Jump to content

Your Book Activity - January 2017


chesilbeach

Recommended Posts

As for The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year, I really can't remember when I read it now - a couple of years ago maybe? - but I wrote quite a strong review on how much I didn't like it. Not sure if I just didn't *get* it as such, but wasn't particularly enthused by any characters and I didn't really see what it was aiming at in the long-run. I also know a few people on here felt the same. :yes:

 

Not saying you should give it up if you don't want to... but there's so many other wonderful books to read. :P

 

 

I tried that a few years ago but I hated it.  I wanted to slap the woman and tell her to get up!  :blush:

 

The thing is, when I read this book some years ago, I really enjoyed it! I seem to be in the minority here :) If I'd been doing all the housework for 17 years and had a husband like Brian, and the kids were finally gone, who knows maybe I would've liked to take to bed, too! I think Eva's felt very isolated in her own home, within her own family, and she's gone a bit bonkers. I've suffered depression in the past so I know something about what it's like when it's all not that great. Townsend deals with it in a funny way as she always does, but when you get down to it, a mental issue is a serious thing. But maybe that's just how I'm reading it and not the way Townsend meant it at all. 

 

In any case, I wasn't going anywhere with it, so I'll re-read it some other time :)  I then picked up Risteily by Mats Strandberg. A very popular Swedish novel, that's made its way to Finland. It's about a Sweden-Finland-Sweden cruise that goes horribly wrong... I'm not sure if it's appropriate reading material for me as I'm going on a cruise in two weeks! :D

 

I would say no... except there are an awful lot of footnotes in it which, if I was reading the paper book, I would find frustrating. Some of them I've just ignored because they are explaining who people are and I haven't needed to read them, but there is a chapter were a lot of the dialogue is in French so I've needed them for that.  On the Kindle I just just click on them and the footnote pops up.  If you can, I would suggest looking at a library copy rather than buying it.  I hope that doesn't sound patronising - it's not meant to.  :)  The language is fine and you'd have no problems with that at all. 

 

I'm really enjoying the story though.

 

Oh boy, footnotes can make one punch oneself in the eye :unsure: The Kindle version sounds like a winner :D And that's a good tip, re: borrowing the book from the library, and not patronizing at all! I will take your advice for sure, thanks! :smile2: 

 

Also need to get cracking on my 2017 thread! I wasn't sure whether I would do one but think I will. It may inspire me to read more?! :)

 

I was going through all the new 2017 reading logs and noticed you'd not started one. I wish you would, but no pressure :)  But yes, it might inspire you to read more ;):D

Edited by frankie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 204
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

The thing is, when I read this book some years ago, I really enjoyed it! I seem to be in the minority here :) If I'd been doing all the housework for 17 years and had a husband like Brian, and the kids were finally gone, who knows maybe I would've liked to take to bed, too! I think Eva's felt very isolated in her own home, within her own family, and she's gone a bit bonkers. I've suffered depression in the past so I know something about what it's like when it's all not that great. Townsend deals with it in a funny way as she always does, but when you get down to it, a mental issue is a serious thing. But maybe that's just how I'm reading it and not the way Townsend meant it at all.

 

That's fair enough. Re-reading my review from January 2014 (posted three years today, in fact!) it seems like I just couldn't swallow the overly ridiculous plot, and I don't think I found it that funny either. I've suffered from depression too in the past, and can understand what Eva felt drawn to do - and more generally, what Townsend was aiming for - but together it just didn't work for me. But hey, some books work for some people, some don't. Life would be boring if we enjoyed all the same ones, right? :yes:

 

In other reading news for me, I finally got a long period of time to settle down with Zadie Smith's On Beauty and finished it off in a three-hour or so burst last night. To be honest, I really enjoyed it. I've heard some people say that it's hard to love it because none of the characters are exactly people you would like to go for a beer with, but I liked that: not many authors do flawed human existence and everyday life as well as Smith. Her writing is flawless - with exquisite descriptions and hilarious observations - and the plot, although secondary in my eyes, just about sustains itself. Slightly trite ending but very much worth a read.

