Anna Begins Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) Awesome, I'll hang on a little as I just started one book and might do the Phantom Toolbooth group read, and I don't want the loan to expire, but if I don't get back to you by the weekend (and if you think of it again) nag me because I definitely want to read one. I'm not usually a short story fan, but I've heard good things about that Carver collection. Might put it on the wishlist. Sure! You might also consider Howey's The Shell Collector. Carver might be different from what you normally read, but sometimes that's a good thing Then again, according to my mom, I like things without a point! Edited August 19, 2015 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) I am starting a new philosophy about my reading for the rest of the year. I am currently at 57 short stories and books for the year and I have decided I am not going to care about how many I read this year, I just want to have fun and lately, I either lose my motivation or like to read two books at once. So I don't know what the heck I am doing I will be finishing Philippa Gregory's Cousins War series and then move on to her Tudor Court series. These are also some of the books I plan on reading for the rest of the year, any input would be great. Books for short term as of 8/19/15 Make Me (Jack Reacher 20)- Lee Child (Release September 8) Undermajordomo- Patrick deWitt (Released September 15) Selected Stories 1968- 2004- Alice Munro (own) Station Eleven- Emily St. John Mandel Total Recall- Phillip K. Dick (Read a thon) A Man Called Ove- Fredrik Backman Crimes in Southern Indiana- Frank Bill Full House- Maeve Binchy (Read a thon) The Coldest Girl in Coldtown- Holly Black Fay- Larry Brown The Girl With the Pearl Earing- Tracy Chevalier The Girl With All the Gifts- M.R. Carey Eddie & Sunny- Stacey Chochran (Read a thon) Absolutions: Notes for a Novel- Patrick deWitt The Round House- Louise Erdrich At the Water's Edge- Sara Gruen Sugar- Deirdre Riordan Hall Edited August 27, 2015 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I am starting a new philosophy about my reading for the rest of the year. I am currently at 57 short stories and books for the year and I have decided I am not going to care about how many I read this year, I just want to have fun and lately, I either lose my motivation or like to read two books at once. So I don't know what the heck I am doing Good for you! The whole reason I scrapped my own TBR lists was because keeping track of stuff put extra pressure on me, which in turn made me really demotivated whenever I didn't read 'enough'. Reading should be fun! I recently read The Girl With All the Gifts and really enjoyed it. My review is here in case you're interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I haven't read Girl With A Pearl Earring in a few years but I remember enjoying it. Chevalier is a wonderful author. Will also be interested to see what you make of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, as I find Holly Black to be very hit or miss and reviews don't rate that one as highly as others. I recently read her The Darkest Part of the Forest and loved it. R.e the short stories by Carver... yeah I'm not big on things without a point. It doesn't have to follow a movie structure for the ebb and flow of an engaging plot, and it can be as simple a point as an illustration or contemplation of an idea or event, but I do like a point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) Good for you! The whole reason I scrapped my own TBR lists was because keeping track of stuff put extra pressure on me, which in turn made me really demotivated whenever I didn't read 'enough'. Reading should be fun! I recently read The Girl With All the Gifts and really enjoyed it. My review is here in case you're interested. Thanks! I really, have already been enjoying my reading more. Since I am taking the fall semester off of school, I am eager to read the way I want now! But I heeded your warning about the review, so now I do I did get the rating though- I am glad you liked it. One of the comments had a spoiler, but it makes me want to read it next, sounds like what I am looking for after all the history I am reading. I haven't read Girl With A Pearl Earring in a few years but I remember enjoying it. Chevalier is a wonderful author. Will also be interested to see what you make of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, as I find Holly Black to be very hit or miss and reviews don't rate that one as highly as others. I recently read her The Darkest Part of the Forest and loved it. R.e the short stories by Carver... yeah I'm not big on things without a point. It doesn't have to follow a movie structure for the ebb and flow of an engaging plot, and it can be as simple a point as an illustration or contemplation of an idea or event, but I do like a point. Well, Carver always has a reason to tell his tale, but sometimes at the end they leave you thinking, and I think that's great. It's sort of like Fight Club.... there really isn't a point, but man, it makes you wonder WTF Glad