The official book club
Posted by Allychristine on Aug 24, 2008 · Member since Dec 2007 · 15438 posts
I modified this thread..so that we can come here and talk about all books!
This is like our book club!
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From original post (about Brothers K):
I don't know how to start since I just finished, and I'm still quite wrapped up in it..
If you're planning on reading it, be wary of visiting this thread until you're done....then come back and discuss!
It's my favorite book.
Although I just finished 100yos, it only took me a few hours yesterday to read Anthem by Ayn Rand. You all know I love her, and I especially loved this story. Short, and happy (enough) ending! I have to admit I was confused in the beginning, because I actually thought the "we" was multiple people. ;D I was like...how can they all look exactly the same?
I've now read all of her fiction works. I don't know what to read next!
I used to be a huge fiction reader but have drifted over the years into being more likely to read non-fiction. I haven't had the experience of being totally lost in a book for a while and this thread is a good reminder to reconnect with that.
"Walden" was part of my last good reading binge. Not non-fiction but absorbing (at least for me). I got re-interested in reading it (had tried it before and it just didn't do it for me at the time) after reading "American Bloomsbury" by Susan Cheever, which I highly recommend- got me interested in all things Transcendentalist.
Right now I'm reading "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving. It's not my favorite among his books, at least so far, but it works for me well enough.
Also high on my favorites list are "Autobiography of a Face" by Lucy Greely, and "Truth and Beauty" by Ann Patchett. The books work well as a pair- both about the late poet and writer Lucy Greely.
Right now I'm reading "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving. It's not my favorite among his books, at least so far, but it works for me well enough.
Which is your favorite? John Irving is one of my favorite (maybe favorite) authors, and I've read them all. I think he's coming out with a new book this month! My favorites are Garp and Until and I Find You.
I <3 A Prayer for Owen Meany. It might have taken me a while to warm to it. I can't remember. It's been a while. And it might have also been where I was in life when I read it (19 or 20 during the Gulf War when there was banter about reinstituting the draft).
I think my favorite was "A Widow for One Year." It's one of these books that I still find myself thinking about at times- years after I read it. I loved "Garp" too- that was another lifetime ago, feels like. I should probably read it again and see what I think now. I haven't read "Until I Find You" but now I'm motivated to do some catching up.
I have just finished the Twighlight series - I quite enjoyed it, an easy read which is what I needed after the last book I read before them.
Thanks to you guys I have decided to try some John Irving - I can't beleive I've never readd anything by Irving before now. Several of his books have been on my list to read for ages. I have jusst ordered garp off amazon, so hopefully it'll arrive soon.
I think my favorite was "A Widow for One Year." It's one of these books that I still find myself thinking about at times- years after I read it. I loved "Garp" too- that was another lifetime ago, feels like. I should probably read it again and see what I think now. I haven't read "Until I Find You" but now I'm motivated to do some catching up.
Yeah, I really loved A Widow For One Year, too. I even have the children's book A Sound Like Someone Trying not to Make a Sound. ; )
eta: yay, shell!
The Things They Carried = amazing.
:)>>>
http://www.cofc.edu/newsandevents/newsthumbs/things-they-carried.jpg
It's set in Vietnam during the war. Typically, I hate books about war. This book, however, puts much more emphasis on the emotional baggage that the soldiers carried throughout this time. This was one of the few books that I actually did read in high school- I loved it so much that I actually did extra research on it, bringing in interviews from the author and other things.. and let me tell you, I was quite the underachiever- so me doing all that has to mean that this book kicks ass.
I second "The Things They Carried" being a great read- not a typical war book by any means.
I third "The Things They Carried." The author came to my school and did a reading from it and then answered questions. He was a really cool guy, and the book is amazing.
I third "The Things They Carried." The author came to my school and did a reading from it and then answered questions. He was a really cool guy, and the book is amazing.
Seriously?? I'm jealous!
I have this section of it that is my absolute favorite.. I left the book in Ohio though, and I can't quote it word for word. I'll try to find it.
Yeah, I got my book signed too :).
So, has anyone else read Dune?
I finished it a few days ago, and it took me a little while to read. Not because it's long, but because it was hard to get into. Anyway, I enjoyed it toward the end, then I got to the end..............and I was so disappointed!!!
Earlier this year I got into Poirot. Read a few books, watched a few films. Both good, although the books carry the wit and description better.
A few weeks ago I discovered Colin Cotterell's series about Dr. Siri Paiboun, a coroner-come-detective in communist Laos in the 70s. Witty and engaging and fascinating; a lighthearted but respectful peek into another culture, via excellent characters and mysterious plot lines. The stories remind me somewhat of Poirot's mysteries, and they make reference more than once to Maigret also (of whom I've yet to read).
I just saw that this thread exists... awesome! Any of you guys do Shelfari?(www.shelfari.com)... it's a book-enthusiast website, with easy-to-share virtual shelves & discussion groups & stuff... for 'readophiles,' way more fun than Facebook!... glancing at recent posts above, I think a lot of folks here might enjoy it. 'The Things We Carried,' btw, is on my 'plan to read' shelfari shelf; I've heard nothing but amazing things about it!
Although I just finished 100yos, it only took me a few hours yesterday to read Anthem by Ayn Rand. You all know I love her, and I especially loved this story. Short, and happy (enough) ending! I have to admit I was confused in the beginning, because I actually thought the "we" was multiple people. ;D I was like...how can they all look exactly the same?
I've now read all of her fiction works. I don't know what to read next!
allychristine, what are your thoughts on the fountainhead?
oh, and to add, i recently read "How the other half lives' -jacob riis, and was reading Utopia--- but mica pup chewed it up while i was at work.
Although I just finished 100yos, it only took me a few hours yesterday to read Anthem by Ayn Rand. You all know I love her, and I especially loved this story. Short, and happy (enough) ending! I have to admit I was confused in the beginning, because I actually thought the "we" was multiple people. ;D I was like...how can they all look exactly the same?
I've now read all of her fiction works. I don't know what to read next!
allychristine, what are your thoughts on the fountainhead?
Loved it! Read it about 6 years ago, but it's my 2nd favorite of hers, after Atlas Shrugged.
fountainhead was very well-written.
right now, i'm reading michio kushi and alex jack's the macrobiotic path to total health. i was reading a detox book that i didn't fully agree with, aside from a few holistic therapies for caffeine withdrawal and liver detoxing (i was a hellraiser in college, what can i say)
I'm re-reading 1984.
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