Reading Is Sexy: Books Part III

[beegee]

Me too.

Curiously, on the imdb page for the film there's an actor listed as "Fairy Godmother?"

 

[corianderstem]

I think I read that the movie has some fantasy sequences, Precious' daydreams or something, so that might explain that.

 

[Angela Harlem]

First of all, it's not about you, Oprah.

And second, what is she going to do, pull over and offer them all jobs?

At least a lift!

 

[martha]

Last night I finished Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart. It's a series of letters Elinore Stewart wrote between 1909 and 1913 when she was homesteading in Wyoming during that time. A colleague had given it to me because she knows I like this kind of thing. It's a wonderful book, quite funny and interesting.

Tonight I'll start Left Handed, Son of Old Man Hat, A Navajo Autobiography. My note in the front cover says that I got it on April 13, 2004, when I went to Canyon de Chelly for Spring Break that year.

 

[Carek1230]

I loooove Marian Keyes! I was so bummed her last book (This Charming Man) didn't get a US paperback release. I ended up finding a copy online.

I have been lucky in finding a number of foreign authors's work, mostly British, quite cheap -Used- on Amazon US and Amazon UK or even eBay. MUCH cheaper than buying new. Oftentimes they are even cheaper to buy from UK sellers including the Int'l postage.

Next up for me is Craig Ferguson's newest book. What did you think of it, Thora?

 

[onebloodonelife]

I started The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus tonight. Absurdism is quite the intriguing topic to me, and I think it might be my favorite form of philosophy, along with existentialism.

 

[corianderstem]

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

This book was a mixed bag. It's about a summer in the mid-80s and a group of African-American teens up at their Sag Harbor summer houses, mostly free to roam around and cause trouble while their parents work in the city and "come up" for the weekends.

I really wanted to like the book more than I did - there were some really good scenes, and some really funny lines and I liked the main character Benji a lot, but sometimes I felt like the author got way too wrapped up in loving his own words, which I have very little tolerance for. Plus, the book didn't really go anywhere - more of a series of snapshots and occurences, a little of "this is what the summers were like."

The part that made me laugh the hardest was Benji's dismay over Coca-Cola dismissing the original formula and rolling out New Coke:

I stayed through the commercial break and watched as Roberto Goizueta, the CEO of Coca-Cola, cheered the end of the world. It was inconceivable, like tampering with the laws of nature. Hey, let's try Gravity-Free Tuesdays, buckle up, motherfuckers. From this day on, water is incredibly flammable, see how that goes.

 

[Thora]

Next up for me is Craig Ferguson's newest book. What did you think of it, Thora?

I've never read it. You must be thinking of someone else.

I haven't read anything in a week or so, which is very strange for me. I can't find the book I was reading last month (Long Walk to Freedom). I'm starting to think I might have left it in the hotel room in Vegas.

 

[SethVincent]

I assume this is where we say what books we are reading

I used to read ALOT until the tour started but now that it is done for a bit I started reading again

I only read/like NON Fiction Books

1. The Case Against Christianity by Michael Martin

2. The True Believer Eric Hoffer

 

[Zoobaby14]

Has anyone read the girl with the dragon tattoo series?

I'm considering buying them for my grandfather for christmas, He likes alot of jeffrey archer's work and the storyline sounds quite intresting, my only concern is that they will be to "girly".

 

[indigo tree]

I am finishing up Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty right now. It's pretty good.

 

[corianderstem]

Starting From Square Two by Caren Lissner

I really liked Lissner's first novel, Carrie Pilby, which was marketed as chick lit, but really wasn't remotely what I'd come to expect from the Red Dress Ink books. Carrie was a quirky loner and the book wasn't really about her finding love, so I found a lot to love about it and saw myself in the character as well.

So I went into this book with higher than usual hopes for another of the chick lit genre, and was mostly disappointed. She tackles a heavier topic than most of the genre (death of a spouse and re-entering the dating world), but it was still mostly forgettable.

Oh well.

 

[Carek1230]

Just started The Rough Guide to British Cult Comedy. Should be a fun quick read.

 

[powerhour24]

Has anyone read the girl with the dragon tattoo series?

I'm considering buying them for my grandfather for christmas, He likes alot of jeffrey archer's work and the storyline sounds quite intresting, my only concern is that they will be to "girly".

Not at all. They're masterful, topical mysteries. You could say there's a 'feminist' angle to it in that one of the two protagonists of the stories is very much against the mistreatment of women, but these are dark and violent books, not touchy feely at all.

I've posted about them on here before and unfortunately it never seems like anyone else on here is familiar with them.

