What are you reading the week of Sunday, May 10, 2015?

[scarletwoman]

Good morning, all!

I'm back!

I had a wonderful time out in Seattle and beyond - too short, though. I used to live on Orcas Island, back in 1986-87, and being out that way again really made me miss the wonderful Pacific Northwest.

Anyway, I didn't do any reading while I was vacationing, kept busy with doing stuff like hanging out with my son and his wife, and sightseeing. But since I got back I finished the two books I had on hand in short order; Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbo, and Reykyavik Nights by Arnaldur Indridason - two of my favorite authors.

Ready to pick up at the library are two books I've been really looking forward to; Thin Air by Ann Cleeves (the latest book in her Shetland Island series), and Sweetland by Michael Crummey (set in Newfoundland). The latter book is a shot in the dark - it showed up as a recommendation on GoodReads, sounded interesting, so I though I'd give it a try. If it turns out to be good, I'll certainly post about it.

Gotta run now - my sisters and my dad and I are making our annual Mother's Day visit to our mother's grave at the Fort Snelling National Cemetary - my dad's a WWII veteran, so they both get to share a plot there. It's a two-hour drive from where I'm living now, and I'm running late!

So, let's hear what you all have been reading - I'll be back later this evening!

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Have just finished Ch. 1 of The Pillars of the Earth. So far, I really enjoy it.

It's amazingly well detailed and you can imagine what life back then was like.

[TexasProgresive]

4. I reread that book once in a while

It has great plots and along the way you learn about how the great cathedrals got built-including the politics behind it all. There certainly is a reason that a chess piece that moves on the bias is named bishop.

[CurtEastPoint]

9. And I am in Normandy now, enjoying the cathedrals and tomorrow, Mont St Michel!

[Enthusiast]

5. We enjoyed that one too.

[shenmue]

2. "The Arc of the Swallow," S. J. Gazan

I have misgivings it's a cover for an anti-vaxx philosophy. I'll probably finish it, but I think I should have known better.

[scarletwoman]

16. It sounds like an interesting book, actually.

Judging by some of the enthusiastic reviews on GoodReads, it sounds like it's just a thriller, and not a screed.

I hope you'll share your thoughts about it once (if) you finish it.

[Enthusiast]

3. Hello, everyone! Thank you for the thread, scarletwoman. Happy Mother's Day to all DU mothers!

Last edited Sun May 10, 2015, 03:36 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm glad you had a nice trip, scarletwoman.

Earlier, this past week, I read Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason. Really, it blew my mind. Afterwards I read Two Old Women by Velma Wallis. That was good one too, a study in resourcefulness and other things. I am looking forward to Mrs. Enthusiast reading Strange Shores.

I am reading Bucking the Sun by Ivan Doig. Bucking the Sun is about a family of Montana homesteaders involved in building a dam on the upper Missouri River. The text is really tiny in my copy. At times I am struggling to read it. I bought a used copy on the internet and didn't inquire about the text size.

Mrs. Enthusiast is reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. She is completely absorbed and toward the end.

[scarletwoman]

15. Hi, Enthusiast! I'm happy to hear that "Strange Shores" blew your mind.

I think that for any follower of the Erlandur books, Strange Shores is pretty mind-blowing. There's a review on GoodReads that very much captures what I felt about it:

When I finished the book, late at night, I startled myself with the sound that escaped from me. It was a deep sob somewhere from the bottom of my soul.

I'm so glad to have been able to share Erlandur with you.

Two Old Women is quite fascinating, too. After I read that one, I read Velma Wallis's Bird Girl & the Man Who Followed the Sun - another fascinating legend featuring pre-European-contact Native life - as well as her autobiographical Raising Ourselves - which was both heartbreaking and hopeful. Having lived in Alaska for 6 years, I already knew that village life was tough, but her autobiography really brings it home.

That's cool that you're reading more Ivan Doig. I might, someday - I know he's a wonderful writer, but the "West" is just not my bag at this time. Maybe if I tire of "North" one of these days...

