pontalba

It seems that readers are divided pretty much between loving Larsson, or a very pronounced Ennh! But as I know you've read around here, it does pick up about a hundred pages in.....hopefully for you too. The Wallander series is great, I haven't seen any of the TV series, missed it when it was shown here, and now I don't have TV anyhow. I suppose I'll try to get a hold of a DVD through the library or used to see for myself how it compares. I finished The Snowman by Jo Nesbo tonight, and man, he can spin a tale, and keep the reader in suspense 'till very near the end. I still have The Redeemer here to read, but I think I have to take an intensity break.

I finished The Snowman by Jo Nesbo this evening. 5 stars for sure! Visited the Library Sale this morning, and came away with: The Age of Chivalry and Legends of Charlemagne by Thomas Bulfinch The Deep Green Sea by Robert Olen Butler Old Goriot by Honoré de Balzac Prayers for Rain, A Drink Before the War, & Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane Vegan Comfort Food by Alicia C. Simpson The World According to Garp by John Irving

Re last line...yes, full circle, or picking up where they left off. I think of all the lost years and weep for them. But really, in some way I suppose those years were necessary, but still.....I wish. It's funny, I hardly ever think in terms of an author's gender either way. This is the first book by Irving I've read, so can't compare to his others. His sensitivity is truly amazing though. This is a man that knows women. I wish you could see the interview with Irving that is on the DVD of The Door in the Floor. That film closes with Marion's early departure. I'm so happy you enjoyed it poppy.

Making good progress in The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. 209/550 Excellent

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo came in the mail today, and I found The Long Embrace ..Raymond Chandler and the Woman he loved. by Judith Freeman

Well, my Jo Nesbo, The Snowman arrived yesterday, and despite my having already read the first page of a John Le Carré, I decided to sneak a look at the new Nesbo. Well. That was IT, My OH has read one by Per Petterson and enjoyed it, so I guess I'll go in that direction too.

/sigh/ I was going to start The Looking Glass War...but somehow The Snowman jumped into my hands and demanded to be read. Cheeky book!

I finished A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré this morning, and when we got home The Snowman by Jo Nesbo had arrived in the mail! Yays! I'm starting The Looking Glass War by John Le Carré next, the 4th in the Smiley series.

Nice review of The Gathering Brida. I definitely want to get to it sooner, rather than later. Re The Enchanter by VN.....There are a few similarities to Lolita, [i've read both] but the ending is FAR different. I suppose I'd call The Enchanter the bones of Lolita. Partial bones, Lolita being the perfected version. Here is a thread on another forum that I participated in several years ago, it gives a good rundown on The Enchanter. The Enchanter . It's quite involved and interesting.

Just finished a weetabix biscuit with cream cheese topping it, with a cup of tea. About to ear a banana.

I throughly enjoyed this, and was really glad it was picked for the discussion as I'd always been curious about Shirley Jackson's books and you and that discussion prompted me to get going on that. Also, I have The Wasp Factory in my TBR stack. Should read that soon.....soooo many books, so little time!

LOL Glad to be of service. I do my poor best. Right now I'm reading A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré, it's the second in his Smiley series. I'd read Call for the Dead, the first a while back. Thing is, my OH has just [re]read Call For the Dead, and from what he said, I don't remember much of it. So, after I read this one, I'll have to temporarily back track and read the first.

We went to see Inception again the other night. I could watch it again! Can't wait for the DVD to come out, so I can examine it frame by frame.

Late last night I finally managed to get some reading in.....about 60[ish] pages of A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré. I'll probably finish it later today, it reads pretty fast, and is interesting. Oddly enough, not a spy story although George Smiley is the protagonist. A good whodunit.

Well, the ones I have in my TBR stack are: 1981 Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie 1982 Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally 1990 Possession by A S Byatt 1992 The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje 1995 The Ghost Road by Pat Barker 1996 Last Orders by Graham Swift 1998 Amsterdam by Ian McEwan 1999 Disgrace by J M Coetzee 2000 The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood 2006 The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 2007 The Gathering by Anne Enright 2008 The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 2009 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel So, I'm pretty flexible as to what to read first.

I'd have to say a definite Yes! How absolutely wonderful. I'd not heard of Agaton Sax , what a great introduction to a genre. Mac, I read Miss Smillia's Sense of Snow back when we had the discussion here too, and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, it has stuck with me all this time. I have another of his books in the stack, and look forward to reading it. I've read only one of Karin Fossum's books, but for some reason it didn't gel for me. I suppose I'll try another of hers, just to be sure.

I ran across an interesting article today that speaks to the new wave of Scandinavian detectives that are becoming so popular. After Wallander: a new generation of Scandinavian detectives takes over Mankell was the first of that genre I ran into, it was recommended by my OH, and I've read 5 or 6 of the Wallander series so far, and have read one or two of Sjöwal and Wahlöö's Martin Beck's series. I accidentally found Nesbo's The Redbreast and immediately searched for more. What is about those Scandinavian detectives? Do we just love morose?

