Reading is Sexy: Books Part II

[powerhour24]

Well with Marc Forster at the helm it will certainly look good.

My reading has really been derailed lately, I'm trying to get into Motherless Brooklyn right now, but I'm thinking I'll have to fall back on some of my favorite authors to jumpstart me again.

 

[beegee]

Has anyone read this? I pick it up and consider getting it once every two or three months, but I keep passing on it. It sounds like something I'd love, but the overall length worries me. I have no problem with long books, I just worry as I've never read any of his work.

I had it at home for a few weeks and just kept looking at it.

Same with Drood, which has been sitting next to my computer for three days. In the meantime, I am reading Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon again while I wait for Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite to arrive.

 

[corianderstem]

A Clean Slate by Laura Caldwell

Really crappy chick lit book that had been sitting on my shelves forever, so I randomly decided to finally read it.

About halfway through I realized I hated it, so I skimmed a lot until the end.

I need to learn to steer clear of those Red Dress Ink books. The vast majority of the ones I've read have been pretty crummy, although there have been about 3 that I have really liked.

 

[corianderstem]

Drop City by T.C. Boyle

1970, hippies in a California town at the tail end of peace and love, attempt to move their community to Alaska.

This was the first book I've read by Boyle, and I really enjoyed it. Loved his writing and will definitely be reading others by him. I have Talk, Talk on my shelf so I'll get around to that one. Anyone else have any recommendations?

 

[Dalton]

I'm trying to read Twilight because I promised my sister (16) I wouldn't mock it until I had. Wow is this bad.

 

[Dalton]

BTW - I just finished rereading The Brothers K. If you haven't done so, read it now.

 

[BonosSaint]

^Loved that book.

 

[corianderstem]

I'm trying to read Twilight because I promised my sister (16) I wouldn't mock it until I had. Wow is this bad.

It's going to be all right. There are programs to help you recover.

BTW - I just finished rereading The Brothers K. If you haven't done so, read it now.

It's one of my favorites.

 

[lazarus]

I'm trying to read Twilight because I promised my sister (16) I wouldn't mock it until I had. Wow is this bad.

Way to step on another GAF land mine.

 

[corianderstem]

Pugetopolis by Knute Berger

When I saw this in a local bookstore, I didn't quite understand what it was, because I only briefly glanced at the blurbs on the back. But whether it was fiction or nonfiction about Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to read it.

And it's a collection of Knute Berger's various articles and columns from local publications throughout the years. Way more about Seattle politics than I was remotely interested in, but some of the pieces were good.

 

[powerhour24]

Just finished Graham Greene's "Our Man in Havana", man do I love me some Greene.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I'm trying to read Twilight because I promised my sister (16) I wouldn't mock it until I had. Wow is this bad.

I told a friend of mine I'd give it two chapters and if I thought it was crap then I wouldn't have to hear about it anymore.

The book's not in my possesion yet, but I have a feeling I'm not going to make it past the first page. I'm already predisposed to hate it - I dug Anne Rice's vampres, but teenyboppers playing vampire? Ugh.

Right now this is my Summer reading list:

• Eat, Pray, Love
• One Hundred Years of Solitude
• The Handmaiden's Tale
• She Got Up Off the Couch

Has anyone read The Shack or The Middle Place yet? I'm quite curious about those two.

 

[corianderstem]

• Eat, Pray, Love
• One Hundred Years of Solitude
• The Handmaiden's Tale

I loved those.

 

[powerhour24]

Just going to say that I definitely used the 'Reading is Sexy' slogan on my flyer for my new student book club at my university.

 

[kafrun]

Everyone goes on about Eat, Pray, Love. Is it really that great? Not overdone or anything?

Considering picking it up. Also have to pick up a new copy of The Poisonwood Bible since I leant it to a friend.


ETA: Oops. I must be really tired.

 

[corianderstem]

I really loved Eat, Pray, Love, but there are some people who found it self-indulgent, whiny crap.

But I loved it.

 

[kafrun]

I really loved Eat, Pray, Love, but there are some people who found it self-indulgent, whiny crap.

But I loved it.

Hmm. I may either love it or hate it from the sound of things, but I think I'm going to give it a try. Thanks

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Everyone goes on about Eat, Pray, Love. Is it really that great? Not overdone or anything?

