- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
- A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
- The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
- How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Well it took me a while, but I've finally compiled a list of books that I would like to read. Let's hear your ideas, too...
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I have a short list that I'll add to this in the next day or two. I probably will finish Snow White tonight. I have about 40 pages left. :)
ReplyDeleteHi ladies! Did you miss me? I'm baaaack! ;)
ReplyDeleteHa! About damn time, lady! : ) So... what is next? Who is picking? I'm game for anything.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the next book ladies?
ReplyDeleteHere are some of the books I'm interested in reading, in no particular order:
ReplyDeleteThe Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (I read this a long time ago, but since they're making another movie about it, I'll read it again!)
The immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
And I picked the last one, so it's someone else's turn to pick.
ReplyDeleteI like your list very much, Traci! I've read four of them (would be willing to reread a couple like you - have you seen the Great Gatsby trailer btw? Looks very pretty). Two of your choices were almost on my list (Art of Racing in the Rain and The Alchemist), and all of them look very good.
ReplyDeleteTanya, do you have any suggestions? Would you pick our next book? If you don't have a wish list yet, I'd be happy to read any on Traci's list if you want to pick one of them - here are the ones I haven't read:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
The immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Pick any on Brandi' list, too. I've not read any of those yet either! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to read the Orchardist.
ReplyDeleteAnd so it shall be.
ReplyDeleteSo, fearless book club leader, what is our assignment? We'll get better at this, right? For some reason this morning, I have the giggles about our little club.
Also, are we interested in inviting others to join us? Or do we need more practice by ourselves still?
I totally sat in my car before walking into the Quarry on Friday night and thought I added a post, but apparently, the 3G signal in the alley strong enough. So, Tanya and I chatted on Friday and were thinking 4 chapters maximum this weekend. I realize it's Sunday, and if my message had posted on Friday, this would be reasonable, but since it didn't, we can always slow down.
ReplyDeleteAny yes, as long as we are at the beginning of a book, invite anyone to join now or in the future. All three of us have total admin control over this blog (I am not the leader :-)) so invite whoever you'd like to include.
I was perusing some tips for online book clubs. I'll set up a different string with some of these tips. In a nutshell, it looks like we should visit and post on the blog often, avoid spoilers, stick to a schedule, and that's all I remember.
These are great tips! I'll start reading tonight!
ReplyDeleteWell, I read through chapter 4 this weekend. Having a difficult time staying focused while reading this. I feel a little like A.D.D. (hee hee). But not giving up. Now about the book....what a sad childhood! Not just Talmadge and Elsbeth but the two girls too. I wonder what happened to Elsbeth? It's bugging me.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that instead of chapters, we need to do percentages. Seems like most books are around 400 pages, so we could do 20% or so per week and average a book every 4 or 5 weeks (longer for longer books). I just thought that because Chapter 3 was only a couple of pages long.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the book, I'm enjoying the story a lot. She (writer) reminds me of a southern writer (Heart is a Lonely Hunter, for example), even though she lives in Portland. I've shared a couple of my favorite parts so far:
"He sat on the darkened porch and rolled a cigarette, a ceremony he saved for Clee but for this one time, and he did not bother to question the impulse." Had he questioned it, he may have realized it is a ritual he shares with friends, and this happened after he set the girls up with their cabin and showed them how to fish in silence (establishing a permanent friendship).
"...he had one of those complicated faces that one had to consider at length to understand how emotion lay on it, to understand it at all. It was like a landscape..." Again, I'm loving how so many of the characters get to know each other so well in complete silence, just by looking. This was right before he showed Della how to get the honey out of honeysuckle.
I, too, am curious about Elsbeth and am wondering if the writer will give us any closure with that mystery or will just leave it unresolved, much like the reality of life can do.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying the read. I really like the style of the writer, and I had a similar thought as you, Brandi, on how well the characters communicate without using many words at all. I was thinking to myself at one point what a quiet movie this would be if it were made into one.
