What are you reading this week of September 17, 2017?

[hermetic]

I am still enjoying Henry and Clara by Thomas Mallon. Quite interesting learning about the beginnings of the Republican party. Great characters, too.

I'm listening to The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, a wonderfully whimsical tale of murder and mayhem in classic English Literature. Quite a delight. Love the dodos and the book worms. Lots of Bacon. Strong anti-war message. Thank you, Poindexter!

As I said I would do a few weeks back, I found the DVD of Prime Suspect, Lynda La Plante's story of Jane Tennison, the remarkable, no-nonsense police woman who laid the groundwork for all the rest who followed. It is most excellent. Thanks, Shenmu.

What most excellent books are you reading this week?

[murielm99]

1. I am reading

The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler. It is tough going. The book is prophetic, given what is happening right now.

I tried to get this book several weeks ago. The librarian told me it was unavailable because the science fiction book club was reading it. She invited me to join. I have a lot of political things to do right now, so I declined.

When I finally picked up the book, the librarian told me that many people in the book club were unable to finish it, mostly because of the way it parallels current events.

[hermetic]

4. Well...

I just did some research on this and people not being able to get through it seems pretty common since it's so realistic. Scary stuff.

I also read earlier today that the world is gonna end 9/23, according to Biblical numerologists. So, GO FOR IT!

Crazy times, eh?

[murielm99]

8. The first thing I ever read by her was a short story

called "Speech Sounds." It was published in Asimov's magazine when it was a new story. It blew me away and I never forgot it. Of course, it won a Hugo. She was an amazing woman.

She was a rather solitary woman. I was surprised to learn that Harlan Ellison was her friend and mentor. I can't stand him. He is a misogynist and very abrasive toward everyone. I know he is brilliant, but he irritates me to no end.

[murielm99]

9. My husband's birthday is 9/23.

It is also the day for his 55th high school class reunion. We are going.

[hermetic]

10. Might as well be partying

I think I will be.

Hope you have a great time with both events.

[murielm99]

42. I finished the Parable of the Sower.

I am now reading The Parable of the Talents.

The main character, Olamina, and her group have established their community. She is writing in her journal on a regular basis.

Not far into the book, Olamina writes about a presidential candidate who worries her. He is a demagogue and a bigot. His slogan, a slogan that is drawing people to him? MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

Oh dear God. Butler wrote this book in 1998. So much of her writing is prophetic, but this gives me chills.

[hermetic]

43. Whoa!!

That is downright creepy!

[dhill926]

2. love Jasper Fforde's books....

just finished Night School by Lee Child, the latest Jack Reacher novel....another really good one.

[hermetic]

5. And I love Lee Child

Pretty much all the regulars here do, as well. I like this description of Night Schoo:l "moves like a bullet through a treacherous landscape of double crosses, faked identities, and new and terrible enemies.." Sounds like a winner.

[murielm99]

7. We are on the list for that

at the library. My husband and I will have to be careful not to fight over who reads it first. We like those books!

When we first got interested in them, someone gave us the first six books in paperback as a gift. We read them, and donated them to the library. They were thrilled to get them because all the books still fly off the shelves, and a few extra copies were welcomed.

[TexasProgresive]

3. I was going to start Roddy Doyle's The Barrytown Trilogy

But I found Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I just finished the original 3.
The Barrytown Trilogy begins with The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van I read them years ago and they are a lot of fun. A warning, it helps to have some knowledge of Irish jargon and a liking of black humor.

[hermetic]

6. I LOVE

The Commitments. Take a group of fame-starved, working-class Irish youths who call themselves The Commitments, give them a paradoxical passion for the music of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, and a mission-to bring Soul to Dublin-and you have the makings of one of the most engaging and believable novels about rock 'n' roll ever written, a book whose brashness and originality have won it mainstream acclaim and underground cachet.

It's also a terrific movie. What are the other 2 about?

[TexasProgresive]

13. Here's totally non-spoiler descriptions

Barrytown, Dublin, has something to sing about. The Commitments are spreading the gospel of the soul. Ably managed by Jimmy Rabitte, brilliantly coached by Joey ‘The Lips’ Fagan, their twin assault on Motown and Barrytown takes them from the parish hall to immortality on vinyl. But can The Commitments live up to their name?

When Sharon Rabbitte the older sister announces her pregnancy, the family is forced to rally together and discover the strangeness of intimacy. But the question remains: which friend of the family is the father of Sharon’s child?

