Athena Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I'm sorry to hear you didn't like The Uncommon Reader more than you did. I hope I'll like it more, though we'll have to wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 I received a book in the mail yesterday: Kurt Vonnegut's Letters. I've had a flick through and it looks good. Oh, and this was pre-ordered in 2013, so it doesn't count as a 2014 acquisition (I haven't purchased any books yet this year - yay!) I have 60 pages left of Beyond the Great Indoors, which is a terrific book. I'll write a few more lines once I've finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Kylie Kay loved the book you're reading now as I'm sure you know ! It sounds like a neat book . It also sounds as if you are finding lots of good reading this year. Hope it keeps up for you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Enjoy your new book ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 I received a book in the mail yesterday: Kurt Vonnegut's Letters. I've had a flick through and it looks good. Oh, and this was pre-ordered in 2013, so it doesn't count as a 2014 acquisition (I haven't purchased any books yet this year - yay!) I have 60 pages left of Beyond the Great Indoors, which is a terrific book. I'll write a few more lines once I've finished. Ooooh Vonnegut - I must look that up. I have Beyond The Great Indoors on my wishlist, so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Sort of yes and there's a definite connection between the two obviously. I don't want to say too much more as it would spoil the plot. But Gregor had very good reasons to wish to be something other than himself .. and I'm not sure that Silvia could have had any as she was a new bride. Having said that, her maiden name was Fox .. so perhaps she wanted to be a free spirit again Hope you enjoy it Kylie .. it's very quirky and also very lovely to look at Yay!! All you needed was a good book .. and some more time It was indeed a very quirky book. I enjoyed it, but I was a little disappointed at the ending. I thought it would have been more romantic/less sad if the two of them had died at the same time (during the fox hunt). It makes me sad that he lived so much longer. Kylie Kay loved the book you're reading now as I'm sure you know ! It sounds like a neat book . It also sounds as if you are finding lots of good reading this year. Hope it keeps up for you ! Thanks Julie! Yes, I've had a good reading year so far! Let's hope it keeps up. Beyond the Great Indoors was indeed a neat book. I rate it as highly as Frankie and Poppyshake do. Enjoy your new book ! Thanks Athena! I probably won't get to it for a while, though. So many books, so little time! Ooooh Vonnegut - I must look that up. I have Beyond The Great Indoors on my wishlist, so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Beyond the Great Indoors was so lovely. Frankie assured me she didn't buy it for me because I reminded her of any of the characters (who are rather inept in social situations), but the main character, Elling, reminded me a lot of myself in such situations! And in other respects. It was such a charming book. I have tracked down the movie and can't wait to watch it, but first I need to find some subtitles to go with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 I finally received Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (isn't that an awesome name?) in the mail yesterday! Can't wait to read it. Today I finished reading a rather lengthy graphic novel called Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware. I wasn't sure whether I was actually enjoying it for the first, say, two-thirds. Indeed, I'm not sure even now whether I enjoyed it! It tells the story of a man who meets his father for the first time when he (the son) is in his 30s. The story includes day dreams and jumps back in time for other characters, so for a while I wasn't sure whether I was even following what was happening. Happily, at some point there was a summary of what had happened so far, and I realised then that I was following it OK. I think I started to enjoy it more then, and I started to understand the brilliance of Chris Ware and what he was doing. The main character, Jimmy, is pretty socially inept, which makes for uncomfortable reading at times. I wanted to shake the characters to tell them how to behave normally (although who am I to say what 'normal' is?) I think this is a rather slow-burning book—it took a while for everything to sink in, but I think it will stay with me for a long time. You also need to have rather good eyesight if you're going to read it, because some of the writing is tiny! The illustrations are very good though, and excellent at conveying particular emotions and feelings—even without the use of any text at all. My next piece of bookish news is certain to make Frankie (and others) very happy. Today I started reading Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs! I've barely started but hope to read a bit more tonight. I won't have much time for reading in the next few days, but I plan to properly tackle it next week. I seem to be having a very 'Frankie' reading year—first The Secret History, then The Uncommon Reader and now RwS. Maybe in return she will finally finish reading The Phantom Tollbooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Interesting review, Kylie. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth looks good, it's going on my wish list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 I'm glad my review didn't put you off, Pont. I was worried it came across more negative than I meant it to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 I finished Running with Scissors today. I flew through it and would have finished it even earlier if it wasn't for work. It was an excellent read, although perhaps not quite as disturbing as I expected it to be. I'm not sure if that's because I had hyped it up in my mind, or maybe I'm more disturbed than I realised so found some of the stuff less disturbing? Hmm...! Afterwards I started Googling the Finch (aka Turcotte) family to see what I could find out about them. I found a great article in Vanity Fair from 2007. I haven't read all of it yet, but I thought I'd post a link here in case anyone else is interested in reading about the family's reaction to the book. I very much look forward to reading more by Burroughs. Luckily I enjoyed this book because I already have a few more of his on my TBR pile! Next up is Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. As much as I loved Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I only had a rather vague memory of it, so I Wiki'd the book to refresh my memory and now I'm raring to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I'm glad you enjoyed 'Running With Scissors'. Although it is a disturbing book when you look objectively at the events, it is written in such a way that you pretty much see all the stuff as the normal for them, so it takes some of the insanity out of it. I have earmarked the article for later. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 You're welcome, Chrissy. I think you're absolutely right! I'm already halfway through Hollow City and have read most of that just in one day. It's absolutely wonderful and very much a page-turner. Can't wait to see where it's going! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I read the 'Running With Scissors' article, and found it to be interesting stuff. It's sad when there is such dispute over someone's recollections. Reading it though I felt that they couldn't dispute as much as they said they could, if you know what I mean. It felt that they were objecting to the embarrassment and discomfort felt rather than how much was written about accurately. I'd be interested to see what anyone else thinks when they have read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 That's the impression I get too, Chrissy. According to Wikipedia: Burroughs felt vindicated by the settlement. "I'm not at all sorry that I wrote [the book]. And you know, the suit settled – it settled in my favor. I didn't change a word of the memoir, not one word of it. It's still a memoir, it's marketed as a memoir, [the Turcottes] agreed one hundred percent that it is a memoir." Upon settling the Running with Scissors case in August 2007, Burroughs stated, "I consider this not only a personal victory but a victory for all memoirists. I still maintain that the book is an entirely accurate memoir, and that it was not fictionalized or sensationalized in any way. I did not embellish or invent elements. We had a very strong case because I had the truth on my side." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 I think all of us book lovers would enjoy this episode of The Twilight Zone (episode 8 from season 1) called Time Enough at Last. It's about a book lover who keeps getting into trouble at work and at home (by his evil, evil wife) for reading too much. One day he goes into the vault at work to read and a nuclear attack takes place outside, destroying everything and leaving him the only man alive. The ending is terrific, and the show deals with a problem we all have. It goes for 25 minutes, but please do watch it if you have the time! (But note that there is a distressing scene of a book being torn apart .) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIDC-npDDOo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Is it ok if I HATE Helen? I loved the first part of the ending, but not the last scene, that Twilight Zone final twist in the tale. Thanks for this Kylie, I've got a funny old day ahead, and this was a great way to relax for 25 minutes with my coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Hi Kylie i read part way through the Running with Scissors article, it's impossible to say how much of it's true & how much is exaggerated but i did really feel for the family to have all their private family business exposed like that it must have been excruciatingly painful i can understand them being so upset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I think all of us book lovers would enjoy this episode of The Twilight Zone (episode 8 from season 1) called Time Enough at Last. It's about a book lover who keeps getting into trouble at work and at home (by his evil, evil wife) for reading too much. One day he goes into the vault at work to read and a nuclear attack takes place outside, destroying everything and leaving him the only man alive. The ending is terrific, and the show deals with a problem we all have. It goes for 25 minutes, but please do watch it if you have the time! (But note that there is a distressing scene of a book being torn apart .) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIDC-npDDOo Brilliant, thanks Kylie! Love the ending - how typically twisted of Mr Serling. I do wonder how Henry and Helen ended up married in the first place, though Probably explains why he went on to become The Penguin Very dangerous, watching that. I'll probably spend all day watching episodes, now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Is it ok if I HATE Helen? I loved the first part of the ending, but not the last scene, that Twilight Zone final twist in the tale. Thanks for this Kylie, I've got a funny old day ahead, and this was a great way to relax for 25 minutes with my coffee. Yes, it's absolutely OK to hate Helen! What a nasty woman! I thought the twist was excellent, but at the same time I hated it. How terrible! Hi Kylie i read part way through the Running with Scissors article, it's impossible to say how much of it's true & how much is exaggerated but i did really feel for the family