I am anxious about Michelson and how his character might show up in the future. It feels certain he will show up at some point, and I find myself hoping he doesn't. Even though he is part of the book, part of the story, his character seems so horrific and the development of the girls' relationship with people of goodness is so tentative - I am finding myself cheering for good to triumph.
I was just wondering where y'all are at in the book? I only recently realized that the chapters are quite long, marked by numbers and not the little squiggly drawing. DUH. For my Kindle this particular book doesn't have page numbers, soidont know how best to describe my location. I am 69% through the book.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying the style of the writing, the way the story is unfolding at its own, unhurried pace, and the strength of each of the characters. I find Talmadge to be simple and content, but awkward and uncertain when dealing with emotion. Della makes me frustrated as I feel bad for her hard beginnings, but also wish she were less restless and unhappy.
I am worried that Talmadge, gentle and caring man, is going to end up pained in the end, and I really want him to have a happy ending to his part of the story.
I'm only 40% through. It seems like some books show page numbers in Kindle and others don't, like this one. Tanya and I were thinking that we could set a percentage to read to on a weekly basis so we average a book every 4 to 5 weeks.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the book, I'm still loving the writing, but like you, Traci, I'm worried as Angeline is growing up that Talmadge is going to lose her and get hurt again. I think the women in his life are like his trees. Some go wild, some die, and now he has this sapling child that he's just started to try planting in his orchard by giving her some land. Della has my sympathy, but ever since she considered tossing the baby in the fire, It dropped a little.
Doing percentages works for me!
ReplyDeleteThat is an insightful way of viewing the relationships - much like the trees in his orchard. As I progress through the story, I feel sad for everyone. Everyone, really, has had their lives impacted by Michaelson's acts. Della was directly inflicted and suffered greatly at his hand, and I find myself so conflicted with her. I sometimes would wish that Talmadge would leave he be in her own tormented world, thinking there is nothing he can do to change her path that she seems set on taking. But then little glimpses of goodness, of understanding, of vulnerability and compassion peek through, and I relate to Talmadge's desire to make her feel cared for and to help her. And I admire his unwillingness to give up on her, somewhat certain I would not have the same dedication towards her that he does, although, I do think she is deserving of it.
And, yeah, tossing babies in fires, or even just thinking about it, is not even a little bit nice.
And, lastly, I have to say how much I appreciate the language on the writer. I can't remember exactly now, but there is one spot where she describes the color of the morning sky like that of a new plum.
I have more to say about Della, but will save it since I don't want to break the spoiler rule. But I will say that her own feral nature is an interesting irony against her desire to command and exercise control over the horses. The horse section where she is learning to mount and whisper to a wild horse is one of my favorite parts.
I am very much enjoying this book. I feel so much sadness for Della. Losing one baby is enough pain to make a person go a little out of their mind, but two??? Then to lose her sister who really was more like a mother to her so soon after Angelene was born. I find it very interesting that she is more comfortable being with men doing mans work when it was Michelson who started this series of tragic events. Angelene is a very sweet child. I hope she stays with Talmadge forever. But I hope he opens up to her more because I think he's pushing her away by not sharing his thought/feelings with her.
ReplyDeleteI am 71% complete. Should we finish the book within the next week?
Has anyone else finished the book?
ReplyDeleteTanya, I think your comment is incredibly insightful about Della and her relationship with men.
ReplyDeleteI finished it, and I believe Brandi has, too. She was very close when I last spoke to her. We were talking about doing a face time meeting if we could figure out how, just to really talk it out about the book. What do you thiink? Is that too much? Overkill? Or sounds good?
So.... Brandi, I think it is your turn to pick!
I think we should definitely get together via Facetime. I'm sorry I've taken so long. I finished the book two nights ago. I also loved it. I do wish that she had ended it right where she walked to the headstones when visiting the deserted farm and didn't stop to pull away the overgrown grasses. I thought that was kind of a visual summary of the entire book.
ReplyDeleteFor our next book, I choose...The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Ready. Set. Go!!!
Yes, let's meet to discuss. Would be fun.
ReplyDelete