some of Edward Hopper's works. "The building is shown in isolation in a way which makes it clear that this is something seen in passing. The painter, and therefore the spectator, can only guess at what goes on inside..." YOU are passing in a car, train, walking past. Later, still about Hopper, "What does seem un-American about them [his art], however, at least to an outsider, is that they are so often melancholic, or even downright pessimistic in tone."

Charles Sheeler, precisionist school, took photos, as well as painted. His shots, "show the fascination with the abstract patterning of ordinary things...During 1939 he travelled the United States in search of subject matter, using a camera as a sketchbook."

I was (re)introduced to the following artists: Mark Tansey, Isabel Bishop, Ralph Goings, George Tookers "Window" pieces, which are crammed like tondos but not circular; Ralston Crawford and Charles Sheeler.

* The Viking FuneralStephen J. Cannell
Must be part of a series about an LA cop, now on leave while he's evaluated after his last arrest, which ended with the Chief of Police being dismissed. I have not missed a thing by not reading Cannell, although we've enjoyed several of his tv shows, especially "The Rockford Files."

deborah

Well Deborah, that was certainly an eclectic list of books that you read by accident. And you are right. Going off for 5 whole weeks without a book. Ouch!!

Anyway -- The Bondwoman's Narrative looks particularly interesting.

Deborah--One of those choices was to travel (hold onto your hats!) without a book to read
------------

Yikes ! I get the shivers at the very thought. I know I would have taken some non fiction books on the places I was traveling to. When you landed, were there no places that sold books in English?

Fahrenheit 451 is a book I only read for the first time a few years ago. I absolutely loved it. I gave it a top rating.

Once you settle in, do tell us all about your trip in the Travel Folder. I am sure I will never get to go on a terrific trip like you did, so I want to live vicariously through you ! :)

Deborah, I love Sheeler and Hopper. I do not agree with the assessment of Hopper's works being "un American" due to their melancholy. What a silly statement.

Deborah, We have read all of Cannell's books; they are just like watching a police show on tv. Great filler between more serious books.

I added the The Bondwoman's Narrative to my list. Looks very interesting.

Barbara, I added Here If You Need Me: A True Story...right up my alley with something about Forest and Game Wardens....that's what Daddy did.

I LOVE books!
Donna

Alias Reader wrote: "Deborah--One of those choices was to travel (hold onto your hats!) without a book to read
------------

Yikes ! I get the shivers at the very thought. I know I would have taken some non fiction books on the places I was traveling to. When you landed, were there no places that sold books in English? ..."

We had two books about Spain and bought one on the exquisite Prado museum, so i read some, just not an entire book. Due to all our walking, i was pretty tired by the end of the day & didn't feel the need to read much the first couple of weeks. Later, i did but the prices for English books, which were all classics, were high, particularly since i'd read all the (limited) offerings.

In Granada i intended to purchase
Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving but it was an odd day & they closed early (details would be tiresome but that was our worst day and sole rainy day), so i missed out on that.

deb

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Deborah, I love Sheeler and Hopper. I do not agree with the assessment of Hopper's works being "un American" due to their melancholy. What a silly statement."

JoAnn, i agree. It was an example of some of the impressions the author offered with which i had objections. I liked the rest of the comment and fully identify but "unAmerican"? Ha, clearly he only knows upbeat Yanks. ;-)

Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "Deborah, We have read all of Cannell's books; they are just like watching a police show on tv. Great filler between more serious books...."

Donna, i can see that and have used mysteries in the same way. (And to get me out of slumps.) Had i read the earlier novels i'm sure the entire son business would have sounded realistic. Having jumped in there, i was dismayed that this teenaged son entered the cop's life, not to mention a fiance around the same time.

My other problem is the entire drug business stuff, which was frustrating to read. This was all probably a mood thing. I figured they have to be popular books, given the fact it is a hefty series.

deb

Deborah:I liked the rest of the comment and fully identify but "unAmerican"? Ha, clearly he only knows upbeat Yanks. ;-)
--------------------

I think he was referring to the general perception of Americans as upbeat. People with a "can do" spirit. And not to specific individuals or events.

I don't think he meant un-American in the sense of unpatriotic.

In this Wiki link on Hopper it notes, "His primary emotional themes are solitude, loneliness, regret, boredom, and resignation."

His famous painting, the only one I really know, is Nighthawks. That certainly has a melancholy tone to it with the lonely person at a dinner at night. The empty street. The starkness of the diner.

