Whatcha Readin' August 2010 Edition

Cafe Society
41

Sometimes I felt like he was just tossing around cool ideas, rather than writing a novel. And while he spent a lot of time with the characters, he was so distant, as you say, that you never really get to know them.
I started a medieval mystery by P.C. Doherty, the first of “The Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan”, which is a cool name, but I didn’t like the writing at all and abandoned it after the first chapter. It’s too bad, because he’s written a ton of historical mysteries.

Today I read My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell, and enjoyed it very much. There’s a little too much description of scenery for my taste, but it was laugh out loud funny in several places. I recommend it for animal lovers, and for people who like All Creatures Great and Small and Cheaper By the Dozen.

42

Back from vacation – the #1 reading week of the year. Here’s the list:

Finished The Chronicles of Narnia (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Last Battle), as mentioned in last month’s thread. Last Battle was where the Christianity got too much for me. Overall a good series – I was please how well a childhood fave held up.

The Forger’s Spell by Edward Dolnick. Guy during WWII who was forging Vermeers, which Goering snagged in his art looting of Europe. Looking at the pictures now, it’s utterly astonishing that people thought these ugly, ugly paintings could be Vermeers, let alone great Vermeers – the author talks about the psychology of that, in addition to forgery (and discernment thereof), the Nazis’ art grabs, etc. Good book.

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Never read anything by him. Female artist (illustrator) married to a mine engineer in the late 19th century West. Overall pretty good.

An American Requiem by James Carroll. Son of an Air Force general, becomes a priest during the '60s, ends up protesting the war and leaving the priesthood. Someone had recommended it as an all-time favorite – having grown up amongst Quakers, not Catholics, it had less resonance for me – plus a little too “written” for my taste.

The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber. Novel – unsuccessful artist with mad painting skilz is hallucinating… or something … that he’s Velasquez, ends up painting forgeries for a gangster type. Pretty entertaining. (Picked it up as a remainder while on vacation – couldn’t resist, having just read The Forger’s Spell.)

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Random library pick. Old British major, widower, falls for the widowed Pakistani shopkeeper in his village. Sweet, funny.

And the final book, I’m about halfway through: Over the Edge of the World by Lawrence Bergreen. About Magellan. Dang, what a brutal, scary voyage that was …

43

I just finished Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and I’m about three quarters through The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty by G. J. Meyer.

44

You should check out A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance by William Manchester. It’s a good book overall and Manchester uses Magellan as a central character in it.

45

I’ve just finished Gaiman’s American Gods for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially Gaiman’s humor, but I don’t think it lived up to it’s hype.

Last night, I read Moorcock’s first Elric book Elric of Melnibone. I’ll read the others in the series when I need something short and punchy. I’ve read them all before, years ago, but all I really remember is Stormbringer.

I’m now re-reading The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins in anticipation of this month’s release of Mockingjay, which should conclude the story. I think that the series is a step or two above today’s typical Young Adult fare–and lightyears beyond Twilight, which I still haven’t been able to chew my way through–though the author is prone to some sloppiness with plot development. I am looking forward to seeing what’s in store.

46

twickster, can you elaborate on this one? I tried to read this a few years ago but found Stegner’s prose to be pretty dry. Is it worth making the effort?

47

Yeah, I’m pretty indifferent to Gaiman. I don’t hate his work, but am not as big a fan as many.

48

I didn’t notice the prose one way or the other, which is how I prefer it. I mostly enjoyed it for the story, though that fell apart a little bit at the end. Liked it, didn’t love it – if you read the first 50 pages or so and couldn’t get into it, it didn’t go anywhere making it worth getting back to.

49

A great, great book. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it. Now I’ve heard that Chernow is working on a bio of George Washington - can’t wait!

50

[tangent]
Saw a license plate:
IML8 IML8.
It was on a white VW Rabbit.
[/tangent]

51

Finished I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells. It stands alone, but I was glad to see it’s the first of a trilogy because I really enjoyed it. It has the feel of a YA novel (the protagonist is fifteen), but I don’t think it’s being marketed as such.

Currently reading The End of The World: stories of the Apocalypse, an anthology edited by Martin H. Greenberg.

52

just finished “my stroke of insight”. fantastic and fasinating that everyone should read.

brain scientist has a very, very, bad bleedout in the left hemisphere of her brain. she details what happened the morning of the stroke and her recovery after.

53

Sorry for the continued hijack, but…

I drove a white VW Rabbit in college, and my mom always wanted me to get tags that said HARVEY. :slight_smile:

54

Having a neurobiologist document her own stroke was truly fascinating. I’m really glad I read this book and happy that she recovered and found meaning in what must have been a terrifying experience. I think her list of Forty Things I Need Most should be nailed above the bed of every stroke survivor. But I was frustrated by the rosy conclusions she drew for all survivors from her experience. The stroke was clearly transcendent for her, but sadly, it ain’t necessarily so for others. I really like this disclaimer someone who had the same problem I did with this book wrote on her behalf. /hijack

55

very true, there are factors in her recovery that aren’t there for other stroke or brain injured folks.

she wa in good physical shape going into it, in her mid thirties not 50s or 60 +, and she could understand the damage her brain sustained much better than most.

i see the main thing in her book is how to treat someone with a brain injury, go slow, concentrate on what is possible, be patient getting there, celebrate the little steps, let go of the person you knew and to embrace the person that is now.

56

The weird thing is I read A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America’s First Presidential Campaign by Edward J. Larson earlier in the year. Hamilton was obviously a major figure in that book as well. And it’s amazing how different a view of Hamilton you get from the two books.

57

Bloodroot by Bill Loehfelm. Former junkie comes back into the life of history teacher brother, gets him involved in nefarious doings.

58

Started audiobook of The Haunting of Hill House. It’s one of my top three favorite books ever, and my Goodreads Stephen King fan group is going to read it, so it seemed like a good time to revisit.

59

Well, there was some intense and nasty stuff in there, but it was terrific. Not for the faint of heart. I’m going to look for his first book, Fresh Kills.

60

Over the last few weeks, I finished:

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, by Deborah Blum. The title explains the basic premise of the book, which is non-fiction but reads with the suspense of a detective novel. It focuses on chief-medical examiner Charles Norris and his years-long labor to make toxicology and forensic medicine into a respectable, accepted science. One important thing I took from the book: It was no good being a stray dog or cat at the turn of the 20th Century.

The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie. The first in the First Law Trilogy. I heard a bunch of complaints/warnings that the first book was all character development. Yes, but what of it? They were great characters and I can’t wait to continue with this fantasy epic.

A Madness of Angels, by Kate Griffin. An urban fantasy novel that tries a lot of new things, both with the narrative style and by turning some of established tenets of the genre on its ear. But I’m still not sure if I liked-liked to book or just found it interesting.

Next, I think I’m going to start Johannes Cabal the Detective, the sequel to last year’s fabulous Johannes Cabal the Necromancer.