What are you reading? May 2021 Edition
Annie Deighnaugh
2 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (108)
jewelisfabulous
2 years agoeld6161
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRelated Discussions
What are we reading? July 2021 Edition
Comments (148)I am so glad that I found this thread! I have always loved books - started when I was very young. While other kids would say that they wanted to be doctors/lawyers/firemen/etc., I would say that I was going to be an author. The elementary school I attended participated in a young author’s conference each year. One story written by a student would be slected - and turned into a book - and then submited to the conference. The student would be invited to a weekend conference where all the books were on display, there were various workshops, plus a published author would attend (gave thoughts and there was a Q&A session). I was selected to represent my school in 2nd, 4th and 5th grade. Attending this conference is one of my most cherished memories from elementary school. About three years after I graduated from law school, I made a New Year’s resolution to read one book every month. For MANY years, I kept (or exceeded) my goal. Unfortunately, life happened, and my reading became less and less. I have started back up - and I absolutely LOVE reading all of these comments with suggested titles! For the last several months, I have been reading only classic books. Some of them have been new to me, and some of them have been ones that I was assigned to read back in high school/college, but didn’t really take the time to enjoy. I currently am sruck at home with COVID - over the last few weeks I’ve read Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Les Miserables, and a few Kurt Vonnegut books. My current book: I’m sure that some of you have the same expression on your face right now that my SO did last night when he saw this on the couch!...See MoreWhat are you reading? November 2021 Edition
Comments (107)Finished The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. Agree with chisue about the self-absorbed nature of the characters, but that’s precisely the essence of teens and 20+ year year-olds in the throngs of self-doubt and self-discovery, right? Loved — simply loved — the authenticity of grad students and post-grads doing pure research (i.e. anything remotely readily applicable to real life), their life of intellectualism, poverty and blissful impracticality. Before I went into law, I did my doctorate in what was the beginnings of AI at a time when AI wasn’t a household word. With those street--creds (for what they’re worth), I can tell you the book felt like a capsule of those impossibly heady years of high-octane interdisciplinary discussions and debates that lasted all night. Evolutionary biology, yes! Stephen Gould, yes! Theory of meaning, yes, yes, yes!! Anyway, you get the point, the author gets it, it’s the real deal. As chisue points out, the book also bears witness to the sad, slow and painful unraveling of the mind of a manic-depressive. (I recall Katherine Graham’s account of her brilliant husband’s descent into bipolar disorder in her memoir from the late 1990s, with uncannily similar details of a manic-depressive’s behavior.) The writing was quite good too. Overall, a great read if you’re into subjects of this kind. 3.5 to 4 stars....See MoreWhat are you reading? January 2022 Edition
Comments (121)I found with reading Cloud Cuckoo Land that it helped to "go with the flow" and take events as they happen in this non-linear read. Two books that I recently finished - The Promise by Damon Galgut, winner of the 2021 Booker Prize. I loved this book that is set in South Africa and involves a family of three grown children and their parents. As the book opens, the mother is dying and she causes consternation by not only asking that her Jewish roots be recognized at the end of her life, but also asking her husband to promise to give a small house to their long-time Black maid. Family and race issues abound. Challenges with this book are that there are no quotation marks around dialogue and sometimes topics slide into one another so that it's necessary to read carefully to detect a change in speaker, subject, etc. Excellent for a book club discussion; 5 out of 5 stars. Merry Hall by Beverley Nichols (non-fiction). This book is somewhat old fashioned but charming nonetheless. Mr. Nichols purchased a large house and property in England in 1947 since he was interested in gardening. When he located Merry Hall, the house and garden had been neglected for several years so it needed tlc. The author discusses what he found there and the changes he made to suit his tastes. It has some humor, partly because of his awe and timidity when dealing with the long-time gardener. They don't always see eye-to-eye in determining what is suitable or appropriate for the property. 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5, higher for anyone interested in gardening....See MoreWhat are you reading? May 2022 Edition
