SusanMargaret Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Below is my To Be Read List. I won't list my previously read books since I just joined this book forum (November 2006.) FICTION Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Finished Reading Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy The Stranger by Albert Camus - Finished Reading The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway Life of Pi by Yann Martel - Did not Finish reading. I could not get into this book. Parnassus On Wheels by Christopher Morley The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley Emma by Jane Austen Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence NON-FICTION Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I LOVED Life of Pi! Looks like you have a good list there - hope you enjoy them all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanMargaret Posted December 6, 2006 Author Share Posted December 6, 2006 Books Read in December 2006: Non-Fiction: The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano Fiction: The Stranger by Albert Camus Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Comments on books read: The Bookseller of Kabul was a fast reading book. While reading the book, I was constantly reminded of how grateful I am to be able to make my own decisions regarding my life. Another good book to read which also talks about the non-freedom of women is Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. After reading Fast Food Nation, I did not eat meat for about a week and a half. I have now added more non-meat meals to my dinner planning. This book was a real eye-opener for me. I had no idea that our cattle were being feed other dead animals (added to the grain) and under what conditions our meat was processed and how inhumanely the workers are treated at meat processing plants here in America. I was totally amazed to learn that McDonald's can pretty much dictate their wants to the cattle industry, whereas our government is fairly ineffectual in enforcing health and safety issues which would benefit the meat processing employees and the consumers. I was also shocked to learn that America's schools, military, and prisons received the worst beef. I only have one word to describe the book French Women For All Seasons: BORING! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 I have The Book Seller of Kabul on my TBR mountain - looking forward to getting to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Hi there If you liked The Bookseller of Kabul you may also like My Forbidden Face by Latifa. It is written by a young Afghani woman and tells of her experiences during the time of the Taliban. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 SusanMargaret - to read all of Fast Food Nation makes you a braver woman than I! I have 2 chapters from it in one of the Pocket Penguins, and I haven't been in MacDonalds since (it's been a year since I read it!). I couldn't believe the stuff about having 2 accident books in some of the abattoirs - absolutely horrific stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 two of my favorites that you may not have read but I recommend highly: The Moon Is Down - John Steinbeck The Old Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemmingway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanMargaret Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share Posted December 15, 2006 Comments on Books Read in December 2006: I finished reading The Stranger by Albert Camus and it is a very short, fast reading book. I enjoyed the book and its story has stayed in my mind since I have finished it. The book is about a young frenchman living in Algiers whose mother recently passed away and what happened to him after his mother's death. I would say more about the story, but do not want to give it away in case there is someone here who has not read the book and plans on reading it. The main character, Meursault, is an indifferent and detached individual. I am not sure if the things that Meursault did are a result of his mourning the loss of his mother (although he never showed any emotions) or if it is because he was a mentally disturbed person prior to his mother's death. I need to do more thinking about this book. Fahrenheit 451 is the first Ray Bradbury book that I have read. This book is the story of a future society where all books and printed material are banned. Fireman do not put out fires they burn books. Individual thinking is discouraged in this future society. If you have not read this book, I would recommend reading it. I read the 50th Anniversary Edition and I particularly enjoyed reading the afterword, the coda, and the interview with Ray Bradbury. In the coda Bradbury talks about how Ballantine editors had censored approximately 75 sections in his novel that was distributed to high school students. Bradbury thought it was rather ironic that sections of his book (Fahrenheit 451) was censored when his book was about censorship and book burning. Not too long ago, I came across a web site which lists books that are banned and or challenged today in American high schools. The following link gives a list of those banned books: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanMargaret Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share Posted December 15, 2006 two of my favorites that you may not have read but I recommend highly: The Moon Is Down - John Steinbeck The Old Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemmingway Thanks Muggle Not. I love Steinbeck and I will definitely look into that book. I think I have The Old Man and the Sea lying somewhere around the house and I will check that one out too. I have been going to thrift stores and have been picking up the classics and have added them to my reading pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 Thanks Muggle Not. I love Steinbeck and I will definitely look into that book. I think I have The Old Man and the Sea lying somewhere around the house and I will check that one out too. I have been going to thrift stores and have been picking up the classics and have added them to my reading pile. The Moon Is Down is the type book, although very short in pages, that I will re-read again and again. Steinbeck had a unique knowledge of people's feelings. This book was smuggled into some Countries in Europe during WWII and was in great demand, and small wonder after reading it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanMargaret Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 Books read in January 2007: FICTION The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck About The Author by John Colapinto NON-FICTION Golf for Dummies by Gary McCord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everydayxangels Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I'm glad you liked Fahrenheit 451! I tried reading this book about two years ago, but couldn't get into it. I guess I just was not ready for this kind of material. It will eventually be read. I have heard a lot about Life of Pi and I know it is a book club book in my area, but the cover, the title, and the back cover overview really didnt intrigue me. Glad to know it wont be worthwile should i ever feel the urge to pick it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I read About The Author last month. I thought it was quite good in places. What did you think about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanMargaret Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 I'm glad you liked Fahrenheit 451! I tried reading this book about two years ago, but couldn't get into it. I guess I just was not ready for this kind of material. It will eventually be read. I have heard a lot about Life of Pi and I know it is a book club book in my area, but the cover, the title, and the back cover overview really didnt intrigue me. Glad to know it wont be worthwile should i ever feel the urge to pick it up. Fahrenheit 451 read more like a mystery/suspense novel to me. It is a fast reading book. If you like mystery/suspense books you might like Fahrenheit if you try it again. In regard to Life of Pi, I have no clue as to what all the hype is about. I would agree with you that the cover, title and back cover overview is a turn off. Even though the book seemed like something I probably would not like, I thought I would give it a try since so many people ranted and raved about it. I gave up on reading the book right before Pi was to leave for Canada. Up to that point, I had to force myself to keep reading almost from page one. I "scanned" the middle of the book and read the ending and was glad that I did not waste my time any further. Maybe it will be a book I would like to read ten years from now, but for today I will leave Pi and his tiger to lay quietly in my jungle of books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanMargaret Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 I read About The Author last month. I thought it was quite good in places. What did you think about it? Hi Liz, I thought About the Author was a great book! I was so surprised about how the book ended and had no clue that it would end the way it did. At first I really detested the main character, Cal Cunningham, but then grew to like him and actually had sympathy for him. I think Colapinto is a great writer and I hope he puts out another fiction book soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I also loved About the Author - I'll certainly be looking out for other books by Colapinto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanMargaret Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 I also loved About the Author - I'll certainly be looking out for other books by Colapinto. Kell, It was because of you that I purchased the book. You did a great review of About the Author and convinced me to read it. Good call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Glad to know I turned someone onto Colapinto - he was definitely my personal "best discovery" of the year. i've not yet got any moreo f his books, but I will certainly be doing so as soon as I'm allowed to get any more! Also wanted to add that i rather liked Life of Pi too. my sister, who doesn't read, recommended it to me & I just gobbled it up. I loved the whole story-telling ethos of the narrator blending fact & fiction. Great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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