February ......what are you reading !? ,
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February, the shortest month - What are you reading?
Comments (98)In order to get through more books, I have decided to read as many as I can have going at the same time - that way if I'm not feeling awake enough or in the mood enough to read, say "Wolf Hall", I'll pick up something different. I am currently reading David Gemmel's "Troy - Lord of the Silver Bow", the first in a trilogy. Well-written but I don't lose myself in it or reach for it every chance I get like I do with Barbara Gowdy's book "Helpless". Very disturbing subject matter but I like the way she writes; great character development and I feel like I am getting a real glimpse inside a truly disturbed mind (the mind one of her character's, not the author's :c) This is the first book I have read by her and I will definitely read her other books now. Also read "Match me if you can" a romance/humour book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She came highly recommended and, although romance is not my favourite genre (too formulaic/boring), I did enjoy it and would look for her other books. It was like watching a nice romantic/comedy movie where there is actual chemistry between the two leads. A nice beach, vacation read (warning: some adult content/language)....See MoreFebruary fervor: what are you reading?
Comments (53)Mini-review: I've just finished a "tour de force" memoir by renowned William Shirer: "Love & Hate: the Stormy Marriage of Leo and Sonya Tolstoy." For anyone with a deep interest in old Russia or Tolstoy, this is a must-read. Shirer is a brilliant author. Normally, I would not choose to read such a depressing story of a long but doomed marriage but there is so much here that touches on timeless topics: women's rights, the foreshadowing of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Tolstoy's influence upon Gandhi, his revolt against the Russian Orthodox Church, because he took the side of the peasants against the Tzar, etc. Tolstoy was excommunicated, although he constantly preached his version of the love of Christ to his serfs on his estate. To them, he was a hero. Tolstoy prefigured the ideas of Marx, that ultimately fomented the Revolution that overthrew the Tzar. He was prescient, loved by many,hated by his intelligent wife, who copied all his manuscripts by hand, as well as his diaries. Sonya also bore him 13 children and ran his estate. The couple were larger than life, in their strong personalities. Ultimately, matters became so bad between them that their grown children had to physically intervene. Tolstoy fled his home and died in the cottage of a stranger at a railroad station. How his death plays out is fascinating, in a bizarre way. Reading this, one gains perspective re a vast Empire on the cusp of great change. This was Shirer's last work, written in his late 80's. Frieda, I think you might like this.......See MoreWhat are you reading in February?
Comments (44)Finally finished the slog through Fannie Flagg's The Whole Town's Talking, and TG for that! I don't regret reading it, as with the final pages you see her lovely take on the complete cycle of life, but nevertheless it's going straight to the donation box. Now am reading John O'Hara's Appointment in Samarra, which, it turns out, is a great classic. It concerns a fictionalized version of O'Hara's hometown deep in Pennsylvania's "coal patch" country during the 1930s, and has me thinking about PA's part in the last election and Joe Biden's frequent references to his boyhood in Scranton. I had known almost nothing about this part of the country and JO'H describes it well. Its plot is about the alcohol- and depression-fueled downward spiral of one of the town's "important" men, and the effect he has on the people around him. O'Hara reminds me a bit of Fitzgerald and Hemingway; he is hard and merciless. His characterizations are tremendous and his dialogue is truly "real". The man knew how to write a sentence!...See MoreFebruary 2023 - What Are You Reading?
Comments (72)On this, the last day of the month, I finished Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. I find her to be a powerful writer, and fortunately she came to be recognized before her sudden death in her late 50's. This is the first of two novels from a planned series about a declining America, written about 30 years ago but eerily prescient. I'll probably read the second book in a while. She never finished the others she planned for the series - apparently too depressing! Nonetheless, there is enough hope in this novel that I was able to enjoy it. In turn, I am glad she was able to enjoy the recognition she deserved. She is probably best known for the time travel story Kindred, which I read with my book club a few years ago....See MoreCarolyn Newlen
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