Considering picking it up. Also have to pick up a new copy of The Poisonwood Bible since I leant it to a friend.


ETA: Oops. I must be really tired.

Speaking of The Poisonwood Bible, it is now in the pile with the aforementioned books.

PS - I'm keeping the mind open re: Eat, Pray, Love. It's going to be a little self indulgent, I'm guessing, but that's due to the subject matter. It's about finding yourself.

 

[corianderstem]

That's my thought on it as well. It's all about soul-searching!

 

[RoFromBoston]

#56 The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer

You know, I really enjoy contemporary fiction that centers around a character or a family who faces some sort of crisis or big decision. Jodi Picoult writes these types of stories very well, and I like her books. This book was right in that same vein. Good stuff.

I recently stumbled onto Picoult. I love her! I'm currently reading "Change of Heart". Love how she portrays the mother-daughter relationship, as well as how she combines moral dilemmas with intimate stories. I think she's great, too.

 

[beegee]

Speaking of The Poisonwood Bible, it is now in the pile with the aforementioned books.

I fell in love with Poisonwood Bible in one of the older book threads we had.

It's now one of my favorites.

 

[powerhour24]

Anyone ever read Graham Greene's the Comedians? I'm working on a documentary about him, and using the book as a frame for how he put his real life observations of disparate places into even his fictional writing, and for how action/inaction by the West has left Haiti, I'm hoping to gain some more funding for it and work on it in the summer, and my professor is helping me to apply for a Fulbright to complete it. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts.

 

[corianderstem]

Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles Cross

I'm not much of a Hendrix fan, but I've always wanted to know more about him, to find out why he was so beloved. Plus, he's Seattle's favorite musical son (Cobain doesn't count, as he was from Aberdeen), and the author is a local author (who also wrote an excellent Cobain bio).

The book made me want to track down some Hendrix CDs and check them out, but other than a general sense of sadness that he died so young (drugs are bad, kids!), and a curiosity/awe about his amazing talent with the guitar, I don't really feel one way or the other about Hendrix.

Glad I read the book, though. I'm looking forward to seeing who Cross is going to tackle next.

 

[corianderstem]

The Book of Dahlia by Elisa Albert

Dahlia is a 20-something gal who pretty much does nothing but be a slacker and take handouts from her doting dad. Then she gets a brain tumor! Good times.

The book was hilarious in a really bizarre, wonderful way. Even as the book reveals her to be more and more of an asshole (although maybe not as much as her asshole brother), I still loved the book.

 

[RoFromBoston]

The Book of Dahlia by Elisa Albert

Dahlia

Oh. "The Book of Dahlia". I read that book. I wasn't impressed with the writing, sad to say. I like the idea of the book. She starts off spoiled, behaves badly, and eventually the book unravels, and we are given insight why this kid behaves like she does-- attorney, money-grubbing Dad, Mom who's self-absorbed & ran-off to Israel, mean brother, etc. And then she is struck with cancer. I just never felt compelled to like this character. I wanted to, but Albert's writing didn't grab me & pull me in. Oh well.

 

[corianderstem]

I can totally see how the writing/style wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. If I'd been in a different mood while reading it, I might have been highly annoyed by it and stopped reading halfway through.

 

[U2isthebest]

I fell in love with Poisonwood Bible in one of the older book threads we had.

It's now one of my favorites.

Man, I gotta read this book. You're the second person I've heard raving about it. It was my former roommate's fav. book, and she's been getting on me about reading it for almost 3 years now.

 

[corianderstem]

I remember loving that book, but not liking the ending. But I couldn't tell you why or what that ending even was at this point.

 

[Zoobaby14]

Im reading Northen Lights at the moment. I heard its better then the Golden Compass movie.

I suppose I should be reading more "grown up" books

 

[pgv]

Im reading Northen Lights at the moment. I heard its better then the Golden Compass movie.

I suppose I should be reading more "grown up" books

I honestly think, second to Harry Potter, these are the best, most important children's books at the moment (and probably will be for a long time) The film was a joke, an absolute insult to the trilogy. But stick with the books, I think they really did make me a more open minded person.