pontalba

Julie, while your review was good, there was the one point in particular that I considered pivotal to the plot, hence a spoiler. I still have the notification of your post on my machine, so will show you exactly what I meant.

Hah, as you've found out, no redeeming features in this novel....

Eventually, yes. Siri Hustvedt.....yes, I've read at least one of hers......consulting the shelves.......... I've read two of them. A Plea For Eros and The Blindfold. I only have one review of The Blindfold, and it is only a 1/5 Here is the review at post # 15. http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/1765-pontalbas-books-read-2008/?hl=%2Bsiri+%2Bhustvedt I did rate the first one a 3/5, although no review. I have the one you mention on the shelf, to be read. I think she is an author that grows on a reader, and I'll go back to reread the two above sometime, I'm sure.

That's great, Gaia! I absolutely love the lull in the action when they listen for a moment to see if the siren is still going on.....then let out a few more well spaced howls. Great stuff! Up until about 5 years ago I always had dogs as well as cats, and I miss having dogs. Yours are beautiful!

Great list above! I have some, have read some and want some! LOL Re bikes....interesting, Gaia, I didn't know that The Netherlands was known as the Bicycle Country! And, I thought almost everyone rode bikes in the U.K.! Oy. In the cities here we rarely, if ever, see anyone on a bike. With good reason, the traffic is deadly IMO, I'd be scared silly to ride a bike on the streets nowadays. There are no bike lanes to speak of, and the few that there are.....well, they're cut out of the street itself with a few painted lines with a bike symbol..............wow, what safety precautions! NOT! Out in our rural area, some of the highways have shoulders, some don't. The highway adjacent to our road has no shoulder. On the weekends there are masses of bicyclists taking up half of the roadway, causing auto traffic to go the same speed until the very curvy roadway is straight enough to see far enough to pass safely. The bicyclists don't move over, for the most part, to help the situation. It's nerve wracking to say the least. On the next adjoining highway there is a narrow shoulder and they mostly stick to that, but it's still scary passing them. I usually wait till the opposing lane is free enough to give them a very wide berth. I think they must be in some sort of club. I haven't ridden a bike in many years, it just wasn't feasible. I used to love it though, and still miss it. They say once you learn, you never forget.

No, I haven't seen it, Devi. Not that familiar with any, or most of the authors. A friend of mine used to read the Harry Turtledove books. Alternative history to do with WWII, I believe. It does look interesting...............

Calexa, it may be the wise move to unplug the microwave. Fire hazard and all that. Hope the fridge remains online.

Spoilers!, Julie!, Spoilers! The doc was a thoroughly despicable person, I agree. But there wasn't anyone much better in the book as far as I am concerned. It's funny, that is the second book by Koch we've read. And, you're right.....there is something compulsive about reading them. Unattractive as the characters are.

I didn't the first time either. But about 5 years later....... Plus, I think NYTrilogy is different to many of his other books. It's been long enough now that I don't remember if Mr. Blank was in it, or not.

Thanks, Gaia! I wasn't sure how to go about reviewing this one! Oy! It's a lot for me...I think this was # 80. I started out hoping to hit 100, as I came pretty close last year. But I'm just going with the flow. Correct. IOW, read without judging the characters either way. Or saying/thinking what we might do in a similar situation and judging them because they are not reacting in what we consider a moral/proper manner. Is it even possible? That's what I'm not sure about. I suspect that on one level it is, however it isn't an easy thing is it? I agree, our moods or tiredness and our health/pain can affect our reading of any book. And, yes, I agree that any of those items can make us more judgmental.....I tend to believe that is an automatic reaction and it takes more "energy" to avoid being judgmental. Ya caught me!

This is great, I love it!

Regarding explanation/map of areas in question in your (or any) book, I've noticed the same thing when I read books that are based in a European or Far/Middle East locale. I just am not as familiar with the geography of all the continents as I am with the American continent. It can be frustrating, but otoh, I don't see how all books can contain maps of areas in question, all the time. I think that most of the time it's somehow put into context in the story. But I do love to look up maps, and examine them.