[Enthusiast]

17. Hi scarletwoman.

I'll probably read Bird Girl & the Man Who Followed the Sun. Velma Wallis sort of reminds me of James Houston that I spoke of before.

Yes, Strange Shores was captivating. Erlandur was an unrelenting super detective in a desperate search for answers. I find it is still having an effect on me.

I cannot comment about Bucking the Sun by Ivan Doig yet as I am only about one quarter through the book.

This Ivan Doig had a unique way of looking at things. He had a special skill for placing you right in that time and place. Many of us have been considering the great infrastructure projects of the New Deal lately anyway.

[Mz Pip]

6. Girl on the Train

By Paula Hawkins

[Enthusiast]

7. That sounds good.

I checked it out on Fantastic Fiction.

[japple]

10. I have that one on hold request for e-edition at the library. Last night, I finished

Lin Enger's The High Divide and highly recommend it. The Hornaday expedition of 1886 and the Washita incident figure prominently in this story.

Just downloaded Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread, and James McBride's The Color of Water (my second reading of this lovely book.)

[Enthusiast]

11. Thank you, japple.

I ordered a used copy of The High Divide. I don't know when I'll ever have time to read all these books that are accumulating faster than I can read them.

[japple]

14. I know what you mean. My stack keeps growing and my time seems to keep shrinking

esp. when the weather is warmer, but I am somewhat of a hoarder of books. There's a fear that a time will come when I won't be able to get to the library and, for some reason (apocalyptic?) be unable to download to my e-reader.

[Enthusiast]

18. I'm happy to know you are well supplied with books in the event of some catastrophe.

[Worried senior]

20. I'm reading the Girl on the Train too.

Not real sure how I feel about it yet.

[womanofthehills]

33. I read that too

I couldn't put it down but I got really tired of reading about her drinking problem.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Since there is no "what are you reading" in the no-fiction section......

finally got a book I had heard about for ages.

Harpo Speaks.
by Harpo Marx

He talks about growing up in NYC East side, lots of fun details about day to day life ( he left school in 3rd grade)
And how the Marc brothers eventually became famous.
Plus he shares some really funny stories about many many famous people people he hung out with as the years roll by.
For a guy that barely was formally educated, he has a marvelous vocabulary, and has been self educated on many topics.

It is a nice bedtime book.

[Enthusiast]

12. That sounds highly entertaining, dixiegrrrrl. Harpo!

[hermetic]

13. Finished Rendell's Live Flesh

Ouch. That left a gaping hole in my soul. No redemption at the end. Just ick. Too real.

Thank goodness I had Craig Johnson's Spirit of Steamboat to sail away with right away. A rescue story about a young girl and heroes. It's only 150 pages. Was supposed to be a short story for a mag but his agent suggested he make it a novella. With Craig you always know it will be a happy ending. I need that from my readings. Plus, his stories always make you laugh and believe in police. Written a few years ago. In small towns. Where maybe we still could. Believe and trust. Sigh.

[Enthusiast]

19. Sometimes it is pleasant to have a happy ending. And sometimes it is necessary for me too.

It would be nice to believe in police as I once did.

[DFW]

21. I saw a reference to my novel on another DU thread today

So it was gratifying to hear that it must have made an impression on some people. Two months ago, I was totally blown away when someone on DU alerted me that Thom Hartmann had read my book and raved about it on his show.

I saw someone on this thread was currently in France. I wish you had a copy of my book with you, as a good part of it takes place in France, albeit 19th century France, and has a lot of French dialogue in it (with translation for the non-francophones).

To those of you who have read it, thanks (and thanks for the kind reviews on Amazon!)! To those who haven't, well, it's still out there, if you're curious!

[scarletwoman]

22. Hey, man! Help us out a little bit and post the title of your book!

I know I've recently seen a reference to it in a thread somewhere on DU, but my old brain just doesn't retain stuff that well anymore.

You've got a ready-made audience of reading addicts in this group - you've come to the right place to flog your book! Just tell us what it's called!

