What are you reading this week of December 6, 2015?

[hermetic]

I am absolutely loving Ivan Doig's Last Bus to Wisdom. What an amazing author he is. From The Oregonian - "One of the finest novelists writing today." Yep, I agree.

I'm also listening to Purity by Jonathan Franzen on CDs. Great story. Very contemporary, involving pretty much everything that's in the news these days.

What is your pleasure this week?

[TexasProgresive]

1. There have been several mentions of the Outlander series by Diane Gabaldon

Well I rose to the bait. I'm reading the 1st in the series Outlander. I'm to the point where Claire has made the transition and realizing she's not in "Kansas" anymore. I think Claire will have a more interesting life and I am on for the ride. Frank didn't make much of an impression on me.

[hermetic]

2. Welcome to the bonny banks...

I read the first 2 books and decided to take a little break. I'll start on book 3 after I've finished Doig. Yeah, Frank seemed rather bland.

Enjoy!

[Enthusiast]

3. Hello, everyone! Thank you for the great thread, hermetic.

We loved that one, hermetic, Last Bus to Wisdom.

I finished The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. What a timely read with all the recent discussion about socialism and the candidacy of Bernie Sanders. I loved The Lacuna but it made me sad too. IMHO, there has never been anything more Un—American than the Communist witch hunt carried out in the 1950s.

After finishing The Lacuna I read Miracle at St. Anna by James McBride. Miracle at St. Anna took place in WWII in Italy from the perspective of black combat G.I.s. It was very unusual. Thank you for the recommendation, japple. Mrs. Enthusiast will like this one too.

I am currently reading Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving. I'm not so far into Avenue of Mysteries.

Mrs. Enthusiast read Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving and enjoyed it very much. Now she is reading White Fire by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This is one of the Pendergast series. We have read nearly the entire Pendergast series.

[hermetic]

7. The Lacuna

Glad you finally got a chance to read it. It truly is timely which really illustrates what a genius Kingsolver is. It didn't make me sad so much as it made me furious. I remember the HUAC investigations and accusations even though I was just a kid. The fact it was all bs was plain to me even back then. Certainly shaped who I am today.

I was saddened, of course, by the deaths in the story.

[japple]

8. That was one of the saddest parts of the book, IMHO. The worst was the

Last edited Mon Dec 14, 2015, 05:51 PM - Edit history (1)

period after WWII and the Bonus Army conflict. It is as sad as the homelessness of veterans today. As long as we keep making wars, we will be burdened with the consequences.

Edit to correct: The worst was the period after WWI and the Bonus Army Conflict.

[mackerel]

4. I'm reading The English Passengers

I've only just started. It's kind of slow but it's an interesting view of some of those who settled Tasmania, Australia.

[Enthusiast]

5. This is a theme I repeat time after time. I looked up The English Passengers

on Good Reads and found it compelling. I ended up ordering a used copy. I have many such books "to read" piling up.

Some years back I read The Fatal Shore. It kind of wet my appetite for more Australian history.

[mackerel]

6. Yes my boyfriend read Fatal Shore and he would agree, it's compelling. (He's an Aussie.)