to hear Girl With a Pearl Earing is good, I look forward to it and also Chevalier's The Last Runaway, which Amazon was so kind to recommend So you liked Forest better than Coldtown? Edited August 19, 2015 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I haven't read Coldtown, based on reviews I decided to go with Forest, and loved it. I will still eventually give Coldtown a go, but am curious to see what other people think of it first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Kylie, I can't find your post about Birdman. Being that Edward Norton is my favorite actor and Raymond Carver is my favorite writer, you'd think I'd have seen it but nope! I was waiting because I thought it would be on the plane when I went to Amsterdam, but it wasn't, so I haven't gotten to it yet. Thanks for answering my question! (I had posted it in the Book Activity thread.) I'm sure you'll love it if you love both Norton and Carver! Edward Norton is terrific in it and the snippets they show of the play are great. I want to watch it again soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 R.e the short stories by Carver... yeah I'm not big on things without a point. It doesn't have to follow a movie structure for the ebb and flow of an engaging plot, and it can be as simple a point as an illustration or contemplation of an idea or event, but I do like a point. I read something today from my text book on short stories that I thought was interesting and related to Carver and what you said above (I am teaching myself the text book in a vain attempt to try and accomplish something after giving up the semester... more on that in August thread): As the novelist EM Forester understood, plot not only answers the question what happens next, but also suggests why. [...] To plot is to move from asking the question and then what happened? to the question why did it happen? I guess Carver and Howey are the best at accomplishing this in just a few pages. But they also leave the questions of "and then what happened" and "why did it happen" to the reader, which is something, I guess I like. Imaginative, maybe? I haven't read Coldtown, based on reviews I decided to go with Forest, and loved it. I will still eventually give Coldtown a go, but am curious to see what other people think of it first Sorry, thought you said above that you HAD read Coldtown. I haven't been feeling too great lately. I am interested to read it though, as I have never read anything by Holly. Thanks for answering my question! (I had posted it in the Book Activity thread.) I'm sure you'll love it if you love both Norton and Carver! Edward Norton is terrific in it and the snippets they show of the play are great. I want to watch it again soon. Carver's stories are also the plot base for Short Cuts, a movie by Robert Altman. Its not that great though, I think the script was ok'd by his widow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Well done on just wanting to have fun with your reading ! Great list, I hope you enjoy all the books! I liked Full House but I don't think I've read any of the other books on the list. I hope it will make you feel a bit less pressured about your reading . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 Well done on just wanting to have fun with your reading ! Great list, I hope you enjoy all the books! I liked Full House but I don't think I've read any of the other books on the list. I hope it will make you feel a bit less pressured about your reading . I am enjoying it very much I hope to finish my two current reads to count for this month, but if not, they will be done by the read a thon and will count for September... I've done pretty well for me, for August anyway. Anyway, it doesn't really bother me anymore! And already, I have deviated from the list I'll get more on track with the read a thon books for September. Did you like Full House? I'm a little on the fence about it (there's another strange expression ), I just picked it because its not something I would typically read. Likewise with Eddie and Sunny, which I will probably do for September along with PKD's Total Recall... two COMPLETELY different books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 Thoughts on... Devil in the White City: A saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America- Erik Larson (223 pages of 447) This book gave me a lot of trouble. Part of it is about the architects that built the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair and the other part deals with serial killer HH Holmes (to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio) as he hunts and tortures to death women arriving in Chicago for the Fair. As a chapter starts off with something like: By all rights, the arena of exterior decoration belonged to William Pretyman, the Fair’s official director of color… YAWN. I despised these parts, they mired down the book and took away from the desired true crime of this book. HH Holmes was an interesting serial killer who killed from an admitted 27 murders to a possible 200, no one knows because of the lye vat he stored in an underground torture