Jimmy Rabbitte is unemployed and rapidly running out of money. His best friend Bimbo has been made redundant at the company where he has worked for many years. The two old friends are out of luck and out of options. That is, until Bimbo finds a dilapidated ‘chipper van’ and the pair decide to go into business. The Van is a tender tale of male friendship, swimming in grease and stained with ketchup.

http://www.roddydoyle.ie/?page_id=391

[Ohiya]

20. The Van and The Snapper

Were also made into great movies.

[hermetic]

22. Oh, nice!

Never knew that. I will have to see if I can find copies of them. Thanks.

[Little Star]

11. I haven't started reading these yet but.....

I just got these lighter fare books the other day. Janet Evanovich~ Stephanie Plumb Paperbacks
Top Secret Twenty-One
Tricky Twenty-Two
Turbo Twenty-Three

This series always gives me a chuckle so I hope these three are as funny as the first twenty were.

[hermetic]

14. Janet is pretty awesome

with her ability to keep these stories coming the way she does.

[Little Star]

16. Grandma Mazur gives her lots to work with.

[aschnackenberg]

12. I'm a big fan of the "classics"

So I just started a discussion group with my girlfriend to re-read Kafka's "The Castle" (it's her first time, I've read it once before). With books like this, I always find that I need to come back a few years later and find what changes in my understanding about it.

[hermetic]

15. I believe that

is what makes true classics. Welcome to DU.

[PoorMonger]

17. Pretty Shield by Frank Linderman

Pretty-shield, the legendary medicine woman of the Crows, remembered what life was like on the Plains when the buffalo were still plentiful. A powerful healer who was forceful, astute, and compassionate, Pretty-shield experienced many changes as her formerly mobile people were forced to come to terms with reservation life in the late nineteenth century.

Pretty-shield told her story to Frank Linderman through an interpreter and using sign language. The lives, responsibilities, and aspirations of Crow women are vividly brought to life in these pages as Pretty-shield recounts her life on the Plains of long ago. She speaks of the simple games and dolls of an Indian childhood and the work of the girls and women—setting up the lodges, dressing the skins, picking berries, digging roots, and cooking. Through her eyes we come to understand courtship, marriage, childbirth and the care of babies, medicine-dreams, the care of the sick, and other facets of Crow womanhood. Alma Snell and Becky Matthews provide a new preface to this edition.

More grad school reading this week.

[hermetic]

23. Sounds wonderful.

What is your field of study?

[PoorMonger]

35. Ethnic Studies

At least generally speaking that is what my grad program is ; in practical terms it's very broad because I write about the intersection of race and politics.

For a while I thought for sure I was going into public history ( museum studies & interpretation) though I feel that now this work is more important to me personally and so I hope it'll translate into more meaningful end products.

[shenmue]

18. What Happened by Hillary Clinton

Glad you liked Prime Suspect.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

19. Just started Tornado Weather

by Deborah E. Kennedy.

Small town Indiana, a lot of low-life characters. Only 36 pages in, but so far, so good.

[hermetic]

24. Sounds impressive

“Dark and dangerous and strange and wonderful..." My kind of book. Thanks kindly for the rec.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

26. So far it's quite good, and I'm

106 pages in.

I'll probably finish by tomorrow, as there are only 200 more pages to go. I'm a fast reader, plus I no longer have a job, so I read lots and lots.

[Ohiya]

21. A Man Called Ove

I just enjoyed rereading this book for our upcoming book club meeting.

In regards to Prime Suspect:

If you are talking about the original series with Helen Mirren, (which was great), you should also check out the new series, which has her starting her career in the sixties.

[hermetic]

25. Right

The original with Mirren from '91 in England. I've only seen the very first one and there are 6 more. Are you talking about the US TV series? That one is described as: About Jane Timoney, an iconoclastic female detective who has to make her bones in a tough New York precinct that is dominated by men.

A Man Called Ove seems like a fun book to discuss in a group. I have read so much about that book I kind of feel like I don't really need to read it now.

[bbrady42]

30. No. There's a new one that aired on PBS earlier this year

It's called Prime Suspect: Tennison (or Prime Suspect 1973 depending on where you are.). Set in 1973 when Jane Tennison is a uniformed rookie. It's terrific. We watched it first and then we found the Helen Mirren seasons.

[Ohiya]

34. 1973...

