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

[PrincessLeppard]

I went to the library to pick up a book on East Germany for my research paper, and I finally moved up on the list and Fire and Fury was in for me. I'm only on like page 34 at the moment, but

 

[her grace]

I read a few books that have been mentioned in our book threads:

Okay, this is not a beach read , and probably of limited interest to most, but I just finished A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression. This book looks at how the government responded to food deprivation during the Great Depression, in its relief programs and nutritional advice.

This book was okay. It contained some very interesting anecdotes, e.g., a man who announced at a food bank that he had never taken assistance from anybody and then dropped dead. It was well-researched with a sizeable set of endnotes. However, the organization of the book was somewhat lacking. It wasn't chronological so it felt like re-treading the same ground over and over. I also thought the book could have had a stronger ending--it felt like it just ended without a conclusion. High points for technical merit, lower points for composition and execution. Thanks for the recommendation.


From a previous book thread, @emason recommended Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbons.

So, at the last moment I settled on Nightingale Wood by Stella Gibbons. I have never been able to get into Gibbons' most famous book, Cold Comfort Farm, and I couldn't stand the PBS presentation of it either. Big surprise on Nightingale Wood. It was funny, breezy, a fast easy read and the absolute perfect thing to be reading at the end of a long, lousy year filled with deaths of friends, unexpected family drama, health issues, and the ghastly US election season and results.

This book was fantastic: witty, cheeky, and fun. Much better than Cold Comfort Farm, which I thought was good, but not great. Thanks for the recommendation.


I've also read recently

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware: suspense story set on a boat. This has a Murder on the Orient Express feel because you know that if a murder occurred, it was done by someone(s) on the boat; it differs in that you aren't sure if a murder actually took place because the reliability of the narrator is unclear.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: really lovely book about a magical circus. The writing was artful, the descriptions lush, the plot was a bit plodding (probably could have been shorter), but I enjoyed this immensely.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline: this one was not my cup of tea. To me, it seemed like the author was saying "look, I found some obscure part of history (orphans sent out west to be adopted) so I don't need to develop a plot." Superficial and cliche.

And finally, I attempted to read James Joyce' A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and I just can't. Are all his books written in this stream-of-consciousness, meandering style?

 

[Susan1]

I just read that Mary Daheim's latest Alpine book, starting over with A - Alpha Alpine - is e-reader only (and audio book). Apparently, she didn't even know that was going to happen. Maybe some day it will come out in regular book form.

 

[Mozart]

So many new (and used) books to read. Good thing I'm on disability. In addition to:

The Last Mile David Baldacci
Fool Me Once Harlan Coben
The Late Show Michael Connelly
The Woman in the Window AJ Finn
The Good Nurse Charles Graeber (true crime)
Almost dead Lisa Jackson
Final scream Lisa Jackson
Pretty Baby Mary Kubica (I have and liked The Good Girl)
What She Knew Gilly McMillan
Unraveling Oliver Liz Nugent
Keep Quiet Lisa Scottoline

Trust your eyes Linwood Barclay
The Hit David Baldacci
Miracle cure Harlan Coben
No second chance Harlan Coben
Six Years Harlan Coben
The insider Stephen Frey
A traitor to memory Elizabeth George
The Racketeer John Grisham
Devious Lisa Jackson
Unspoken Lisa Jackson
The Husband Dean Koontz
Damned if you do Robert B Parker
Worst Case James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Sly Fox Janine Pirro
What you see Hank Phillippi Ryan
Empty Promises Ann Rule

I also got (new):
The Fix David Baldacci
Angels Flight Michael Connelly
If you knew her Emily Elgar
Faithful Place Tana French
Ruthless Lisa Jackson
The Prefect Girl Gilly MacMillan
Invasion of Privacy Christopher Reich
The Crow Girl Erik Axl Sund (this book is huge!)
In the Dark, Dark Wood Ruth Ware

I dropped into the used book store to see what they had as their prices are good 3 mass market paperbacks for $5 (but this isn't set in stone) and the owner is a real book lover. I ended up leaving with 30 books for $35 plus a trade paper back. We got to talking about musteries and I said i have never read Agatha Christy so he threw in Murder in Mesopotamia and he asked what else I like and I said non fiction/true crime and he threw in a like new very nice copy of Erik Larson's Thunderstruck and a Clifford Olson biography.