They're some of the most compelling fiction this decade, such a strange story of the writer though, and its unfortunate he won't be able to share his gift with us anymore.

 

[corianderstem]

Madonna: Like an Icon by Lucy O'Brien

I wanted to read a book about Madonna, and this was the one I found. A good read. Pleasantly balanced with some criticisms of her from former associates and friends, so I figured it wasn't just a gushing whitewash of her life.

 

[Zoobaby14]

Not at all. They're masterful, topical mysteries. You could say there's a 'feminist' angle to it in that one of the two protagonists of the stories is very much against the mistreatment of women, but these are dark and violent books, not touchy feely at all.

I've posted about them on here before and unfortunately it never seems like anyone else on here is familiar with them.

They're some of the most compelling fiction this decade, such a strange story of the writer though, and its unfortunate he won't be able to share his gift with us anymore.

Thats really intresting to hear that no one else has read them, they are huge over here, the bookshops are filled with them.

I would have picked up a copy for myself over the past few months but I don't read violent books, it's not an story that sits well in my mind when reading.

But these books sound right up my grandfather's alley.

 

[Carek1230]

I picked up Anne Moore's The Morning Light. I love this book and author. Wish there were more than 3 in the series.

 

[Pearl]

Not at all. They're masterful, topical mysteries. You could say there's a 'feminist' angle to it in that one of the two protagonists of the stories is very much against the mistreatment of women, but these are dark and violent books, not touchy feely at all.

I've posted about them on here before and unfortunately it never seems like anyone else on here is familiar with them.

They're some of the most compelling fiction this decade, such a strange story of the writer though, and its unfortunate he won't be able to share his gift with us anymore.

I'm thinking about getting a copy for my mom for Christmas since she's into mysteries, as I mentioned before. Hopefully she'll like it.

 

[CTU2fan]

I'm maybe 1/4 of the way through Under the Dome (Stephen King). I'm really getting into it, as much as I have with any of his books in a long time...if I was still single and childless I'd probably do like an 18-hour marathon and finish it, but I'm not as young as I used to be and it's one thick sucker For anyone who's read the Dark Tower stories, this one has a very "Roland in Mejis" feel to it.

 

[powerhour24]

^Glad to hear you're enjoying it, it sounds so intriguing but I feel like I can't dedicate myself to something that length at the moment.

 

[powerhour24]

Thats really intresting to hear that no one else has read them, they are huge over here, the bookshops are filled with them.

I would have picked up a copy for myself over the past few months but I don't read violent books, it's not an story that sits well in my mind when reading.

But these books sound right up my grandfather's alley.

They've been quite well received in the United States, I just haven't seen a lot of response to them on here.

And yeah, if you don't like violence, you're making the right choice.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I'll bet you guys have talked about it before but I saw the trailer for Pete Jackson's film adaptation of The Lovely Bones a few days ago and thought it looked great. I kinda want to read the book now. Is it good?

 

[corianderstem]

I thought the book was very good.

 

[Pearl]

Its one of my favorite books

 

[Zoobaby14]

As morbid as it sounds, its a good read

 

[Saracene]

I've finished One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. I thought it was captivating and quite unlike anything I've read before; rich, kaleidoscopic, sometimes grotesque, sometimes humorous, often melancholic. In a way it reminded me of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books, though the writing style and setting are totally different.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I'll bet you guys have talked about it before but I saw the trailer for Pete Jackson's film adaptation of The Lovely Bones a few days ago and thought it looked great. I kinda want to read the book now. Is it good?

It's a nice book. I really hope the movie doesn't overdo it, as the book is subtle and understated.

 

[CTU2fan]

Finished Under the Dome. I really liked it, better than I thought I would. King's always been one of my favorites (I still remember being 12 years old, reading Pet Sematary, and scaring the crap out of myself). Nice that he hasn't completely fallen off the cliff the way, say, Dean Koontz has.

 

[corianderstem]

Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill

Baby is an 11 year old living in Montreal with her dad, who is raising her (in the very loosest sense of the world) alone and is a junkie.

I really liked the first half of the book because Baby is an oddball, the writing is great, and there a lot of really colorful minor characters sprinkled throughout.

Then in the second half, the book takes a rather depressing turn. It changed so much for me - that I'm still trying to decide if I liked the book or not. First half, yes. Second half? Makes me wonder if I want to even keep the book in my collection.

Would definitely read something else by the author, though.

 

[beegee]

I'd probably do like an 18-hour marathon and finish it, but I'm not as young as I used to be and it's one thick sucker

I can't wait to see the large print version of it.