Outside of a Dog, a Book is Man's Best Friend (The Book Thread)

[JoannaLouise]

I'm enjoying Britt-Marie Was Here by the Swedish author Fredrik Backman, and think it probably qualifies as a lighter read. It brings together a middle-aged, middle-class woman with a profound desire for cleanliness, orderliness, and civil behavior and the demoralized, impoverished, and disorderly inhabitants of a largely abandoned post-industrial town. It's a courageous premise and Backman explores the interaction between the two parties in a humorous, original, and deft manner, that is also insightful and empathetic.

I have read both A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologizes by the same author, and enjoyed them both. In fact, Britt-Marie was a character in the latter book, so I wonder if this one is maybe a sequel or a prequel.

 

[Jenny]

Random book snark - I'm reading John Grisham's latest, which I am quite enjoying, but one of the characters just took a flight from Buffalo to Toronto. Which is impossible, and even if it was possible, is stupid because you can drive from Buffalo to Toronto in about an hour.

It's annoying when authors don't bother to check information that is so easily available online, or by simply looking at a map, and it makes me question every other detail of the book.

Le sigh.

 

[Jenny]

Finished Grisham's Camino Island last night, and other than the grave faux pas noted above, really enjoyed it. I've enjoyed most of his books, but this one for different reasons. It's not a legal thriller, but rather crime heist with many enjoyable characters, a summer beachy setting, much intrigue in the world of stolen manuscripts and rare books, with tons of author/book name dropping and lots of colourful writer characters. And some sex

Reminded me of Peter Mayle's recent (light) crime and long lunches adventures set in the South of France, which I always enjoy.

Also, Rich People Problems - I enjoyed it very much, better than China Rich Girlfriend and more in line with Crazy Rich Asians. Perhaps because in this book, Rachel - his most boring character - is barely in it at all, and there's lots of Eddie, my personal favourite It ends in a very pat way though, so one wonders if the author has decided to move on from these characters (although chances are they will appear in supporting/namedropping roles in future). vvv interested to see the film, and again, really hoping there's a huge budget for sets and costumes!

 

[Japanfan]

Random book snark - I'm reading John Grisham's latest, which I am quite enjoying, but one of the characters just took a flight from Buffalo to Toronto. Which is impossible, and even if it was possible, is stupid because you can drive from Buffalo to Toronto in about an hour.

I digress, but will point out that you can indeed fly from Buffalo to Toronto: https://www.google.ca/flights/#sear...-07-18;q=Can+you+fly+from+Buffalo+to+Toronto?

 

[IceAlisa]

It's not summer unless I read a JCO. It goes so well with the foggy SF summer. This year it's What I Lived For. Can't wait for all the warm fuzzies! [/sarcasm]

 

[Jenny]

I digress, but will point out that you can indeed fly from Buffalo to Toronto: https://www.google.ca/flights/#search;f=BUF;t=YYZ,YTZ;d=2017-07-11;r=2017-07-18;q=Can+you+fly+from+Buffalo+to+Toronto?

Look again - none of those flights are direct and instead require going through Boston, Washington, Chicago etc. and all would take 3-13 hours to complete.

When you add in the time getting to and sitting around the airport waiting for the flights, plus the extra security checkpoints, it's a pretty stupid choice for a criminal on the run travelling with fake ID and one-way tickets.

 

[gkelly]

After some of the tomes I've read recently, I needed some escapism, so read The Girl on the Train. (Which I think everyone here read a while ago.) Well, it was absorbing, but I felt like the end got a bit cartoonish. I thought the book's strongest point, maybe, was how it portrayed the shifting ambivalence all 3 women felt at times in regard to marriage/motherhood.

Good point, thematically.

I recently finished reading this book. My biggest complaint was that the three different first-person voices were pretty similar. If I put the book down in the middle of a chapter and then picked it up again, I often had to look at the chapter headings to remind myself whose point of view we were in, if the content of what was being said didn't make it obvious.