to have all their private family business exposed like that it must have been excruciatingly painful i can understand them being so upset. As a reader, I find it a bit frustrating to read memoirs like this and not know exactly how much is true and how much isn't. I wish I could go back in time and be a fly on the wall! I try not to think about it too much, though. I accept that it's just one person's version of events. Surely Burroughs must have known that the family would find out and be very upset by it all? And surely the publisher would have expected trouble? I would be very worried about writing a memoir that talks about other people in an unflattering manner. It's just asking for trouble! Luckily my life is pretty boring and the people in it are very normal (or at least normal compared to the Finches!) so I don't have to worry about this problem. Brilliant, thanks Kylie! Love the ending - how typically twisted of Mr Serling. I do wonder how Henry and Helen ended up married in the first place, though Probably explains why he went on to become The Penguin Very dangerous, watching that. I'll probably spend all day watching episodes, now Yes, I wondered the same thing! Maybe she didn't reveal herself as a book hater until after they were married? I've been getting through The Twilight Zone episodes very slowly. I'm trying to savour each one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 I just finished Hollow City. Wow. Absolutely brilliant. But it reminded me of why I don't generally read books in a series until they've all been published...because the wait for the next book is going to kill me! I don't generally write reviews any more, but I can't let this one go without writing some thoughts. Hollow City was indeed better than the first book (to the best of my recollection), which itself was excellent. The first book very much set up the events of the second book, which is more fast-paced and such a page-turner. It has been quite a while since I've read a book that was so hard to put down. The peculiar children that we were introduced to in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children are more fleshed out here, so they are more endearing and become like friends. The photographs, as usual, are an amazing touch to the story. I believe Riggs had more trouble this time around because he had to find photos to fit the story rather than build a story around the photos, which he did for the first book. He has done an excellent job. It never feels as though he has 'bent' the story to fit the photos. The story is by turns creepy, shocking, exciting and gut-wrenching. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book. Given how Hollow City ended, the third book is sure to be an absolute winner as well. I thought I had read somewhere recently that this is a 'series', but generally I've read that it's going to be a trilogy, so I'll try not to get my hopes up that there will be more than one more book to come. Miss Peregrine was recently published as a graphic novel, so I'll be adding that to my wish list. And, even more exciting, I have read that Tim Burton is going to direct a movie of Miss Peregrine. Lots to look forward to! I cannot rave about this book enough. If you enjoyed Miss Peregrine, you will surely lovely this, perhaps even more so. If you haven't read Miss Peregrine, I strongly recommend that you do. The writing is marvellous, the story is magical and the characters are well defined and endearing. What more could you ask for? This is my first 10/10 for the year, and I give this top mark very sparingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 My mojo is on fire this year! I've read 100+ pages today of Let's Kill Uncle, which Poppyshake read and recommended a few years ago. It's going very well so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Great review, Kylie, it sounds like a great book ! I'm glad to hear your mojo is doing well . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Thanks Athena. I can't believe how quickly my mojo returned! It's like someone pressed a button to instantaneously return it from wherever it was hiding! I'm so, so happy that it's back. It has been probably a couple of years since I've been able to enjoy my reading so much. I've already read another 100 pages since my last post, which is fast going for me (and I haven't been reading all the time). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Wow, I didn't know your mojo wasn't 100% for a few years now. It's amazing it's back, I hope it will stay a long time . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Just posting a list of books here to remind myself of books that I've started but not finished over the past couple of years. Now that my mojo has returned, hopefully I'll be able to finally finish a few! Dave Eggers A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Kerry Greenwood Cocaine Blues Christopher Hitchens God is Not Great Mary McCarthy The Group Walter Moers Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures Andrew Solomon The Noonday Demon Also, I don't usually choose my next TBR book during my current read, but while I was reading Let's Kill Uncle, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None suddenly flashed through my mind. I've taken this as a sign that it should be my next read. Happily, it's also on Frankie's list of Must Reads! But then again, I've also had The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford (which is on Poppyshake's list of Must Reads) at the back of my mind for a while. I suppose they'll have to duel it out while I finish my current read. While my TBR pile can sometimes be intimidating and depressing, it's also exciting to know how many great reads I have ahead of me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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