There I got (used):
No time for Goodbye Linwood Barclay
Murder in Mesopotamia Agatha Christy

Drop Shot
Gone for Good
Home
Tell no one Harlon Coben
The black box Michael Connelly
The Olson Murders Jon Ferry and Damian Inwood

Deep Freeze
Expecting to Die
Hot Blooded
Left to Die
Shiver
Wicked lies Lisa Jackson
Thunderstruck Erik Larson

Betrayal
The Hearing
The Hunter
The Mercy Rule
The Suspect John Lescroart
The Accident Chris Pavone

Chosen Prey
Easy Prey
Mortal Prey
Naked Prey
Storm Front John Sanford

Betrayed
Come Home
Dirty Blonde
Mistaken Identity
Moment of Truth Lisa Scottoline

Blindsided
Faithless
Fractured Karin Slaughter


If I disappear for a few months you'll know why.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

I highly recommend Fire and Fury. It isn't really about Trump per se; it's about the people around him and the jockeying for position in the Oval Office.

The news just announced that MacMaster may be on the way out, and after reading the book, I'm surprised he's lasted this long.

 

[clairecloutier]

Last year I read a book called American Nations, which argued that there are 11 different regional cultures in North America. The book had a bibliography of other relevant works. I recently read one of those other works: Deep South by Allison Davis, Burleigh B. Gardner, and Mary R. Gardner.

This book was interesting on a couple levels, so I'll just say a few words about it (forgive the length of this post!). I thought this book would be a history of the Deep South; it's not. It's a seriously well-researched anthropological study of the city/county area of Natchez, Mississippi, during the Jim Crow era. The research was done circa 1935 and the book published in 1941. It's a lot of information at 500+ pages, but is a complete portrait of that society at that time. The authors cover everything from the characteristics of each social class in the white/black class/caste structure, to details of cotton production under the sharecropping system, to living standard of black sharecroppers, ending with a devastating chapter on blacks' treatment in the court system.

The book makes clear that this is a society that had not significantly evolved at all in the 70 years between the end of the Civil War and 1935, in terms of attitudes toward blacks and their social position.

A notable aspect of the book was the cool, detached tone of the writing. The authors report much information that is quite disturbing--yet the tone remains scholarly, with not the slightest trace of judgment. The strikingly dispassionate tone--plus the great level of detail and quotes offered--was so interesting that I found myself wondering, Who wrote this book?

So I did a bit of searching online. I found that the lead author, Allison Davis, was a renowned scholar who was the first African-American to hold a full faculty position at a white university in the U.S. (University of Chicago). He was a graduate of a Washington D.C. segregated high school who did undergrad study at Williams and graduate work at Harvard. In addition to his work studying racism in the South, he was among the first scholars to study & question cultural bias in standardized intelligence tests. Davis was joined in his field work on this book by his wife, fellow African-American scholar Elizabeth Stubbs Davis. The Davises are pictured here (scroll down for photo). Elizabeth did much of the interviewing work with black women in Natchez. Considering the racism the Davises undoubtedly faced in their own lives, it seems doubly impressive how rigorous, academic, and dispassionate their work on this book was. These two must have been an extraordinary couple!

An interesting side note: The Davises had 2 sons, both of whom are now prominent lawyers. The first son, Allison S. Davis, founded the civil rights law firm where Barack Obama worked before going into politics. The second son, Gordon J. Davis, has served in many civic leadership positions in New York City.

To contrast what the Davises accomplished, against the attitudes expressed by the white people in this book toward their racial group, is ironic, to say the very least.

 

[Susan1]

@Susan1, I thought you might be interested in this mystery-suspense book: Not That I Could Tell. It won't be out until March 27th, but from the blurb: Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs,

I am definitely going to have to read it. @genevieve might want to give it a shot, too.

I just reserved this book. I am 5 of 5 and it's not even out yet! She has a previous book, Almost Missed You. I forget if that is a mystery or thriller or what.

Also, from the March library magazine - Best Friends Forever by Margot Hunt. Her first psychological thriller after writing romances. I'm the first hold on that.

And Alison Gaylin's new book, If I Die Tonight. I am 7 of 7 on the reserve list and it's not in the library yet. She has 9 previous books, some in series, but I thought I would try the latest standalone first and then look into the others.

I've read the first two Robert Crais books, but the third one (1992!) is not in the library (the two from the 1980s were? and the next two are). I'll have to interlibrary reserve it to stay in order. There are 13 more, including The Wanted from 2017.

