pontalba

I've got it, and it'll probably be my next read. Thanks for the great review.

Sounds good to me! Made more progress in Regeneration today, and a surprise! We stopped at B&N, only to look you understand, and I read a few pages in The Passage by Justin Cronin. I actually put the book back on the shelf. I mentioned to my OH that I'd skimmed it and it looked good. The next time I saw him, he had The Passage in his hand and we were headed to the checkout counter. He's so adorable. /sigh/ I'm enjoying it very much, Barker's writing is so simply put, seemingly, but not at all. Know what I mean?

My OH recently read House of Leaves. He decided to read it in two passes. First the main pages, then the footnotes. I wouldn't say it's his favorite, but it definitely grew on him, and I've decided that I will read it.......someday. Right now, I've made a pretty good start, 72 pages, on Regeneration by Pat Barker. It's the first of a trilogy. So far so good. I was a bit wary even though the synopsis led me to believe I'd enjoy them. The wariness came in when I read a small splurp on the front that compared Barker to Hemingway.....I practically threw Farewell to Arms across the room, only a third read, but happily I don't see the so called similarity. Yay!

Just finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the pie. Adorable! Flavia is a wonderful character.

I have Defiance [the book] waiting in the wings as well. No wonder the brothers didn't want to talk about the war...but I'm glad we've heard the story now. It needed telling. We watched the Simon Brett version of The Hound of the Baskervilles last night, and North by Northwest with the amazing Gary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. I just wish James Mason had been given more screen time.

I've had this in my stack for several years, somehow it just hasn't made it to the top yet. I've heard lots of good things about it though. Started The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie last night, am enjoying it.

I managed to read a little in Sweetness last night, and love the voice. Thanks for the nudge Readwine.

There are three out now, listed on Amazon. I have the first, and Mac, I think you've made my decision as to what to pick up next easier. Actually, I'd almost forgotten I'd pulled it from the pile a few days ago in preparation. Get a load of this as well, I ran across it by accident on Amazon just now! http://www.amazon.com/Ms-Holmes-Baker-Street-Sherlock/dp/0888644159/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1290743698&sr=8-6

Yup, I have the newer one as well. Wish I could get the original.

Finished World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler, review in my blog thread. I'm not sure what to start next. Nothing jumps out of the pile. /sigh/

I finished World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler this morning about 3 a.m. No, it wasn't because it was such a riveting read. I'd have to say because I just wanted to get it over with. By 3/4ths of the way through the book, yes, I am slow, I finally realized that there would be no break through, nor would there be a denouement in store for the reader. This was a gentle dystopian novel that bumped along with a few interesting stories. Now I realize that the words "gentle" and "dystopian" rarely fit into the same sentence. Here it is appropriate I think, with it's somewhat typical characters reacting in a fairly typical manner. World Made by Hand chronicles one summer in a small town, or what's left of it after what seems to have been a war with multiple bombings taking out main cities in the United States. They don't know what has happened overseas, of course, no communication with anything further away than a few miles up the road. Yes, there are "lessons" to be learned....how humans react under pressure of course, but there is nothing new, no twist that makes this tale special for me. I had high hopes, the writing is a straightforward but rich prose that held great promise. Yes, I will look for his other books, but not avidly as I would have if WMbH had lived up to my expectations. Recommended but with some restraint. 2.5/5

Ok, please define OFSTED..... And.....155....wowzer!!

We watched Defiance tonight...Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber. Heartbreaking and wonderful.

Ah was purely tongue-in-cheek. Just couldn't resist the opportunity! Truth is, there are, in some circles, some that still refer to Northerners of a certain mind-set in that fashion. I've been sorely tempted on occasion at the old New York Times American History forum...now defunct. They had a rather narrow minded view of any and all Southerners. There was no convincing them that every Southerner was not a racist. Hah, I felt like telling them to look to themselves, but it would, I'm afraid, have fallen on deaf ears. And besides, my OH is of the Northern persuasion, and is definitely not a "Yankee"! Apologies to all for the thread digression.

Hey there Louiseog!! Verra long time, no see. Glad to see you back.

I just noticed your review of Vlad...I'm wondering if it's the same I read some years ago. Fascinating character. The version I read was fairly graphic of his various execution methods, and wasn't his wife pretty gruesome as well? Blood baths, literally and that sort of thing? Anyhow, good review! I'm trotting over to amazon now....... Added in Edit: It was one of these, not sure these years later. http://www.amazon.com/Vlad-Impaler-Real-Dracula-Biography/dp/1599862026/ref=pd_sim_b_2 or http://www.amazon.com/Vlad-Impaler-Search-Real-Dracula/dp/0750935227/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290475928&sr=1-3

We watched Oliver Stone's JFK last night. Wow, hasn't lost it's impact!

I can understand that. Managed to get about halfway through, p 144 of World Made By Hand. Not going in the expected direction, and am trying to decide if that's a good or bad thing.....

Honey Chile, this here is a lil ole Southern Gal.....don't you be referrin' ta me as a Yank[ee]! Seriously though... Why does it have to be divided only between Americans and Europeans? There are other continents, other spheres of influence. What about them? I think people that are at least fairly serious readers are more or less the same the world over, whatever their cultural influence happens to be. A forum friend of mine is from the Far East...he reads both ways. /shrugs/ It's what my mother used to call "the same difference".

Perfect! I am in accord with you there. And I do love adventure/mystery/conspiracy theory stories, so the genre is one I am definitely in to.

I read Shantaram last August and have to say I enjoyed it, yes, he was self indulgent to a large degree, but the story itself was heartbreaking. http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/5939-pontalbas-2010-reading-list/page__st__20 A small review I wrote. I felt that Gregory David Roberts was working out his, life I suppose you could say, by writing it all down and I enjoyed watching the process. Definitely not everyone's cuppa I know.

I have to agree with you Nollaig. Plus, I wonder at the designations "American" and "European". "Readers" are readers the world over and vacillate between constantly.

The other night we watched Fargo. Man, I had no idea it was so grim. Then we had to watch something funny, so it was one of Jerry Seinfeld's DVDs, I'm Telling You For the Last Time. Last night we watched another double feature. Insomnia...good, good, good! Al Pacino. What else is there to say? Then Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow, pretty good story.

Gotcha. Thanks for explanation.