 

[clairecloutier]

I just finished Hillbilly Elegy, and I must say I remain surprised by all the press and success the book has gotten. As a memoir, I found the writing flat and the characterizations a bit too surface (except for Mamaw/Papaw, who were well drawn). As a portrait of the social conditions of Appalachia, it kind of didn't go deep enough and I didnt feel I particularly learned anything new. I thought the most interesting chapters were the last few, describing the different worlds he encountered in the Marines and at Yale. And the last chapter or two--where he makes clear that he's left Appalachia behind, but not his past.

 

[Prancer]

As a portrait of the social conditions of Appalachia, it kind of didn't go deep enough

That might be because Middletown, Ohio in not in Appalachia. Near the far edge, yes; in it, no. And yes, it is quite different.

Sorry, but that's one of my pet peeves about the book or at least about how the book is perceived.

I've been reading a lot of thriller/mystery/suspense, most from lists that recommend the new Gone Girl. None of them are Gone Girl, just so you all know, although I consider that a good thing. Of the ones I remember:

All The Missing Girls: I just finished this one, in spite of the fact that it annoyed me greatly. The book starts off in one place, suddenly leaps ahead 10 days and goes backward for most of the book, then leaps forward again. I had figured out what happened to Corrinne (well, not the details of it, but the general whodunnit) and knew where she was well before I backtracked to that point. I will say that I did not predict what happened to Annaliese, but she was kind of a side bar. Meh.

Luckiest Girl Alive: If you want to like your narrator, this is not the book for you. There seem to be two reactions to this--people who come to understand why Ani is the way she is as the narration unfolds and think it's well done and people who continue to dislike Ani and thus the entire story. I fell into the first camp, mostly, although I thought part of the story was really manipulative and unnecessary. The cause of Ani's small, mean emotional state is the part of the book that rang most true to me; as I read it, I thought, "This really happened, either to the author or someone she cared about" and was unsurprised to learn that it did, indeed, happen to the author. Most of the character's story, in fact, mirrors that of her creator. It must be strange to write a book that is mostly about yourself and then read reviews talking about how hateful your character is.

Security: If you don't have a high tolerance for violence, this is not the book for you, as it is quite violent. I really liked the first part of it because you as the reader have no idea what's going on and you keep turning those pages trying to figure it out. And the second part, where you learn what's going on, is pretty good, too, as long as you can swallow some big coincidences. But the last part?

All of the above have first-person narration and are written in present tense. I know that will seal the deal on those for some of you.

The Freedom Broker: GI Jane Bond with diabetes. It's the sort of book that seems to have been written to be made into a movie. My husband would probably like it--lots of action and guns and explosions and rich people behaving badly. I am surprised that Kirkus gave it such a glowing review, because I found the characters to be about as fleshed out as Flat Stanley. I couldn't finish it (which says a lot), so if anyone does read it, tell me what happens with Thea and her brother at the end.

I know I read some other things, including some nonfiction, but I can't remember any of it at the moment.

 

[skatesindreams]

That might be because Middletown, Ohio in not in Appalachia. Near the far edge, yes; in it, no. And yes, it is quite different.

Sorry, but that's one of my pet peeves about the book or at least about how the book is perceived.

Mine, as well.

My mother grew up in Canada, KY/Pikeville, KY.
Her upbringing could have matched the title; if her parents hadn't worked hard, to assure that she had other options.
My Grandfather encouraged her to leave!

 

[MacMadame]

My Grandfather encouraged her to leave!

This reminds me of a Bowling for Soup song called "My Hometown" The chorus goes:

I hope this song finds you well / And I hope that your doin' f*ckin' swell / I hope that you're back up if you've ever been down / And I hope you got the f*ck out of our hometown!

Everything it comes on the radio I say: I did! I f*cking did!

 

[Winnipeg]

I also really enjoyed Camino Island, great read!