 

[nubka]

I'm just finishing up Alma Rose - Vienna to Auschwitz, by Richard Newman with Karen Kirtley. It's my second time reading this book, but I often re-read books.

 

[Susan1]

Checking for new James Pattersons -

The President Is Missing 6/4/18
"A sitting U.S. President is missing. President Bill Clinton partners with #1 bestselling author James Patterson in a powerful, one-of-a-kind thriller filled with the kind of insider details that only a President can know." Wonder if he wishes a certain one was missing and stayed that way. ha ha

And the 17th Women's Murder Club is out April 30. I think I better reserve it now so I'm not 54th or something!

 

[Mozart]

I finished the Good Nurse so now I'm readin If you knew her by emily elgar. m laighing at one of the critical acclaim commennts they included on the back cover " a welcome addition to the ranks of coma lit....". So British lol

 

[clairecloutier]

I just finished another book about Sylvia Plath (yes, I have a minor Plath obsession, or maybe just a strong interest shall we say ): The Silent Woman by Janet Malcolm. This book was originally published around 1990, and it's not really about Plath so much, as it is about her husband Ted Hughes, his sister, and the other biographers who have written about Plath, especially Anne Stevenson. It's kind of an odd book, I wouldn't really recommend it except to Plath aficionados. The most interesting aspect of it is Malcolm's detailed descriptions of, and quotes from, the Hugheses, Stevenson, and others who knew Plath and/or have written about her. (Malcolm met and corresponded with many of them.)

 

[missing]

I just finished another book about Sylvia Plath (yes, I have a minor Plath obsession, or maybe just a strong interest shall we say ): The Silent Woman by Janet Malcolm. This book was originally published around 1990, and it's not really about Plath so much, as it is about her husband Ted Hughes, his sister, and the other biographers who have written about Plath, especially Anne Stevenson. It's kind of an odd book, I wouldn't really recommend it except to Plath aficionados. The most interesting aspect of it is Malcolm's detailed descriptions of, and quotes from, the Hugheses, Stevenson, and others who knew Plath and/or have written about her. (Malcolm met and corresponded with many of them.)

I read a biography once, probably of Ted Hughes because I don't think I ever read one of Sylvia Plath, and it said that during their marriage, they briefly considered owning and running a bed and breakfast.

The concept was so funny that I've remembered it for many many years. I guess it would be the Heartbreak Hotel times infinity.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

I read Toni Morrison's Home for my class. I've never read Morrison before, so I didn't know what to expect, but I really liked it. It's short and she sort of beats you over the head with the message (HOME DAMMIT) , but it was an interesting read. (An African American Korean War vet returns home and has to deal with all this....stuff.)

I also read After the Wall by Jana Hensel, and I really enjoyed it because it's about East Germany. Jana was 12 or 13 when the wall came down and her life since then has been an identity struggle. She doesn't have the same childhood memories as other students, she speaks German but is more like a refugee in terms of learning a whole new system. Her country is gone. And while she doesn't pine for East Germany, I think she is trying to get across how difficult it was for many people, and that lots of West Germans think they should just get over it and accept what happened. Also a fast read.

 

[Mozart]

Finished if you knew her- good
Perfect girl- just ok
Fool me once. Man the ending was so unbelievable. You let me down Harlon coben
I'm currently reading In the dark dark wood by ruth ware with either what she knewor the late show on deck

 

[Prancer]

I've been reading musician autobiographies.

Pat Benatar--she describes herself as a normal person who happens to have been a rock star once upon a time, and that's pretty much how she comes across. The only negative stories in the book have to do with record company contracts (a theme in every musician book ); otherwise, she likes or at least has something nice to say about everybody, thinks her husband is amazing after all these years, and is pretty content with life as she lives it. Even her comments about her first husband, with whom she clearly did not get along, are pretty neutral, brief, and matter of fact. She didn't do drugs, she didn't drink, she got along with people......

Belinda Carlisle--how is this woman still alive? She is kind of the anti-Pat Benatar--years and years of self-destructive behavior and so lots of stories. She's clearly had therapy and attended many AA meetings in recent years, so there's a lot of "my messed-up childhood made me an adult idiot who hid from all her problems" discussion, but my--the Go-Gos were aptly named.

Henry Rollins--I had to stop reading this one before I finished because I couldn't stand all the stories of people beating the crap out of one another and how awesome it all was. I understand that this was part of the punk scene, but not for me.