chamber (again, Holmes will be played by DiCaprio). One of America’s earliest and most prolific serial killers, and sometimes compared to Hannibal Lector, the book needed more of Holmes, as promised. The book included long, drawn out portions on Holmes that were banal background that made no connection to the crimes he committed. I gave it up around 50%, there are just too many other books to read. Perhaps there is more of Holmes in the upcoming half, but I just can’t get bogged down in a snooze fest. Too bad, a disappointment for me as this book has been on my radar for a while and I was thrilled to be branching out to a “new” author (to me), especially a non-fiction writer. Not to harp, but the architect parts were nearly as bad as the ones in Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, at least those had symbolism, which I desperately tried to find as I attempted to connect the building of the fair with the heinous murders which took place there. Abandoned (and I do not mind building in books, say, Follett's Pillars of the Earth) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Do you know, I saw your comments on Devil in the White City in the Book Activity thread, and I thought, but Anna's read The Fountainhead! I almost came on here to post about it, but now I've read your review and know what's what. I'm sorry you didn't like the book I know how it is when you've been looking forward to reading a particular book and think you will enjoy it and also want to enjoy it, and then it's just not your cup of tea/coffee at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I'm sorry you didn't enjoy Devil in the White City all that much, especially since you were looking forward to it . It's never nice when that happens. I am enjoying it very much I hope to finish my two current reads to count for this month, but if not, they will be done by the read a thon and will count for September... I've done pretty well for me, for August anyway. Anyway, it doesn't really bother me anymore! And already, I have deviated from the list I'll get more on track with the read a thon books for September. Did you like Full House? I'm a little on the fence about it (there's another strange expression ), I just picked it because its not something I would typically read. Likewise with Eddie and Sunny, which I will probably do for September along with PKD's Total Recall... two COMPLETELY different books Haha . Yes, I did like Full House. I've read four books by Maeve Binchy so far, and Full House was the one I liked best. It wasn't the best book ever but I rated it pretty highly and I enjoyed it. It wasn't as good or as deep as for example CRH's Don't Let Me Go (one of my favourite books ) but then Full House is a much shorter book. I found it enjoyable . Yes, two very different books . I hope you enjoy them both . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 Do you know, I saw your comments on Devil in the White City in the Book Activity thread, and I thought, but Anna's read The Fountainhead! I almost came on here to post about it, but now I've read your review and know what's what. I'm sorry you didn't like the book I know how it is when you've been looking forward to reading a particular book and think you will enjoy it and also want to enjoy it, and then it's just not your cup of tea/coffee at all I know, I know, I could hack through The Fountainhead but not through Devil (Even though it took me, I believe 22 days to read it!) But I had so loved Atlas Shrugged and that was about the railroad industry, so. Yes, I did like Full House. I've read four books by Maeve Binchy so far, and Full House was the one I liked best. It wasn't the best book ever but I rated it pretty highly and I enjoyed it. It wasn't as good or as deep as for example CRH's Don't Let Me Go (one of my favourite books ) but then Full House is a much shorter book. I found it enjoyable . Yes, two very different books . I hope you enjoy them both . Thanks- and wow- 4 is a lot. I had never heard of her before. But the Amazon description did make it sound a little like CRH. I agree, Don't Let Me Go is one of my favorite books too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 Delirium (book 1)- Lauren Oliver (401 Pages) A meal of 1984, with a dash of The Handmaids Tale and some of Marie Lu’s Legend on the side, Delirium is a great first in a trilogy in the dystopian YA genre. Unlike Lu’s Legend (which I loved), no one has matrix type special skills or extreme intelligence. Delirium is just normal people trying to deal with the cure everyone receives at age 18. The cure strips people of desire, and therefore also love. Predictably, main character Lena is 17, counting down from some 90 days left to her cure. Not predictably, she is anxious for it, ready for it to make her a functioning member of society. Who can be considered healthy who wants? The very word suggests a lack, an impoverishment, and that is what desire is: an impoverishment of the brain, a flaw, a mistake. Fortunately, that can now be corrected. Book 1 recommended Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Thanks- and wow- 4 is a lot. I had never heard of her before. But the Amazon description did make it sound a little like CRH. I agree, Don't Let Me Go is one of my favorite books too I would have to say I prefer CRH, so far, but that doesn't mean Maeve Binchy is not a good author . I've read two mediocre books by her and two good ones, whereas with CRH I like all four books I've read (interesting how I've read four books by each ). Woohoo for finishing Delirium! I'm glad you enjoyed it . Do you think you will read the sequels? I hope to read the books maybe in September, we'll see (I need to finish my library loans first). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 I would have to say I prefer CRH, so far, but that doesn't mean Maeve Binchy is not a good author . I've read two mediocre books by her and two good ones, whereas with CRH I like all four books I've read (interesting how I've read four books by each ). Woohoo for finishing Delirium! I'm glad you enjoyed it . Do you think you will read the sequels? I hope to read the books maybe in September, we'll see (I need to finish my library loans first). Well, YA CRH rocks Which reminds me, we have to do a co- read sometime soon... maybe some will want to join in. I wasn't going to read the Delirium sequels (you will understand why), but I just read some of the second one, and its pretty good so far. I can't buy it for a few more days, but I am tempted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Small Wars (Jack Reacher Kindle Single)- Lee Child (44 pages) Oh my, I don’t know where to start with this one. I wouldn’t say it was the disaster that was Not a Drill, but this was one of the most boring Jack Reacher stories since. At least Not a Drill had some action. Child tries to redeem himself by bringing in Frances Neagley, the one bright spot in this Kindle Single. Reacher shows no connection to how he solves the murder of a wealthy Army soldier, on her own to oversee... well, that isn't really clear as Child sketches such a scant outline of a character, she loses her importance of being the whole reason for the book's plot. The ending is ridiculous, does not make sense and also, pulls Reacher completely out of character. And there is no fighting. Dubious, this also contains Chapter one of his upcoming 20th Jack Reacher Novel, Make Me. And to make it worse, released about 3 weeks ahead of it. I wonder if it is a vehicle for the new release (sarcasm). Hmmm. Bad. Bad. Bad. Not recommended (and did I mention there was no action or fighting??) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Oh dear - I like the Jack Reacher books, but I haven't read any of the short stories. It doesn't look like I'll need to bother. A Reacher book with no fighting? What's wrong with the world? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Oh dear - I like the Jack Reacher books, but I haven't read any of the short stories. It doesn't look like I'll need to bother. A Reacher book with no fighting? What's wrong with the world? I know, right? It's like, what's the point I liked High Heat... it's also at the end of Never Go Back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Well, YA CRH rocks Which reminds me, we have to do a co- read sometime soon... maybe some will want to join in. I wasn't going to read the Delirium sequels (you will understand why), but I just read some of the second one, and its pretty good so far. I can't buy it for a few more days, but I am tempted. We can do that . I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the Jack Reacher short story at all! I hope the new book will be a lot better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Ha - brilliant, scathing review of the Reacher kindle single! I do love negative reviews. They are much easier to write and more entertaining to read I find. And also good for the size of the wishlist and TBR pile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 We can do that . I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the Jack Reacher short story at all! I hope the new book will be a lot better. Now we just have to pick a CRH! We should have done Delirium together... would've worked well for a group read too, I think. I have full confidence in the new Reacher Ha - brilliant, scathing review of the Reacher kindle single! I do love negative reviews. They are much easier to write and more entertaining to read I find. And also good for the size of the wishlist and TBR pile I agree- negative reviews are so much easier. And I love being hard on Lee Child, because he CAN write such good Reacher stories! But wow- when he writes bad ones, they are awful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Glad you liked Delirium. I absolutely loved it and the second book in the trilogy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 Glad you liked Delirium. I absolutely loved it and the second book in the trilogy. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue on to Pandemonium but I am glad I did now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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