Just starting "Mad"

Skipped the Hillbilly Elegy and am glad I did

 

[oleada]

All The Missing Girls: I just finished this one, in spite of the fact that it annoyed me greatly. The book starts off in one place, suddenly leaps ahead 10 days and goes backward for most of the book, then leaps forward again. I had figured out what happened to Corrinne (well, not the details of it, but the general whodunnit) and knew where she was well before I backtracked to that point. I will say that I did not predict what happened to Annaliese, but she was kind of a side bar. Meh.

You lasted longer than I did. I read the first few chapters and just gave up, because it was just not that interesting.

Been reading what feels like a ton:

The Husband's Secret: As far as Liane Moriarty goes, I much preferred Big Little Lies. I found the characters and story less likable and less interesting. But it was a quick read.

The Roanoke Girls: Meh. It was fine, and the writing was solid, but when it comes to creepy and disturbing books, I preferred All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, which I read last year. After a while, it got old and it was predictable.

When Dimple Met Rishi: A cute YA book that wraps up a little too neatly, but also really adorable. I hadn't read YA in a while, but it was nice to have so much diversity in the book.

The Year of Magical Thinking: I've actually never read any of Didion's work aside from an essay or two. Found this at a used bookstore. Loved it. It was very raw and painful and moving.

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell: This was for a book club. It follows the story of two women in Afghanistan, 100 years apart. It was so depressing; it was just too much. Something in the writing bothered me, but I can't pinpoint what.

Lilac Girls: The cover said this was for people who liked The Nightingale and All The Light We Cannot See, and I liked both, so why not. It was wonderful. All three books are about women, WWII and at least partially set in France, but all different at the same time. I thought the author did a good job of differentiating the voices of the three main characters. I am apparently a moron, because I did not realize that two of the main characters were actual historical figures. If you liked those two books, you'll like this one.

A Long Way Home (on which the movie Lion was based) is next for our book club, so I will probably read that. I also have Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud on my list, if only for the Goodreads reviews:

Vulgar, cruel, and without any redeeming social value. I enjoyed it immensely.

This book is required reading at the National Organization for Offensive Gay Stereotypes ... but I didn’t just read it to get the free caftan

 

[Prancer]

You lasted longer than I did. I read the first few chapters and just gave up, because it was just not that interesting.

I thought it would get more interesting and it did, but not interesting enough for all the smoke and mirrors.

The Year of Magical Thinking: I've actually never read any of Didion's work aside from an essay or two. Found this at a used bookstore. Loved it. It was very raw and painful and moving.

I love Didion and think that book is brilliant, but it is so sad. I can't bring myself to read Blue Nights.

 

[oleada]

I love Didion and think that book is brilliant, but it is so sad. I can't bring myself to read Blue Nights.

I saw Blue Nights near the indie bookstore by my brother's place but could not bring myself to read it yet. Too heartbreaking.

 

[Winnipeg]

Reckless Caring by Koontz was one of the scariest books I have read. It was a page turner but I wanted to stop reading but could not stop.

 

[made_in_canada]

If anyone is looking for a nice, easy summer read check out Zach Anner's book If at Birth You Don't Succeed. I don't usually read books written by comedians but my friend gave it to me and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

 

[Susan1]

Reckless Caring by Koontz was one of the scariest books I have read. It was a page turner but I wanted to stop reading but could not stop.

I have not been able to read any Dean Koontz books for years!!!!!!

 

[Karina1974]

Finally completed my purchasing of L.M. Montgomery's "Selected Journals." Just received Volume V this morning in the mail, after nearly 2 months trying to acquire it. The first time I tried to buy it on Amazon the vendor created a shipping label but never shipped the book, according to UPS. I got the runaround from them and got my $$ refunded. Ordered again (ironically from the same vendor that sold me Volume IV) and finally was able to complete the series.

Amazing, the asking prices for this book. Mine is brand new and I paid $56 for it. I've seen other copies listed for as high as $700-$1,400.

 

[Japanfan]

I love Didion and think that book is brilliant, but it is so sad. I can't bring myself to read Blue Nights.

The two Didion's I have read are 'A Book of Common Prayer' and 'Run River'. The former is perhaps my favorite book of all time in terms of what to me is brilliant writing - poetic, intense and evocative, without sacrificing a good story-line.