Harry Belafonte--I checked this one out of the library only because it was available and the others were waitlisted, but I found it the most interesting one of the lot. I didn't know much about Belafonte and so had no idea that he was so involved in the civil rights movement. He knew a lot of people and has a lot of stories to tell--some of them just to needle Sidney Poitier .

Kim Gordon--just starting this one.

 

[oleada]

The other book I read was Prairie Fires, a new biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is the best biography, by far, that I have yet read of Wilder or her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. It is wonderful in providing a lot of historical context to her life. The author doesn't just report the events of the Ingalls' lives but looks at how they fit into the larger economic picture of life in the West. The underlying conclusion is that much of the myth that has grown up around the American West, including some perpetuated by Wilder herself, is just that--myth. I've seen some criticism that the book contains TOO much historical background--but not for me. I found it fascinating.

I finished this one and it was excellent! I read some of the Little House books as a kid, as I was learning English, but not all. It provided some great historical context and a lot of background. Rose Wilder Lane sounds like quite the difficult person.

I started The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, who wrote The Nightingale which was one of my favorite reads last year. It's quite promising so far.

Ugh, well, the start was promising. But boy did it unravel into soap opera melodrama.

Spoiler

She gets pregnant and they kill the abusive dad and then the boyfriend has a TBI while they were running away, and then she and her mom live under assumed identities and then she returns to Alaska after her mom's death, gets arrested and then of course the boyfriend miraculously recovers

I loved The Nightingale but this is probably my least favorite book I've read all year.

Thanks to @Marge_Simpson I've decided to try the Popsugar Reading Challenge and I'm glad that one of the promos is true crime because I'm excited to read I'll be gone in the dark.

 

[Wyliefan]

I just finished another book about Sylvia Plath (yes, I have a minor Plath obsession, or maybe just a strong interest shall we say ): The Silent Woman by Janet Malcolm. This book was originally published around 1990, and it's not really about Plath so much, as it is about her husband Ted Hughes, his sister, and the other biographers who have written about Plath, especially Anne Stevenson. It's kind of an odd book, I wouldn't really recommend it except to Plath aficionados. The most interesting aspect of it is Malcolm's detailed descriptions of, and quotes from, the Hugheses, Stevenson, and others who knew Plath and/or have written about her. (Malcolm met and corresponded with many of them.)

I read that for a college course and liked it, though I hadn't read any Plath (and still haven't). The way it was put together was so interesting. IIRC, it was as much a book about the complexities of writing a biography as it was a biography itself.

 

[Japanfan]

I've gotten 'Fifteen Dogs' out of the library. Although I've been looking forward to reading it, I find that I've no motivation to read it because the premise doesn't appeal to me. Anyone recommend I overcome my reluctance?

 

[Susan1]

I saw this one in my library magazine - Best Friends Forever by Margot Hunt. It is her first psychological thriller. I hope she writes more.

 

[clairecloutier]

Someone here (I think @dinakt?) read In a Dark Wood Wandering, so I decided to give it a try. I enjoyed this book. It's historical fiction set in France in the late 1300s/early 1400s. Joan of Arc is a character in the book, but not the main character; the protagonist is Charles d'Orleans, who was first cousin to one French king and father of another king. What makes this book different from most historical fiction is that Charles is a contemplative, philosophical figure, rather than the charismatic "man of action" type often found at the center of such books. The main question is basically, What is your life like when you are born into a noble family in a feudal warring society, but your own character is not that of a leader or fighter, but a poet or scholar? It's kind of an interesting premise & I enjoyed the book. It does not have a propulsive plot or particularly colorful characters, but it paints an interesting picture of a long-ago time and way of life.

I also read A People's History of Quebec, which is a short 200-page overview of Quebecois history by Jacques Lacoursiere. I must say I didn't find this book very satisfying. It recounts the basic historical events but it doesn't bring Quebec's history to life nor give much insight into the character and nature of the society. The book dragged, despite being so short. It was originally written in French, so I'm assuming something must have been lost in translation. (BTW if anyone can recommend a better book on the history of Quebec, in English, let me know.)

 

[Prancer]

22 Ambassadors Recommend the One Book to Read Before Visiting Their Country

Some interesting recommendations, some for countries that are off the beaten path.

 

[MsZem]

22 Ambassadors Recommend the One Book to Read Before Visiting Their Country

Some interesting recommendations, some for countries that are off the beaten path.

