Additional comments

 

Below are additional comments about books we have discussed and some we haven’t

 

 

The proliferation of the ‘One Book” programs, the popularity of ereaders and smart phones, and the publishing industry’s focus on series have all contributed to the popularity of reading as a major form of entertainment.  

 

Liz

For some reason, conversations with strangers frequently turn to the subject of books and reading.  The title that has come up repeatedly in these conversations is Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand (March 2011).  People tell me it is “gripping,” that they “couldn’t put it down, that “it’s the best book I’ve ever read.”

 

Joy

I just finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog (February, 2011) and LOVED IT. Earlier I read Kahneman's Thinking: Fast and Slow, and was amused to know that, as little as I understand, HOW I come to understand things is something I know even less about. Having read "Elegance," I feel redeemed and assured -- the meaning of life is quite simple: it has all the meaning I give it. To seek love and beauty are essential activities, and I am not a simpleton for gazing at trees and finding fulfillment in their forms. However! I also know I will likely never match Barbery's masterful use of grammar, to say the least :

 

John

Here is a quote from a good Guardian article on Mieville’s Embassytown:

China Mieville knows what kind of novel he's writing, calls it by its name, science fiction, and exhibits all the virtues that make it an intensely interesting form of literature. It's a joy to find this young author coming into his own, and bringing the craft of science fiction out of the backwaters where it's been caught lately between the regressive drag of publishers marketing to a "safe" readership and the bewildering promises of change and growth offered by postmodernism in all its forms and formlessness. Embassytown is a fully achieved work of art.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/08/embassytown-china-mieville-review

 

Sara

 I happen to have read " . . . Mr. Feynman" (Sept. 2011) several years ago on the recommendation of a very dear friend who is a reader par excellence.  Upon receiving your email, I made the decision to read it again just as soon as I can get it   to the top of my reading priority list.   

 

Claudia

A very good book I finished a few weeks ago was The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Claire Tzemach Lemmon:  A true story about a young woman who risked so much to help eke out a living for her family when the Taliban was in Afghanistan about 15

years ago; 

 

I also read two novels by Stewart O'Nan, Wish You Were Here (1st) and then

Emily, Alone.  They were not as good as I had anticipated them being (I

heard author on a full hour interview on Fresh Aire with Terry Gross) but

they were OK.  First is about Emily who has lost her husband and goes to

their summer home with her sister-in-law  to close it up, one last time and

sell it; the children come and the entire book is about that week at the

camp.  There are great family dynamics; the second book takes place several

years after the first one; Emily is still coping with being alone and has

further interactions with sister-in-law and family.......

 

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (3rd in that series) was

great!  I just love that little girl and her bicycle Gladys!  (April, 2011)

 

I read Unbroken (see above) and have real mixed feelings about it; thought the

documentation and history lesson was beyond reproach and I learned a lot but

I thought her actual writing style, particularly in the beginning chapters

left MUCH to be desired and I was disappointed that she did not give more

about his life after his "redemption".

 

Remarkable Creatures; another "true" novel (what do they call those that are

based on a true story) by Tracy Chevalier about the two women who are

credited with making some of the first discoveries of dinosaurs on the

beaches of England.  A good story in itself along with, I felt, wonderful

descriptions of the country side and of life in England during that time

(particularly for women);

 

In The Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White was disappointing although I did

want to read it since it also was true, based on his stay at the Carville

facility as an inmate.  

 

Liz

I should mention The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.  It is a good story and has several wonderful characters.  Don’t be fooled by the title, though.  It is not really about baseball, although there are vivid  baseball descriptions.

 

 

 

Additional comments

 

Below are additional comments about books we have discussed and some we haven’t

 

 

The proliferation of the ‘One Book” programs, the popularity of ereaders and smart phones, and the publishing industry’s focus on series have all contributed to the popularity of reading as a major form of entertainment.  

 

Liz

For some reason, conversations with strangers frequently turn to the subject of books and reading.  The title that has come up repeatedly in these conversations is Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand (March 2011).  People tell me it is “gripping,” that they “couldn’t put it down, that “it’s the best book I’ve ever read.”

 

Joy

I just finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog (February, 2011) and LOVED IT. Earlier I read Kahneman's Thinking: Fast and Slow, and was amused to know that, as little as I understand, HOW I come to understand things is something I know even less about. Having read "Elegance," I feel redeemed and assured -- the meaning of life is quite simple: it has all the meaning I give it. To seek love and beauty are essential activities, and I am not a simpleton for gazing at trees and finding fulfillment in their forms. However! I also know I will likely never match Barbery's masterful use of grammar, to say the least :

 

John

Here is a quote from a good Guardian article on Mieville’s Embassytown:

China Mieville knows what kind of novel he's writing, calls it by its name, science fiction, and exhibits all the virtues that make it an intensely interesting form of literature. It's a joy to find this young author coming into his own, and bringing the craft of science fiction out of the backwaters where it's been caught lately between the regressive drag of publishers marketing to a "safe" readership and the bewildering promises of change and growth offered by postmodernism in all its forms and formlessness. Embassytown is a fully achieved work of art.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/08/embassytown-china-mieville-review

 

Sara

 I happen to have read " . . . Mr. Feynman" (Sept. 2011) several years ago on the recommendation of a very dear friend who is a reader par excellence.  Upon receiving your email, I made the decision to read it again just as soon as I can get it   to the top of my reading priority list.   

 

Claudia

A very good book I finished a few weeks ago was The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Claire Tzemach Lemmon:  A true story about a young woman who risked so much to help eke out a living for her family when the Taliban was in Afghanistan about 15

years ago; 

 

I also read two novels by Stewart O'Nan, Wish You Were Here (1st) and then

Emily, Alone.  They were not as good as I had anticipated them being (I

heard author on a full hour interview on Fresh Aire with Terry Gross) but

they were OK.  First is about Emily who has lost her husband and goes to

their summer home with her sister-in-law  to close it up, one last time and

sell it; the children come and the entire book is about that week at the

camp.  There are great family dynamics; the second book takes place several

years after the first one; Emily is still coping with being alone and has

further interactions with sister-in-law and family.......

 

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (3rd in that series) was

great!  I just love that little girl and her bicycle Gladys!  (April, 2011)

 

I read Unbroken (see above) and have real mixed feelings about it; thought the

documentation and history lesson was beyond reproach and I learned a lot but

I thought her actual writing style, particularly in the beginning chapters

left MUCH to be desired and I was disappointed that she did not give more

about his life after his "redemption".

 

Remarkable Creatures; another "true" novel (what do they call those that are

based on a true story) by Tracy Chevalier about the two women who are

credited with making some of the first discoveries of dinosaurs on the

beaches of England.  A good story in itself along with, I felt, wonderful

descriptions of the country side and of life in England during that time

(particularly for women);

 

In The Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White was disappointing although I did

want to read it since it also was true, based on his stay at the Carville

facility as an inmate.  

 

Liz

I should mention The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.  It is a good story and has several wonderful characters.  Don’t be fooled by the title, though.  It is not really about baseball, although there are vivid  baseball descriptions.