Hopper said of the painting, In keeping with the title of his painting, Hopper later said, “Nighthawks” has more to do with the possibility of predators in the night than with loneliness"

I am not familiar with his oeuvre, so I can't really say if this tone is prevalent among most of his works.

I do like this line from Wiki that he said. I think it fits books, too. “So much of every art is an expression of the subconscious that it seems to me most of all the important qualities are put there unconsciously, and little of importance by the conscious intellect"

Yes, I know Amy Tan would not agree, JoAnn ! LOL


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_H...

Alias Reader wrote: "In keeping with the title of his painting, Hopper later said, “Nighthawks” has more to do with the possibility of predators in the night than with loneliness"
.."

And yet time after time I have read that it was about loneliness. So much for the analysis of art. "Full of bull" is how I categorize analysis/interpretation of any of the arts!

Alias Reader wrote: "
I think he was referring to the general perception of Americans as upbeat. People with a "can do" spirit. And not to specific individuals or events.

I don't think he meant un-American in the sense of unpatriotic. .."

I still think this was a silly, maybe even stupid, thing to say!

Alias Reader wrote: "
I think he was referring to the general perception of Americans as upbeat. People with a "can do" spirit. And not to specific individuals or events.

I don't think he meant un-American in the sense of unpatriotic. .."

I still think this was a silly, maybe even stupid, thing to say!

@JoAnn -- I totally agree and I happen to love Hopper. So us Americans are all supposed to be "Don't Worry -- Be Happy!!" Puleeze. And his works sure look as if they are about loneliness to me.

Bobbie, we saw the Hopper exhibition at the National Gallery a couple of years ago and it may have been the high spot of my art-viewing life...and I have been to a lot of art exhibits in my life! I adore his work.

JoAnn said: And yet time after time I have read that it was about loneliness.So much for the analysis of art. "Full of bull" is how I categorize analysis/interpretation of any of the arts!

Boy, do I agree with that!!!It's all a bunch of mumbo jumbo, to me! LOL

Donna

Bobbie57 wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "
I think he was referring to the general perception of Americans as upbeat. People with a "can do" spirit. And not to specific individuals or events.

I don't think he meantun-American in the sense of unpatriotic. .."

I still think this was a silly, maybe even stupid, thing to say!

@JoAnn -- I totally agree and I happen to love Hopper. So us Americans are all supposed to be "Don't Worry -- Be Happy!!" Puleeze. And his works sure look as if they are about loneliness to me. ..."

I quoted Bobbie's entire post because it said it all for me. I didn't think the author/critic Lucie-Smith meant unpatriotic, either. This is why i added the comment about the sort of Americans he must know, "upbeat" sorts.

I often disagree with the way others analyze art but when i happen upon (short) ideas, i like to read them, to compare/contrast what others think/see in works (lit, as well as art).

Once upon a time if i didn't see the same thing as a critic, i blamed my own ignorance. However it didn't take long for me to realize there is no "right" interpretation, even, frankly, if the artist her/himself says otherwise. People bring themselves to art when looking at the pieces. It's one of the fascinating aspects of the arts.

Finally, i'll add that even when i profoundly disagree i find the way others look at the same piece differently insightful. Maybe it's the fact that they are also telling us something about themselves when sharing their impressions? I'm not sure, although i have learned more about my family from their "take" on art.

deborah, thinking the exception would be when a critic gets too didactic or their references are too obscure--then i am with the "full of bull" crowd.

Madrano wrote: "deborah, thinking the exception would be when a critic gets too didactic or their references are too obscure--then i am with the "full of bull" crowd. ."

I do not think this is the exception, but rather is the most common kind of criticism.

I have a realllly big problem with anyone "interpreting" the work of another ---be it music, writing, or whatever. What gives anyone the right to do this, to put words or thoughts into another's mouth? I think it is arrogant in the extreme.

Getting off my soapbox....

I understand what you mean, JoAnn, and do not disagree. Since they seem to do it anyway, i do read (well, usually skim) a few which don't seem awful and sometimes am glad i do, if i've seen the work.I've learned about other artists this way, but have also found myself quite chagrined, so it's an uneven activity to pursue. ;-)

Too often i think i'm reading about the work (history or artist) only to realize it has turned into an interpretation, which is disappointing. Yet i will continue if i've liked what i read so far.