We should do an FSU version of this. American FSUers can stick with the US in general, or maybe focus on their own state.

Anyone interested?

 

[her grace]

I finished reading Little Fires Everywhere. I really liked this one! Good pacing, engrossing plot, and artful characterization.

Spoiler

I got hung up on Bebe's attorney's asking Mrs. McCullough about whether a Chinese Barbie existed. The book is set in 1998, and I remember that an Asian-American Barbie existed at that time named Kira. Then I fell down the internet rabbit hole, reading about Barbies, and indeed there was a "vaguely" Asian-American friend of Barbie named Kira available in 1998. Mattel didn't label Kira as any particular ethnicity and not even as an Asian-American, but it's clear that this doll used the same face mold as some of the Asian dolls in Barbie's Dolls of the World Series from the 1980's. This blog post Tracing the History of Asian Barbie contains a fascinating look at Mattel's rather inadequate attempts at Asian representation.

Also, agreed with @Erin that I don't like how Izzy's story got cut off at the ending without a resolution. I don't know why the author would do that, unless she's planning on writing a sequel.

 

[oleada]

I'm a bad Colombian who has never read 100 Years of Solitude. It's my dad's favorite book, though.

I read A Wrinkle in Time. It fits into a number of the categories in the PopSugar Challenge but I'm using it for "Book that takes place in another planet". I don't know. I didn't really like it and reading it felt like a chore. Maybe you need to read it when you're a kid. I thought it felt really flat.

I also read You by Caroline Kepnes for "A book about a villain or antihero". It's the very ****ed up tale of a stalker who obsesses about a woman he meets, stalks her on social media and inserts herself into his life. Definitely an unreliable narrator The main character, Joe, is awful, but at the same time, he has some great insights and is quite engaging. It's a quick read. It's written in second person which rarely works but works with this narrator. There's also absolutely no likable characters, except maybe Ethan.

 

[Erin]

22 Ambassadors Recommend the One Book to Read Before Visiting Their Country

Some interesting recommendations, some for countries that are off the beaten path.

I obviously haven't done a great job of the recommended reading - I've been to ten of the countries and only read one of the books, Atonement, which I did read before I went to the U.K. I suppose I could catch up on the other nine though. I also have the opportunity to read the opportunity to read the Sweden and Norway books before heading there this summer.

We should do an FSU version of this. American FSUers can stick with the US in general, or maybe focus on their own state.

Anyone interested?

I love the idea although I confess to drawing a blank at the moment on what to recommend for either Canada or Minnesota. I feel like I could come up with something good for the former with a bit of thought, as I went through a Canadian author phase in my late 20s. The former might be harder. Most of the books I've read set in Minnesota are fun to read if you live here and can spot the landmarks but aren't really something I'd recommend for someone before they visit.

 

[jeffisjeff]

Has anyone read the Harry Hole series? B&N is recommending it for me, but I've never heard of it.

 

[Prancer]

Has anyone read the Harry Hole series? B&N is recommending it for me, but I've never heard of it.

Harry Hole is Scandinavian. If you like Scandinavian mysteries, you will probably love Harry Hole, who is a burned-out/cynical/jaded detective.

Thinking about books for the US.....having a hard time narrowing it down to just one.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

There is a mystery writer who lives in Nebraska and her books take place in a fictional Nebraska town, but I am completely drawing a blank on who it is. I read the first book she released and liked it, but never picked up any of the others.

I'm reading Odysseus in America, which uses the story of the The Odyssey to discuss veterans returning home from Vietnam. The author says you don't have to have read the The Odyssey to get it, and he includes lots of excerpts from it, but I think it would be a struggle if you were completely unfamiliar with it. But I'm really enjoying it.

 

[jeffisjeff]

Harry Hole is Scandinavian. If you like Scandinavian mysteries, you will probably love Harry Hole, who is a burned-out/cynical/jaded detective.

Thinking about books for the US.....having a hard time narrowing it down to just one.

I hadn't noticed Zemgirl's suggestion when I posted about Harry Hole! I like Wallender, so I guess I will give Harry a try even though he isn't American.

 

[Prancer]

I hadn't noticed Zemgirl's suggestion when I posted about Harry Hole! I like Wallender, so I guess I will give Harry a try even though he isn't American.

I actually wasn't trying to connect the two. I am not fond of Scandinavian mysteries, although everyone else seems to love them, so that was my first thought.