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SusanMargaret

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About SusanMargaret

  • Birthday 07/23/1955

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  1. Thanks Angel. I will add Ruth Rendell to my list of authors for reading material for my Dad.
  2. Oh, I notice you have Madame Bovary on your list. This is the only book of Flaubert's that I have read. Let me know what you think of the book when you have finished. I enjoyed it. The chemist/druggist in the story is a rather humorous and clever fellow.
  3. Angel, That is one big TBR list! I see you have three books listed by Ruth Rendell. I have only read one of her books which was Keys to the Street. I thought this was a pretty good book and I should probably check out more books written by her. Not too long ago I gave this book to my father to read. If I remember correctly the book did not have any smut in it (at least I hope I was right). My dad is 75 years old and he says that he gets sick and tired of all the unnecessary filth that is contained in books these days. Have you read a lot of her books and if so are they fairly void of all the bedroom stuff? My Dad can handle the swearing, he just can't handle it when things get too explicit, and when they do he sends the book flying across the room. Thanks, Susan
  4. Kell, It was because of you that I purchased the book. You did a great review of About the Author and convinced me to read it. Good call.
  5. Yes, The Secret Life of Bees is an enjoyable book to read. I read it a few years back. Janet, have fun discussing it at your book club. Princessponti, I think you are right in that the book was descriptive, I also remember the kitchen in the sisters home. I pictured it as a bright sunny place with huge windows. Wasn't there also a section in the book where bees would come into Lily's bedroom when she lived at home with her father? Or am I thinking of another book? At any rate, The Secret Life of Bees is truely an enjoyable book.
  6. Hi Liz, I thought About the Author was a great book! I was so surprised about how the book ended and had no clue that it would end the way it did. At first I really detested the main character, Cal Cunningham, but then grew to like him and actually had sympathy for him. I think Colapinto is a great writer and I hope he puts out another fiction book soon.
  7. Fahrenheit 451 read more like a mystery/suspense novel to me. It is a fast reading book. If you like mystery/suspense books you might like Fahrenheit if you try it again. In regard to Life of Pi, I have no clue as to what all the hype is about. I would agree with you that the cover, title and back cover overview is a turn off. Even though the book seemed like something I probably would not like, I thought I would give it a try since so many people ranted and raved about it. I gave up on reading the book right before Pi was to leave for Canada. Up to that point, I had to force myself to keep reading almost from page one. I "scanned" the middle of the book and read the ending and was glad that I did not waste my time any further. Maybe it will be a book I would like to read ten years from now, but for today I will leave Pi and his tiger to lay quietly in my jungle of books.
  8. Books read in January 2007: FICTION The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck About The Author by John Colapinto NON-FICTION Golf for Dummies by Gary McCord
  9. Thanks Muggle Not. I love Steinbeck and I will definitely look into that book. I think I have The Old Man and the Sea lying somewhere around the house and I will check that one out too. I have been going to thrift stores and have been picking up the classics and have added them to my reading pile.
  10. Comments on Books Read in December 2006: I finished reading The Stranger by Albert Camus and it is a very short, fast reading book. I enjoyed the book and its story has stayed in my mind since I have finished it. The book is about a young frenchman living in Algiers whose mother recently passed away and what happened to him after his mother's death. I would say more about the story, but do not want to give it away in case there is someone here who has not read the book and plans on reading it. The main character, Meursault, is an indifferent and detached individual. I am not sure if the things that Meursault did are a result of his mourning the loss of his mother (although he never showed any emotions) or if it is because he was a mentally disturbed person prior to his mother's death. I need to do more thinking about this book. Fahrenheit 451 is the first Ray Bradbury book that I have read. This book is the story of a future society where all books and printed material are banned. Fireman do not put out fires they burn books. Individual thinking is discouraged in this future society. If you have not read this book, I would recommend reading it. I read the 50th Anniversary Edition and I particularly enjoyed reading the afterword, the coda, and the interview with Ray Bradbury. In the coda Bradbury talks about how Ballantine editors had censored approximately 75 sections in his novel that was distributed to high school students. Bradbury thought it was rather ironic that sections of his book (Fahrenheit 451) was censored when his book was about censorship and book burning. Not too long ago, I came across a web site which lists books that are banned and or challenged today in American high schools. The following link gives a list of those banned books: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm
  11. Kell, I've ordered this book. It looks good. I love your descriptive term "Hitchcockian"!
  12. Hi Renniemist, I have never read any of Kingsolver's books. Your review of Prodigal Summer has inspired me to check this book out. Does the story take place in the 21st century or is it a historical novel?
  13. Hi Kell, No, I did not read French Women Don't Get Fat. I probably should have read that book first. I really think that her second book should have been promoted as a cookbook. It was not a very interesting or eye-opening book to read. There was nothing new in her book that I have not already read.
  14. French Women for All Seasons written by Mireille Guiliano is a non-fiction book in the health/diet category. The book jacket boasts fresh ideas and new secrets. I did not learn anything new in this book that was not already common sense, such as drinking 8 glasses of water a day and eating in moderation. In regard to the statement promising fresh ideas, the only thing "fresh" is her comment that foods should be eaten in season and fresh. There are several recipes included in Guiliano's book. Some of the recipes look interesting and appear to be easily made. I have to admit that I have not yet tried them. I think my expectations of this book were far greater than what I received. I was looking for exactly what the promotion of this book advertised: Fresh ideas and New Secrets. French Women For All Seasons is basically a cook book peppered with common sense advice, boring stories about the author's life, and directions for tying a scarf umpteen different ways.
  15. Books Read in December 2006: Non-Fiction: The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano Fiction: The Stranger by Albert Camus Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Comments on books read: The Bookseller of Kabul was a fast reading book. While reading the book, I was constantly reminded of how grateful I am to be able to make my own decisions regarding my life. Another good book to read which also talks about the non-freedom of women is Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. After reading Fast Food Nation, I did not eat meat for about a week and a half. I have now added more non-meat meals to my dinner planning. This book was a real eye-opener for me. I had no idea that our cattle were being feed other dead animals (added to the grain) and under what conditions our meat was processed and how inhumanely the workers are treated at meat processing plants here in America. I was totally amazed to learn that McDonald's can pretty much dictate their wants to the cattle industry, whereas our government is fairly ineffectual in enforcing health and safety issues which would benefit the meat processing employees and the consumers. I was also shocked to learn that America's schools, military, and prisons received the worst beef. I only have one word to describe the book French Women For All Seasons: BORING!
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