pontalba

I'm afraid I've put it aside for now as well. I absolutely loved the first chapter, and really, bought on the strength of same. Naturally it turned in another direction in Chapter 2. I'll pick it up again, I do like Mitchell's writing, but not just yet.

/sigh/ Know the feeling. We just bought a lovely "new" [from a local consignment store] bookcase that is 12 feet wide and 8 feet high. OH has still not shipped some of his books down here from storage, so that'll be filled up soon enough. That is in addition to the "yours, mine and ours" that already fill the 29 bookcases, plus a shelved hall closet. And still we buy. They are beautiful, and very professional looking. But yes, you need more books.

I'm only up to page 50, read that much last night and haven't had much reading time today. I am enjoying it though, and although I haven't formed too many opinions yet, I must add that anyone that has read Faulkner would recognize these people. The neurotic and compulsive behavior is interestingly like what I expect of his characters.

You know sometimes it's like that, I'll like a book more in retrospect than during the actual reading, or reread. Oddness. Thanks Janet, I'll certainly post about them when I do read them. I've only read one Maugham, The Razor's Edge and while I did enjoy it, it isn't something I'd go back and reread, and even though I have a couple more of his on my TBR shelf, I won't go out of my way in a big hurry to read him.

Last night I read the first 50 pages of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I'd not read anything by Jackson before...only seen the film years ago, The Haunting of Hill House. Someone [sorry can't remember who it was now ] on here told me that the others were not so way out creepy, so I bought this one and The Lottery. I'm loving it [WHALITC] so far. Abc, that's exactly what I thought about Wild Swans. Thanks.

Perfect! The Snowman is the other one I ordered. Agreed re different size/styles in a series. Most irritating. Larsson's publishers did that. I bought the trade paperbacks through Amazon Marketplace before they were available in the U.S. The first two were of a normal size.....but the third one is over an inch from top to bottom and just generally bigger. grrrrr!

Well. We made an unexpected trip into town and just happened to pass the Barnes & Noble book store. /innocent/ I just happened to have a list in my wallet, and amazingly enough B&N had all three of the books of a set that I wanted. /more innocence/ Regeneration, The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road by Bat Barker, the latter having won the Booker in 1994 or 5. We had a lovely conversation with a young woman that noticed us looking at the new cover of Wild Swans. She had that one in her hand, along with another book, I think the title was something like Singapore Girls, something along those lines. Anyhow, she asked us about Wild Swans, and which one would we recommend. It turns out she is marrying into a Chinese family and is trying to read books that will help her understand more about his family. We recommended Wild Swans, and I happened to have a list of four Chinese classics with me, so gave her that as well. Sweet young woman.

They do, they really do!

LOL I've ordered two more of his, The Redeemer, and I can't remember the other name...should arrive in mail soonish. /can't wait/

I have that in the stack! Great price Abc...!

Mood/vibes here. I do get stuck on a subject or author sometimes though. Been known to happen.....

I already had most of John Le Carré's books, but have now sewn up the last of the Smiley Series... A Murder of Quality came in the mail today. Yays! I also finished Death of the Adversary by Hans Keilson. Anyone that wants to know what it was like to live in Germany in the 1930's as a young [or really otherwise] Jew, the bewilderment and bitterness and slow realization of what was really happening, should read this book. Keilson speaks from experience and beautifully portrays the era.

Finished The Thousand by Kevin Guilfoile yesterday and read most of the short novel, really more novella IMO, Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson.

It would be wonderful. Maybe now, with more interest both in Nesbo and Scandinavian writers in general they will be translated. /fingers crossed/ Heres an article I found in the NYT..... Stray Questions for: Jo Nesbo

You are right, it is rather patronizing to compare the authors in that manner - If for no other reason than Nesbo was around a lot earlier than Larsson. They are different, and not the same difference. It's been a bit since I read The Redbreast, so it's difficult for me to be precise, but I thought Nesbo actually presented himself, his characters in a clearer manner. Both stories were very complex and layered, but Nesbo told his in only one book. OTOH, the Salander character is priceless, no better in fiction of that genre IMO, I felt she should have been introduced into the story a lot earlier than she was. The first 100 or so pages of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo were slow and not as clear as they could have been. Larsson made up for it subsequently, but I think that first part discourages some readers. No such problem existed in The Redbreast, it caught me immediately.

We had to stay in town today between errands/appointments, so of course we went to Barnes & Noble. /sigh/ Bought: A Most Wanted Man by John Le Carré Stone's Fall by Iain Pears Signposts in a Strange Land by Walker Percy Read some more in The Thousand. Interesting so far.

Finished The Secret Pilgrim by John Le Carré and started The Thousand by Kevin Guilfoile. I've read a few of Le Carré previously, but I am now officially hooked on his books! Will now have to read the entire Smiley series.

Double Congratulations CaliLily! Super day.

All of the above really are good methods. Amazon also will suggest books to you based on your previous purchases, and quite often I have bought the suggestions. Although occasionally I've wondered how they get from what I've bought to what they suggest. If you have Library Sales nearby, that's a great place to experiment. After all if you only pay a dollar or so for a book, it's not so terrible to re-donate it somewhere.

Good points. I also like the bad guy to be ingenious, and a bit twisty.

We stopped by Barnes & Noble today, but couldn't find anything.../shock. But our mailbox more than made up for that disappointment. Two orders of mine arrived in the mail today! Stoner by John Williams Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson The Death of the Adversary by Hans Keilson The Chinese in America by Iris Chang I could find none of the above at local book stores, either new or used! Irritating to say the least. I first heard of the Keilson books from the Book Review section in the New York Times several weeks ago. Evidently they have just been translated into English. Managed some more of The Secret Pilgrim by LeCarré. Lately I just haven't had spare time to read that much, and the book is so interesting, it's frustrating not to be able to just get the time in a row to finish.

It's definitely time for me to reread Jane Eyre. I have several copies, the first and favorite being the one an English cousin of my mother's sent to her in 1937. My favorite line - in the garden, is /sigh/

Both going on my to be bought list. Thanks! Just wait till you read Jo Nesbo's Nemesis.