Comments (75)I just finished While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart. 2.0 stars, and that's being generous. I only finished because a friend recommended it and I thought it was worth sticking it out, but it really wasn't. It's a story that goes back and forth between 1944 Paris and 1953 Santa Cruz, CA. A newborn Jewish infant is handed off to a kindly French railway worker as his parents are being herded into a train car headed for Auschwitz. Nine years later the Jewish parents, who survived, want him back. Coincidentally I lived in Santa Cruz at one time and it's not very accurately portrayed, other than being on the coast and having a boardwalk. At one point one of the characters takes a short taxi ride to the airport to fly to Paris and the nearest one at that time would have either been San Jose (only a municipal airport then), but more likely San Francisco, over 70 miles away. It's a lot of reading for not much story. The writer used "ironic" 8 times, enough to make the word go ding-ding. What was "ironic" about what a person said was never explained. The author used "play date" for two kids getting together in 1953. My daughter was born in 1976 and we didn't use that term. Google said it came into being in 1975, but I missed the boat. Anyway, I hate it when authors use anachronistic terms....See MoreAnnette Holbrook(z7a)
2 years agoOlychick
2 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
2 years agoBestyears
2 years agoAlisande
2 years agoOlychick
2 years agoAlisande
2 years agostacey_mb
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agosalonva
2 years agodedtired
2 years agowhistle_b
2 years agoBunny
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoCoco
2 years agoPattiG(rose)
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agonutsaboutplants
2 years agocran
2 years agoBestyears
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoci_lantro
2 years agodedtired
2 years agoKathsgrdn
2 years agosalonva
2 years agochessey35
2 years agorunninginplace
2 years agolily316
2 years agoOlychick
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agosalonva
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoBestyears
2 years agochisue
2 years ago4kids4us
2 years agolily316
2 years agoRusty
2 years agoOlychick
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoBestyears
2 years agostacey_mb
2 years agoBunny
2 years agoeld6161
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoOakley
2 years agoBunny
2 years agosalonva
2 years agoBunny
2 years agojewelisfabulous
2 years agoOakley
2 years agostacey_mb
2 years agoKathsgrdn
2 years agonutsaboutplants
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agorunninginplace
2 years agoBestyears
2 years agoBunny
2 years ago
Related Stories
LIFEEdit Your Photo Collection and Display It Best — a Designer's Advice
Learn why formal shots may make better album fodder, unexpected display spaces are sometimes spot-on and much more
Full StoryARTA Beginner’s Guide to Original Art and Limited-Edition Prints
Get the basics on investing in art for your home
Full StoryARCHITECTUREModern or Contemporary Architecture? The Interiors Edition
See how one expert distinguishes between two popular camps of interior architecture. Do you agree with his choices?
Full StoryBOOKSBeautify Your Home With Things You May Already Own
Get ideas for creating vignettes, arranging collections and more in the new book ‘Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home’
Full StoryINSIDE HOUZZTop Takeaways From the 2021 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study
Storage is a major focus, the open-concept floor plan is losing steam, and project scope is scaling back
Full StoryORGANIZING6 Emotional Challenges You May Face When Tackling Clutter
Decluttering can bring up a lot of unexpected emotions. Learn what to expect and how to get through it
Full StoryDECLUTTERINGDownsizing Help: How to Edit Your Belongings
Learn what to take and what to toss if you're moving to a smaller home
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESEdit Keepsakes With Confidence — What to Let Go and What to Keep
If mementos are weighing you down more than bringing you joy, here's how to lighten your load with no regrets
Full StoryHOMES AROUND THE WORLDWorld of Design: 11 Book Lovers and Where They Like to Read
Bibliophiles across the globe reveal their top books and favorite reading spots, from a 2-story library to an artfully curated book nook
Full StoryHOME INNOVATIONSConsidering Renting to Vacationers? Read This First
More people are redesigning their homes for the short-term-rental boom. Here are 3 examples — and what to consider before joining in
Full Story
Olychick