Boy, you are not kidding about any of it, Kay. Scary stuff, to say the least. I think that if I had to pick one thing that was the most disturbing.....it had to be the effects after we are and have been gone for decades, nay...centuries! When they spoke of the oilfields in Texas down by Houston and Galveston...wow! That's only about a 5 hour drive from our home. To think of all that running, and running down, exploding all over the place. Making even more pollution for the animals left! And you are absolutely right about the double and triple packaging of ordinary items. It's enough to gag one. Literally.

Finished The Mad and The Bad by Jean-Patrick Manchette, and have started The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro. Gripping so far.

After you log in, on the Home Page you'll see "add books", it's in the upper brown stripe at the top of the page. click on that, then when that page comes up, scroll down a bit and you'll see "Other Options". There are three options in a row there. The middle one, "add manually" is clickable. Click on that and you'll be given a page with a form to fill in with book title, author.....all the particulars of the book. Fill in as much as you can and scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save". Once you click on "Save", you'll be given back the "add books" page with the just added information in the "Recently added" list of books. This feature has been there for the years I've been using Library Thing, maybe as much as 8 years ago. If you run into trouble, just post here and I'll answer as best I am able.

Library Thing does charge for over 200 books. However the subscriber has a choice. Either pay the annual fee of 10.00 USD or a one-time only fee of 25.00 USD. At that rate, it's paid for itself in two and a half years, and subscriber is home free. I like that I can add duplicates, of which we have, er....a few. There is a huge list of languages in the upper right of the home screen one can see prior to signing in to choose from as well. Also, if the ISBN is not in their system, one can manually add a book with ease. Just sayin'.

Drat! Poor baby. Sending healing vibes to the baby.

I've updated by book list at the beginning of this thread, haven't done reviews of a couple of endings of trilogies. The Last Policeman and Wayward Pines finales. Or were they? Both good enough endings, appropriate, if a bit of a downer.

Summer House With Swimming Pool by Herman Koch 4/5 My husband brought up an interesting point while we were reading the last Koch book, The Dinner. Because as readers we must suspend disbelief, is it sometimes necessary, or even part of the process to suspend moral judgment? Or perhaps call it moral opinion. Judgment is so.....judgmental. Each reader must decide this for themselves. I, personally, find it difficult to withhold, at the least, a strong opinion of the characters, and either approve or disapprove of their actions or some gray area in-between.. This is the second of Koch's books we've read, and he seems to follow a loose pattern of behavior for his characters in both books. Amorality is certainly the first and foremost of the main protagonist's attributes. In this novel, it pertains to a doctor. A person that has taken the Hippocratic Oath, (I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.). But what happens when the doctor thinks there may be a powerful incentive to harm a patient. Motive, opportunity and the knowledge combine after a terrible act has taken place. As in Koch's previous book a parents love for and desire to protect and/or revenge a child is a strong motivation. But wait! The twist is coming, and it's a doozy. Do we ever know our children? Recommended.

Not sure. Of course we have beef bouillon cubes.....not the same I expect.

What she said. Lovely bookshelves, Gaia. Love that they match! Very organized, well done!!

Probably a good part of the problem was the stress of the operation. You said that it was worse than expected. It a shock to your system, in general. Even is you are not up to par in two weeks, it's probably be wise to follow through on what the specialist found. Just don't think about it until then. I suspect for the sake of your peace of mind, you might well want to follow through by then.

I've finished Summer House With Swimming Pool by Herman Koch (same author as The Dinner), and have started The Mad and The Bad by Jean-Patrick Manchette. Translated from the French by Donald Nicholson-Smith. It's a New York Review Book and the introduction is by James Sallis.....one of my favorites. I'll work on a review of the Koch book and post later.

Ahh, just getting to this thread! Congratulations, frankie!! It sounds like a great move with lots of opportunities. I'm so happy for you!

Re Absalom, Absalom!.......LOL, Gothic, exactly. This was my introduction of Faulkner, and the first line hooked me for life. If Miss Rosa isn't one of my relatives, she certainly is her doppelganger!