Hi there, and welcome. This is a friendly forum, gentle in nature. So, post away, and have fun.

Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson Death of the Adversary by Hans Keilson Earlier this month I finished the two books by Keilson, and if we want to know how it really was in Germany, on a personal level, in the decade preceding WWII and through the war itself, at least in part, these books go a long way toward that goal. His style is understated, almost laconic in tone, leaving the reader stunned at his simplicity. The stories that he narrates are of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, reacting as best they can, sometimes to their own surprise. In Death of the Adversary we know the adversary is Hitler, but he is never named, in fact no one is given their true name by the author, and somehow that makes it even more chilling. We, the reader, know who it is about....but really it could happen in any time, in any country to any people. Comedy in a Minor Key too is anyone's story, at least anyone that has ever taken a chance, taken a risk to help his fellow man. The stakes are high, their lives in fact. A couple takes the risk. How could they know the end? Would they have chanced it in any case? I'd like to think so. I'd like to think anyone would.

Does drooling over Zero History by William Gibson on Amazon count? /sigh/ Haven't read for two days now....need to check my temperature!

What a neat idea! I've only read a few of the winners, but have several more in my TBR stack. I've read: The Sea by JohnBanville [loved it!!] The Remains of the Day That's it! Have to remedy that for sure.

I did too, although I was afraid it might be the too obvious choice. What I really want to know is WHY? Why did Merricat poison her parents and the one sibling? I got that the mother was probably not mentally sound and ruled the family when it was mentioned that no one went into the summer house because the mother didn't. And the reason the mother didn't [from what I could gather] was because she'd seen a rat in the door once. Duh, country, woods. You're gonna see critters sometimes. Plus it was made obvious that Constance was complicit in the murders, after all, she did say she knew what was in the sugar. Merricat probably used arsenic in the sugar because she knew who would eat it. ??? The only Faulkner I've read so far is Absalom, Absalom! and enjoyed it throughly. Jackson has a far simpler prose style, and gee, her sentences don't run on forever either. But. Her characterizations are spot on. I loved the fact that she presented all the neurosis of all involved in such a way that showed Merricat and Constance felt they were normal. I love unreliable narrators to begin with, and oh to be a fly on the wall when Merricat was walking through town on her grocery trip! Perfect presentation. Now really....some of the townspeople were pretty mean to her, and it gives some substance to her "paranoia". Plus of course all the damage they did to the house after the fire, and the nastiness. Mob mentality to the Nth degree. The shame they exhibited for their crimes, the bringing of food, meals etc was certainly pale in comparison. 1. Who was your favourite character and why? they were all perfectly done IMO, it's hard for me to pick only one favorite, I'd have to go with two at least. Merricat and Uncle Julian. He is so deliciously vague but so on target with his character assessment of Charles. And Merricat because even though she has done something truly terrible she is brave in her own way and defends her family, and she Loves freely and happily. 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed / disliked more than the rest? well, like most others, the tea party scene was priceless. But I also thought the part in the very beginning, Merricat's trek through the town was amazing. Jackson's description of Merricat's multitudinous fears was wonderful. 3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre / by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? Yup, first Jackson, and I have two more in the stack. Love her style. 4. Were there any parts / ideas you struggled with? Can't say there were. 5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Definitely! A few more, borrowed from Book Club Queen.com: a. Did you learn something you didn't know before? No. b. Do you feel as if your views on a subject have changed / have you had life changing revelation reading this text? Not a one. c. What major emotion did the story evoke in you? Pity and frustration. d. At what point did you decide if you liked the book or not? Immediately. e. If you could change anything, what would it be and why? Some clarification on the reason Merricat poisoned the family members. While I think I know why, I'd have liked at least one incident to be able to point to and say, yes, that's the tip of the iceberg.

Yes! The paperback cover is very similar to the paperback of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Irritating. Especially the blurb........"next Stieg Larsson"! After all Nesbo preceded Larsson in any case. grrr I suppose they are taking the stance that any publicity is good publicity. I think I ordered the hardcover of The Redeemer in hardback. Now I can't remember. My other Nesbos are in trade paperback. That's the cover I ordered in any case.

I searched around on Amazon Marketplace to find good hardbacks, it took a while though. I've gotten loads of good buys there.

I love to read sequels. Not that they always measure up, but I give them a shot at the least. They do tend to run out of steam though, it's true. I found that Sue Grafton's series became so...I don't know...the same book after book, or had twists that made no sense in light of past actions of the protagonists. Ennh. I do enjoy Diana Gabaldon's books, even though they are a bit up and down. Usually by the time another in the series comes out, I have to at least skim the previous books to know where the heck I am!