As I read books mostly for entertainment (my escape as a wordsmith/editor), I haven't found myself ready to take on any other Didion works, or reread the previous two.

But when people comment that I should be putting my talents as a writer to work, I say that to do that, I would settle for nothing less than the quality of Didion (or Leonard Cohen).

 

[millyskate]

I gave up on "The Ministry of utmost Happiness" by Arundhati Roy. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times in my life I have left a book unfinished - so it's a shame. I loved " The God of small Things" so much I was really excited about this. It really is too fragmented, with no actual plot.

 

[clairecloutier]

I've been spending too much time reading the news, and not enough reading books ... But I did manage to read Black Man in a White Coat by Damon Tweedy, MD. Good and interesting--I definitely recommend it. Tweedy is an African-American psychiatrist. His book focuses, roughly, on the intersection of race and healthcare. He talks about his experiences as one of a small percentage of black students at Duke Medical School, and the lingering racism he sometimes encountered there; why blacks suffer disproportionately from medical issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and heart attack; how lack of health insurance affects African-Americans; and his own struggles with his health, which have centered around bad eating habits and problems with his blood pressure (despite having been an athlete in high school/college). It's all interesting stuff, and he writes well, with sensitivity rather than judgment.

Interestingly, his support of the ACA (Obamacare) is lukewarm. He clearly recognizes the health problems that result when people don't have adequate (or any) health insurance. However, he seems to worry that the ACA was overambitious and that doctors will reject it (or reject patients) because they're not getting paid enough from Medicaid, etc.

 

[Winnipeg]

MAd was okay, strange twist at the end.........

Reading an agatha Christie: the ABC Murders

 

[aftershocks]

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/07/17/242589314

Young former synchro and singles skater pens (and draws) a figure skating-themed graphic novel.

 

[Prancer]

Still cranking through thrillers and mystery/suspense, most of which have not been particularly memorable, with the exception of Before the Fall. After reading the blurb, I expected the book to be about the relationship between the survivors and the mystery of what made the plane crash, but that really wasn't it at all. The book touches on (but doesn't necessarily go into any depth about) what happens to a private citizen who becomes a public figure against his will, fate, the media (especially Fox News, which is, in thinly disguised form, ripped to pieces), and how cynicism and suspicion twist our perceptions. The crash investigation unfolds in the background, a story more than a mystery, and the relationship between the survivors is a minor theme.

 

[gkelly]

So if you had to define the most central theme or plotline of the book, what would it be?

Would you call it thriller, mystery, suspense, or something else??

Do you recommend it?

 

[Prancer]

So if you had to define the most central theme or plotline of the book, what would it be?

Would you call it thriller, mystery, suspense, or something else??

Do you recommend it?

Hmm, those are tougher questions than you might think.

I would call it something else, but I can't explain why without giving away the end. If you are looking for a thriller, I'd say look elsewhere; the story of the plane crash is just a frame for the story, not the point.

I do recommend it, but with the caveat that I think the author was too ambitious in his reach and wanted to say something profound, and he didn't quite get there. There are times when the book really bogs down in failed attempts at insight. But I thought there were still some interesting ideas there.

I had to think about the main theme for a while and the best I can come up with is that our society makes heroes of the wrong kind of men and we are all the worse for those values. But there are other themes that I found more interesting than that one.

The author of the book is the man behind Fargo (the TV series) and I gather there are some similiarities in theme and characters if that helps. There will be a movie of this book and I honestly can't imagine it--so much of the story takes place within characters' heads and I think a lot of people will find the ending quite dissatisfying because it's not what they will expect from something pitched as a thriller. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the movie studio doesn't change the ending.

 

[made_in_canada]

I'm not sure how available it is outside of Canada but I just finished Mary Walsh's book, Crying for the Moon. Because she's a comedian I was expecting something a little more uplifting and though uplifting is the last adjective I'd use to describe it I quite enjoyed it. At times things were a little contrived and I didn't like the ending too much, but my heart broke a bit for the main character and her pain I thought was written really well.