 

Struggling a bit to decide what to read next - so many choices. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's fair enough. Re-reading my review from January 2014 (posted three years today, in fact!) it seems like I just couldn't swallow the overly ridiculous plot, and I don't think I found it that funny either. I've suffered from depression too in the past, and can understand what Eva felt drawn to do - and more generally, what Townsend was aiming for - but together it just didn't work for me. But hey, some books work for some people, some don't. Life would be boring if we enjoyed all the same ones, right? :yes:

 

That's definitely true, different strokes for different folks :smile2: 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was going through all the new 2017 reading logs and noticed you'd not started one. I wish you would, but no pressure :)  But yes, it might inspire you to read more ;):D

I am getting there, I'm just about to type up my TBR's onto a Word document then I will crack on with it! Thanks for the encouragement! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am getting there, I'm just about to type up my TBR's onto a Word document then I will crack on with it! Thanks for the encouragement! :)

 

Oh yay! :smile2: I hope there will be no great big distractions and you can finish it in one go! :) Obi and Jojo, behave :D <3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've nearly finished The Poisonous Seed by Linda Stratmann. Good but not great, and it is dragging a bit towards the end. Not sure what to read next.....I'm thinking either Middlesex or The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've nearly finished The Poisonous Seed by Linda Stratmann. Good but not great, and it is dragging a bit towards the end. Not sure what to read next.....I'm thinking either Middlesex or The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

 

 

Middlesex!  Go on.   :D

 

Yes! Middlesex!! 

 

Or The Amazing Adventures!! 

 

Either one! Oh my god you can't fail with this choice :D It's win-win! :exc: 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've started an autobiography of Madeleine Albright's childhood living through WWII. It's 750 pages, but very good and I've admired her for a long time. I'm 200 pages in.

 

Oh ! I didn`t know she`d written one. Off to look it up now. :D

 

I`m starting off the year with some rereads- Rita Mae Brown`s Mrs Murphy series. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thing is, when I read this book some years ago, I really enjoyed it! I seem to be in the minority here :) If I'd been doing all the housework for 17 years and had a husband like Brian, and the kids were finally gone, who knows maybe I would've liked to take to bed, too! I think Eva's felt very isolated in her own home, within her own family, and she's gone a bit bonkers. I've suffered depression in the past so I know something about what it's like when it's all not that great. Townsend deals with it in a funny way as she always does, but when you get down to it, a mental issue is a serious thing. But maybe that's just how I'm reading it and not the way Townsend meant it at all.

I in no way meant to be rude about anyone with depression - I didn't realise that's what was wrong with the woman - I just thought she was lazy.

 

I don't recall any of what I read, but I've just searched for, and found, the post I made when I tried it:

 

Sadly I've given up on The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year:(   I got up to page 156, so I gave it a good try, but the characters were just awful and I felt no empathy towards 'The Woman' or her family.  Frankly I couldn't care less if she stayed in bed for ever!    :blush:

 

I'd have thought that by 156 I'd have worked out she was suffering from depression, but whilst it's not a condition I've (thankfully) ever had, I do have a very good friend who suffers and would never knowingly criticise anyone - or want to slap them.  I'm sorry if I came across as intolerant. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh ! I didn`t know she`d written one. Off to look it up now. :D

 

I`m starting off the year with some rereads- Rita Mae Brown`s Mrs Murphy series. :)

Omg it's so good, I have 100 pages left of 750 and it's only been 3 days! It's called Prague Winter.

 

I think my next book will either be As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner or Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. My mom and I want to start 1984 on the 10th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I in no way meant to be rude about anyone with depression - I didn't realise that's what was wrong with the woman - I just thought she was lazy.

 

I don't recall any of what I read, but I've just searched for, and found, the post I made when I tried it:

 

Sadly I've given up on The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year:(   I got up to page 156, so I gave it a good try, but the characters were just awful and I felt no empathy towards 'The Woman' or her family.  Frankly I couldn't care less if she stayed in bed for ever!    :blush:

 

I'd have thought that by 156 I'd have worked out she was suffering from depression, but whilst it's not a condition I've (thankfully) ever had, I do have a very good friend who suffers and would never knowingly criticise anyone - or want to slap them.  I'm sorry if I came across as intolerant. 

 

Oh, I didn't mean to imply she was suffering from depression. I only meant that in my viewing she was having some sort of mental issue. I was talking about depression because it's another mental issue and I have some knowledge of it. I didn't in any way mean to imply that you were in any way intolerant! Our readings are so different from one another. Like I said, maybe Townsend didn't mean it to be read as a story of someone who is having mental issues. I mean maybe she was just lazy and I gave more meaning to her staying in bed than there really was. It's so many years ago that I can't really remember what the case was in actuality, if it was ever really explained in the book. It's just that now I'm viewing it as a rather sad story about someone who's breaking down in some way. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I in no way meant to be rude about anyone with depression - I didn't realise that's what was wrong with the woman - I just thought she was lazy.

 

I don't recall any of what I read, but I've just searched for, and found, the post I made when I tried it:

 

Sadly I've given up on The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year. :( I got up to page 156, so I gave it a good try, but the characters were just awful and I felt no empathy towards 'The Woman' or her family. Frankly I couldn't care less if she stayed in bed for ever! :blush:

 

I'd have thought that by 156 I'd have worked out she was suffering from depression, but whilst it's not a condition I've (thankfully) ever had, I do have a very good friend who suffers and would never knowingly criticise anyone - or want to slap them. I'm sorry if I came across as intolerant.