...I stand corrected!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. I read A Man Called Ove

not too long ago, and it's wonderful. If you haven't seen the movie yet, do watch it. There are small differences between the two, but only small ones. In the book you are inside Ove's head, which helps a lot, but the movie is lovely.

[Ohiya]

31. Yes!

My wife and I enjoyed seeing the movie also.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

32. I saw the movie first and loved it.

I figured I'd like the book and I did.

Right now I have from the library Britt-Marie Was Here, by the author of Ove. As always, I have too many books out of the library, but I'll get to this one soon enough.

[Ohiya]

33. Britt-Marie

Britt-Marie was introduced as a character in Backman's second novel, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You That She's Sorry.
I read Britt-Marie after Ove and before Grandmother, but I kind of wished that I had read Grandmother first.
It doesn't make too much difference, it just gives you more insight into the character of Britt-Marie. Grandmother was my favorite of the three.

My wife especially liked Britt-Marie, but she didn't read Grandmother.

Happy reading!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

36. Hmmm.

My library has Grandmother on order, so maybe I'll place a hold on it. Interesting that you like that one best, as the description doesn't make it sound very appealing. But we both liked Ove, so I can probably trust your recommendation.

[Mz Pip]

28. Home by Harlan Coben

It's the latest in his Myron Bolitar series.

[hermetic]

37. Cobe is truly

prolific. Howdy, Mz Pip. Always nice to see you.

[Atticus]

29. Slogging through "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius. nt

[hermetic]

38. Slogging,

indeed.

I have been reading along with a daily study of War and Peace on the Medium website. (There is an article about that here from back in January.) Every day the author injects a bit of philosophy, usually from Epictetus but often from Meditations by Aurelius. I enjoy them as an occasional read, like this one from just the other day: The art of life is more like the wrestler’s art than the dancer’s, in respect of this, that it should stand ready and firm to meet onsets which are sudden and unexpected.
--Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Don't think I'd enjoy trying to read the whole thing, though. So, I salute you.

[MuseRider]

39. The Amalgamation Polka

by Stephen Wright.

I stumbled on this just looking around, could not get the audio version from my library so used my Audible credit. I hope it is good! I have not read any of his novels but they sound interesting and maybe fun? NYT was not so sure they were all that much fun but they did seem amused and delighted by some of his writing. LOL I don't know why I had not heard of him before.

Getting ready to start it today. I really should check this forum out more often. I am constantly listening and looking for more interesting books to read (listen to).

[hermetic]

40. Hey there

Yeah, you should. We have a new post every Sunday, pinned at the top, for people to tell us what they're reading. I have learned about SO many new, wonderful authors here. You might also want to look at the other pinned post called 'What are the BEST BOOKS you've read in 2017?' for a brief overview.

Is that Stephen Wright the comedian? I have always thought he was really funny and quite unusual. I would imagine anything he has written would be, as well. I'll have to look for him. Thanks.

[MuseRider]

41. Different Stephen Wright.

I wish I could say something about this book. I listen mainly doing chores on the farm and sometimes a book comes along that I want to listen to and try to listen to but it is just a bit more than I can really do. I am listening to it and it is interesting and fun but if there is anything more to it I will probably not get it listening like this. Much like the problems I had getting through Neil Gaimen's American Gods. Another great book that requires a little more thoughtful listening.

It reminds me a little bit of The World According to Garp with the out takes that were Garp's written stories but more bizarre. I know there are other books like that but that is the one that came quickly to me while listening. I do love John Irving and Garp. Here they are odd little stories that have to do with the overall theme of abolitionists vs slaveholders. Very colorful. I actually found out about this book from reading books about the Civil War. My ancestors were abolitionists so I ended up being guided to this novel.

I think I really like his writing and will likely get through this and try it again in a few months. Usually that works since I have so little time to sit and read or listen quietly and thoughtfully. Twice will usually get the meaning out of the fluff that stays in my mind after the first listening.

This is a great description from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/books/review/the-union-unhinged.html?mcubz=0

I will come in, I have before but I often find myself reading odd, light, kind of like vacation books because I am working while listening. I read the entire Hunger Games, perfect for barn cleaning then tried the Divergent series but only read the first one. Read the Oryx and Crake trilogy twice, loved them. I would not consider those vacation books but the Hunger Games I would although I did enjoy them. I have also listened to all of the Stephen King books after reading some of them twice before. I love his characters and the development over several books when he repeats them. Of course read Game of Thrones then listened to them. I am not bothered by repetition.

Every Sunday! I will be here. Thanks. I need new authors!