 

[Erin]

Just finished American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, by Colin Woodard. What can I say ... I found this book pretty fascinating. Woodard argues that the U.S. is not really one nation, but 10 separate "nations", or regional cultures, that are held together (tenuously) in the federation framework of the Constitution. (The eleventh nation referenced in the title is influential in Canada, not so much the U.S.)

Woodard argues that the 10 different "nations" or cultures in the U.S. have vied for political power since the 1600s, forming different coalitions to achieve different aims. He feels that most of our politics can be explained or interpreted via the framework of the different cultures. Right now, he sees the U.S. as caught in an epic battle for political control between what he calls the Deep South/Appalachia/Far West sections of the country and the Yankee/Left Coast/New Netherland allied regions. The two sides are diametrically opposed--with neither willing to be subjected to the other's worldview. The author is not sanguine about the future of the U.S. federation.

Quoting a really old post because I finally finished this book (I had to take it out of the library twice to finish it, because the first time I got it was right when I was in the middle of studying for a final exam). Anyway, I would agree that it was fascinating, particularly since I grew up in Saskatchewan, which the author would put as part of the Far West and have moved to Minnesota, part of Yankeedom, so I was interested in trying to see how my experiences into the framework of the book. I can see how a lot of things fit, for example how the "Far West" culture crosses borders, but I do think there are some subtle differences between the Canadian Far West and American version. It would be interesting to see that explored more.

I did find myself infuriated at times while reading - not with the author, but with the some of the behavior of the cultures he was describing, mainly the Deep South. If I'd had to guess while reading the book, I'd have to assume that he was a Yankee (and when I looked it up, sure enough, he's from Maine ) The bias may have come through at times, but it's still a very worthwhile read.

I still haven't been reading nearly as much as I'd like, but did manage to get in two books in the last few weeks. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline is a fictionalized story of Christina Olson, who is the woman in Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World. I was not familiar with Wyeth or the painting (I got the book because I loved another book by the author, Orphan Train), so it probably didn't mean as much to me as someone who is. The book started slowly but did pick up some speed midway through. None of the characters are especially likeable and only Christina is really fleshed out well, but she is at least a strong person and has good traits. Still, I'd say if you're going to read a book by Baker Kline, skip this one and go for Orphan Train instead.

The other one I read was How to Fall In Love With Anyone by Mandy Len Catron. She wrote an article for the New York Times a couple years ago about going on a date where she tried Arthur Aron's 36 Questions that are supposed to make you fall in love with someone (which is probably how I first heard of those questions) and this book expands on the idea and talks about some of the fallacies we have about the "falling in love" story. I heard about the book from another article about relationships and practicalities. It was pretty interesting for me, as someone who is at the little over a year mark in a relationship. I suspect it might not be as interesting for people who are already in a long-term relationship and happy with it, but you never know.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

It's the 50th anniversary of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I have to find my copy on my bookshelves & revisit the Met with Claudia & Jamie, but I don't know if I can stand on the toilet in the bathroom to reenact scenes from the book anymore.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...t_us_596faeede4b0aa14ea76bcd8?section=us_arts

I read A House Among the Trees by Julia Glass. After the untimely death of a well known children's illustrator, his assistant is tasked with making the decisions for his estate. I like to read books about artists & their creative processes. The illustrator in this one is a Maurice Sendak type with Where the Wild Things Are & In the Night Kitchen used as starting points for the descriptions of his books. I didn't mind that the book has longer chapters, like we used to get more often twenty years ago, but overall it was way too long. It would have been a much better read with 35% less pages & character development.

New Boy by Tracy Chevalier is a retelling (over one day instead of five) of Othello, set on an elementary school playground in Washington, DC in the 1970s. It's from a series of rewrites by contemporary novelists called Hogarth Shakespeare. I've read all of TC's books & liked this one the least. It sounded so interesting, & even though several characters held my attention I found it less descriptive than her other books. Maybe it had to do with the parameters of the assignment.