I wonder why more artists don't protest that vocally. There are probably several reasons, including the fact that so many artists/writers are grateful that someone deemed their work worthy of interpretation. So, maybe more of the well know and established artists need to protest. OR maybe they feel they've learned from it? Frankly, i haven't read enough about what those who create art think about this. So, really i'm going on my own feelings about this but i wonder.

It just occurred to me (as i was ready to sign this & leave) that those interpreters may feel their work is also art, open to interpretation as well. Hmmm. This could be a circle.

deb

Deborah, many of those artists/writers are dead and gone, well beyond any protest!

My experience has been thus: the most illuminative courses I have taken in literature and in art appreciation are those that "taught" or revealed the milieu, times, and culture in which writers and artists lived and produced their works. I think this is really important and I was always shocked at the number of people who have no idea of these vital aspects. Maybe people need to learn what is real before they begin to speculate. These aspects would provide plenty of material for discussion without entering into the "full of bull" realm! (or "dissection" as we called it in an earlier discussion a few months back).

If Amy Tan was annoyed at how people analyzed her book, I believe she is just the tip of the iceberg. To wit: I once went to a talk by John Stossel when he worked for ABC. An audience member asked him what use it was for a viewer to send a letter to the network.....would it really be noticed? He replied that ABC treated each letter as if it represented 200,000 viewers. So I think Tan had the courage to speak and her words are probably representative of many writers

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: I have a realllly big problem with anyone "interpreting" the work of another ---be it music, writing, or whatever. What gives anyone the right to do this, to put words or thoughts into another's mouth? I think it is arrogant in the extreme. ."
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I sometimes find articles that "interpret" works of art, music, or novels very useful. They often can point out things to me I would otherwise not think of.

That's not to say that I take any one interpretation as gospel. But it opens up another avenue in which to see and experience the "art". If I am really interested in the topic, I then can read other opinions on the subject. Then I form my own opinion. And if I disagree, it can help me clarify my own position. It can also help engender a lively debate.

I don't see why an artist would be "annoyed" by people analyzing their work. What would be the point of their art if it was not released to the public? It's part of the circle. The artist makes the art and releases it to the public. The public in turn then responds. I would think the artist could learn a lot about their craft when they see how it's interpreted if they are open to such criticism. I do believe not everything is self evident to the artist. I do believe in the subconscious and its effect on the art.

Also when a piece of art affects an individual a certain way, why is that invalid? We each bring to life our own unique experiences. How could we possible all interpret things one way? I would think an artist would love that his/her art could touch people in a myriad of ways.

I don't see what is "arrogant" about analyzing art and expressing ones opinion on the art, music or writing.

@Alias -- If in fact it was the "public" that was interpreting some work then it might not be arrogant. But the general public fears its own opinion and looks to "experts" to interpret some sort of truth. Some of these experts become enamored of their own importance.

I will segue into theater criticism. Of course now that Broadway tickets are so expensive it is even harder for the general public to create an opinion. A bad revue can keep them away even more than years ago when there were many more newspapers and tickets were lower in price. I learned when I was pretty young when I went to a performance of a musical version of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." It got pretty mediocre reviews. But I really loved the show. And so I learned not to take all reviews as gospel. I feel the same way about art.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Deborah, many of those artists/writers are dead and gone, well beyond any protest!..."

True, but i think those artists & viewers who read such bull "reviews" could still be influenced. And, worse, the creator not being able to present her/his side is stuck with a reputation which can change at the whim of a reviewer with a following. And it's this which i'd like to which i'd like to see today's artists protest, as much for past artists as for interpretations of their own work from future generations.

Of course this can work both ways, which is pleasant, but that's another story altogether. Emily Dickinson wrote about a word being dead when said, but proposed they really begin to live once shared. (*Full Poem below.) I feel that way about the critics, bull and not. Then comes the question of whether they should opine, it can go on & on, which is why i'm glad we all have the option to ignore them!

Re. the Stossel comment on mail from viewers. Politicians do the same thing. Indeed, a handwritten letter represents more people than a form letter; the latter more than a post card & on. Since the advent of email i'm sure the numbers have changed. Frankly, i'm of a torn mind on that interpretation, as some groups have & will take more time to write than others but there we are.

I really appreciate your comments about courses in lit & art which enhance a user's knowledge of the times and culture in which art/books are written. It makes a world of difference and can end with an indifference to entire genres and eras of literature. In a better education system this could be offered in high school, imo, so people without a higher education experience could benefit. BUT, what would i eliminate? Ha!

deborah
*LXXXIX

A WORD is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live 5
That day.