[DFW]

23. "The Time Cellar." I'll even go you one better

Here's the link to it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Cellar-Marc-Emory/dp/159967971X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431497377&sr=1-1&keywords=The+time+Cellar

It also has a Facebook page and the-time-cellar.com for more details and comments/reviews. You'll definitely recognize some of the names of people who have read it so far and liked it.

[TexasProgresive]

29. What's a better deal for you, Kindle or paperback?

Quite a price difference.

[DFW]

30. I was a babe in the woods

The paperback price was set by them, as it barely covered the cost. I got to set the Kindle price, and had no earthly clue. Apparently, it was too low, but I said what the hell. It's not like I will get rich off this venture unless some major publisher wants to grab it, and for new authors, that is about as likely as Rachel Maddow going to work for Fox.

So, I just priced it to be accessible to as many people as possible. Go with what is best for you, and don't worry about the price. I'll never recoup what I put into making it happen, so my reward is in good reviews and knowing I gave some people a good time for a few hours.

[Enthusiast]

31. How cool!

[DFW]

32. I did get some very cool plugs in time for the back cover

Even the big bestselling authors don't always get nice quotes from Howard Dean, Stan Lee and Adrian Cronauer (the real one, not Robin Williams) for their first book.

[japple]

24. I wasn't in the mood to read anything I had on hand, so I downloaded

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand from the library and fell in love. Helen Simonson is quite a good writer and I'm happy to hear this is being made into a movie.

[TexasProgresive]

25. I finally finished Crime and Punishment

It's not that hard of a read or overly long, but you would think in retirement I would find plenty of time to read. Not so, I have been busy with so many things that need my attention. Anyway it was a good read.

I just started Morgan LLwelyn's 1916: A NOVEL OF THE IRISH REBELLION. This a a reread, I have read 1916, 1921 and 1972. I just found out that Ms. Llwelyn has written 1949: A Novel of the Irish Free State and
1999: A Novel of the CelticTiger and the Search for Peace . That means I will read 1921, get 1949 from my library, read 1972 and finally get 1999 from the library.

If you want to have a real feel for Ireland in the 20th century check out these historical novels by Ms. Llwelyn. They are worthy reads. In 1916 we are introduced to Ned Halloran who survives the sinking of the Titanic. The 1st 3 chapters gives a snapshot of the ship, its crash and how it affected survivors, family and friends. The sinking changes young Ned in ways that will move him from the son of a "strong" farmer into an uber Irish patriot.

[DFW]

26. My wife retired 3 years ago

She has exactly as much free time now as she did while she was working, meaning none.

That's why I'm not contemplating retiring for the next 20 years or so (we're both 63). I figure I might as well do something that brings in a little bacon if I'm going to be occupied no matter what I do. The only downside is that I have started my second novel, and I can't even find as much time to work on it as I did the first one, and THAT took over 2 years.

[TexasProgresive]

27. Is your 1st novel published?

If so what is its name? Thanks

[DFW]

28. It is.

See post #23.

[hermetic]

34. Spirit of Steamboat

Thought I'd pop back in to say how much I enjoyed this book. If you like old airplanes, this is a book for you. Johnson spent a lot of time talking to old bombardiers who flew these so everything that happens on this one flight through a blizzard is real. Quite suspenseful, a good bit of humor which comes in handy when in a crisis, plus a touch of mysticism that always shows up in his writing. Two thumbs up.

And now, my long-awaited The Sisters Brothers, a "dark Western" by Patrick deWitt. It IS dark, gruesome even, but quite amusing.

"...deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters–losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life–and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love."

[SheilaT]

35. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

I actually just finished it and it's excellent. Rather different from the movie, which is to be expected. The movie (the two of them actually) are mostly about the old people starting new lives. The book is about families, and I liked it a lot.

[japple]

36. Thanks, SheilaT. Will have to check this out. I have only seen the 1st movie and loved

it. Will have to see the 2nd film when it comes to Netflix. The theater in my small, southern town closed a couple years ago and was converted into a church. The closest theater is 25 miles away.