Speaking as someone who has suffered from depression (as you know) and someone who is friends with you (as I hope you know :giggle2: ) I certainly didn't take offence or find you intolerant.

 

By contrast, I have found Townsend's books (other than Mole) to inspire feelings of intolerance in me! It wasn't that one that I've found the worst, I'd have to google the title, but I definitely remember wanting to slap the lead character!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Middlesex!  Go on.   :D

 

Sorry, I picked The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay! However, Middlesex will probably be after that. :D

 

 

Yes! Middlesex!! 

 

Or The Amazing Adventures!! 

 

Either one! Oh my god you can't fail with this choice :D It's win-win! :exc:

 

 

The Amazing Adventures... is good so far. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finished listening to The Summer Before The War by Helen Simonson and also finished reading The Snow Merchant by Sam Gayton yesterday.

 

I bought myself the audiobook of Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope for the English Counties challenge, which I also have on Kindle so can use the Whispersync option to switch between reading and listening.

 

Going to start another Christmas present book today - The Secret Cooking Club by Laurel Remington - another children's book, but I did seem to get a glut of them this year! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been slowly getting through Mark Twain's Notebooks, which are quite interesting, and Broadmoor Revealed by Mark Stevens, which is great. I also started reading Round the Christmas Fire late last year, and even though the season is now over, I plan to keep reading it. I'm only up to the second story so far...at this rate I'll be finished by Christmas this year! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had a fantastic reading start to my year - since January 1st I have read 5 books (and have started my 6th) with a total of 1,961 pages read.  I'm really happy with that and must try to keep up the pace and not fall into yet another reading slump.  I really need to go and update my reading log too - that is a job for this afternoon!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been slowly getting through Mark Twain's Notebooks, which are quite interesting, and Broadmoor Revealed by Mark Stevens, which is great.

 

I'm sure I've read Broadmoor Revealed, but according to Amazon I haven't purchased it. :o  I definitely read a book on Broadmoor a couple of years ago. I can't remember a lot about it but I know it was fascinating at the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not reading at all!  :o 

 

My reading mojo has ground to a halt, but I am not panicking (just yet). I will tidy my bookshelves later in a hope of triggering a reading want and I will also tidy up my collections on the kindle. If that fails I will revert to an old favourite that is yet to be decided.  

 

:readingtwo:  It's good to get the missing mojo ever and done with early in the year. *gulp*

 

  :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not reading at all!  :o

 

My reading mojo has ground to a halt, but I am not panicking (just yet). I will tidy my bookshelves later in a hope of triggering a reading want and I will also tidy up my collections on the kindle. If that fails I will revert to an old favourite that is yet to be decided.  

 

:readingtwo:  It's good to get the missing mojo ever and done with early in the year. *gulp*

 

  :D

 

:empathy:  :empathy:   I was actually going to tidy my bookshelves, too, as they need dusting!  Remember how Lorelai wanted Luke to paint the diner and she made up that painting song? :D I wonder if we could come up with a bookshelf tidying song! If you come up with anything, record it and send it over! :D 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had a fantastic reading start to my year - since January 1st I have read 5 books (and have started my 6th) with a total of 1,961 pages read.  I'm really happy with that and must try to keep up the pace and not fall into yet another reading slump.  I really need to go and update my reading log too - that is a job for this afternoon!

 

Wow, you've been reading a lot!! I hope you read some great books :).

 

My reading mojo has ground to a halt, but I am not panicking (just yet). I will tidy my bookshelves later in a hope of triggering a reading want and I will also tidy up my collections on the kindle. If that fails I will revert to an old favourite that is yet to be decided.  

 

:readingtwo:  It's good to get the missing mojo ever and done with early in the year. *gulp*

 

  :D

What a nice positive outlook :). I find that sometimes it can spark my reading mood / mojo if I look at my bookshelves or organise them. I hope you'll feel more like reading soon :).

 

I'm just over halfway through in Blake Charlton - Spellwright 2: Spellbound. I'm enjoying it so far, though on occasion I'm a tiny bit confused. I think it's just because I'm tired so I can't pay as much attention as when I'm not tired. I'm enjoying the book anyway though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I just finished reading Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff, and it was glorious.  Both funny and touching, in equal measure.  5/5

 

That's it for Hanff -- I've read all of her six now.  I miss her already.  :lol:

 

Onward, onward, to The Great Forgetting by James Renner, which sounds like a trip and a half, and I can't wait to dive in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is going well. And today I bought The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. My Kindle TBR pile is rapidly approaching 300 (in fact, this purchase may have pushed it over). :blush2:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...