Book News and Reviews

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2011-07-21T06:46:00.667-04:00

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Pam, thank you so much for your pick, and for your...

2011-07-15T23:29:13.742-04:00

Pam, thank you so much for your pick, and for your thoughtful review!

Great writing! I want you to follow up to this top...

2011-04-11T14:18:49.284-04:00

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Excellent post. My review is - Nice post by good a...

2011-04-09T03:26:25.164-04:00

Excellent post. My review is - Nice post by good author :
Lindsay Rosenwald http://www.lindsayrosenwald.info/ Lindsay Rosenwald – complete biography.

I am so glad to hear that you loved Never Let Me G...

2011-04-08T13:14:35.838-04:00

I am so glad to hear that you loved Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro! I listened to this book a few years ago. Since that time I have recommended it often, and as you said, some loved it while others hated it. Both men I know that read it were neutral, which I found interesting.

This book caused me to reflect on how important our upbringing is. As an example, cultures where marriages are arranged. If I grew up knowing that this is what is done and just the way it is, would I be ok with it? Possibly.

I loved this book, but then tried Remains of the Day and just couldn't get into it :)

I just finished "The Hand that First Held Min...

2011-03-25T22:24:55.893-04:00

I just finished "The Hand that First Held Mine" by Maggie O'Farrell. I was a bit bored with the story at first... I had no idea where it was going, and so much time was spent on the the initial birth experience of Ted's girlfriend. But then as we got into the story of Lexi, it became more interesting. By the middle I was hooked, and the ending made me feel something. I finished it yesterday and am still thinking about the characters today.

I thought that the ending would be different... just a bit. I had suspicions that were not realized. But, perhaps that makes it more realistic.

O'Farrell is a terrific writer as well. I never felt, as I sometimes do when reading other authors, that "I could have written that!"

I loved Esme Lennox better, but this was a worthwhile read... or actually, listen. As usual, I listened to the audio book version.

I loved Room by Emma Donaghue. This story made me ...

2011-01-07T13:00:51.607-05:00

I loved Room by Emma Donaghue. This story made me grateful for even the most mundane things in my life. It kept me busy thinking of what it would be like to have been born into a "room" with no outside contact. I also found it interesting to think about how different this kidnapping experience was for the boy compared to his mother.

I listened to the audio book and it really made my commuting time zip by. The narrators were excellent. I would have sworn I was listening to the actual 5 year old boy telling this story. I definitely recommend the audio version of this book!

Madge- You're right about O'Farrell leavi...

2010-03-04T09:26:16.197-05:00

Madge-

You're right about O'Farrell leaving clues thoughout the book about Esme's hospitalization. She did do a great job of that. The book club discussion was very lively and there was great talk about Esme's situation in the context of history. We missed you and are looking forward to you rejoining us this month.

And thanks so much for your kind words about the book club. But I must admit I've picked a couple of doozies (is that a word?) over the years. I'm just glad that most lend themselves well to discussion.

I loved this book as well. I thought that the auth...

2010-03-03T12:39:34.146-05:00

I loved this book as well. I thought that the author constructed this book in a very clever way. The reader spends time in the thoughts of several of the characters, one of which has Alzheimer's... That can get confusing, but it just adds to the reality of that disease. Clues are given as to the reason Esme is left in the institution, but the author allows us to put it all together, which is very enjoyable for the reader!

I listed to the audio version of this book, and it was beautifully narrated with just the right accent. I seldom listen to a book twice, but I did with this one.

Pam, you have a knack for choosing excellent book club books! I am sorry I had to miss the discussion... bet it was a good one.

I think "1984" by George Orwell is an am...

2010-02-09T02:37:40.180-05:00

I think "1984" by George Orwell is an amazing read. A sci-fi book which gives us plenty of food for thought as to how things really turned out as opposed to how they were forecasted to turn out.

Madge, I'll remember this the next time I have...

2010-02-02T19:36:11.345-05:00

Madge,
I'll remember this the next time I have to take a long car ride.

I loved the quiet simplicity of this book and the ...

2010-02-02T19:34:34.150-05:00

I loved the quiet simplicity of this book and the writing was so poetic. I haven't read anything else by Doig. If you do read another of his book, I'll be anxious to hear what you think.

Well, I'm a little late commenting on this one...

2010-02-02T17:37:26.539-05:00

Well, I'm a little late commenting on this one! I loved this book as well, and it is also one of my favorite books that I read in 2009.

Pam, if you can get the audio version, you will absolutely love it. There are different narrators for Skeeter, Minny and Aibiliene, and they are all superb. I never wanted my commute to end.

I loved this book as well. As you know, I am a hug...

2010-02-02T17:30:53.374-05:00

I loved this book as well. As you know, I am a huge fan of audio books. I happened to have this one both in print and on my mp3 player, and I used both methods trying to get the book read by the meeting date for "Books on Main." After all that, I never did make it to the book club meeting!

I was intrigued from the start, curious about who this new housekeeper Rose and her brother were. I fell in love with the quirky and intelligent Morey.

The narration of the audio was good, but I recommend reading this beautifully written book with your eyes. Because I went back and forth from the written version to the audio, I found that I was missing a lot of his interesting writing style when I was listening. I found myself going back to the book to re-read certain parts.

I would definitely read another Ivan Doing book. Madge recommends: Read this one, and use your eyes!

So glad you liked the book, Madge! And I agree th...

2009-09-21T17:36:43.739-04:00

So glad you liked the book, Madge! And I agree that the image of the Japanese belongings in the basement of that hotel was a powerful one.

On a different note, I've heard good things about Sarah's Key as well. I haven't read it yet, but hope to at some point. Like you, I've read an awful lot of WWII books lately and I feel like I need to read about something else.

I finished this book last week, and I still think ...

2009-09-20T23:34:27.391-04:00

I finished this book last week, and I still think about it. To me, this story was an illustration of how you can have a fulfilling and happy life even if you have strayed from what you were "meant" to do.

I seem to be on a WWII theme these days, having also just finished "Sarah's Key." The Japanese internment is not a part of our history that we are proud of, but it is good to be reminded of it. I still remember seeing pictures in my middle-school history text of the Japanese lined up with their suitcases. It was satisfying to have that picture come to life, and in such a unique way... as told from the perspective of a Chinese boy!

It was also a very sweet love story.

The mental picture of the hotel with all the Japanese belongings still in the basement is one I will not soon forget.

Madge - Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

2009-09-10T13:41:30.834-04:00

Madge - Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Madge - Glad you enjoyed Unaccustomed Earth. Like...

2009-09-10T13:40:51.738-04:00

Madge - Glad you enjoyed Unaccustomed Earth. Like you, I'm not a big short story fan, but these I really liked. I read them a while ago, so none of them are very fresh in my mind (I have a mind like a sieve when it comes to the plots of books), but I do remember loving Lahiri's writing style.

As for the Guernsey book, you are not alone in your love for this book. I had a strong sense from the RARI committee that this book was well loved by those who read it and came away thinking it had more than a fighting chance to be the 2010 selection. We'll know soon, I hope. Our next meeting is 9/23. Stay tuned for more information.

Thanks too to mentioning the RARI blog. I will be posting more about it soon - in an effort to get more input from RI readers.

Madge - Good for you for going to the source at Cu...

2009-09-10T13:36:29.793-04:00

Madge - Good for you for going to the source at Cushing's site! I have to agree... using the space freed up by the removal of books for a coffeeshop and a lounge seems ridiculous to me. I agree that study areas are important, but coffee and lounging belong in the student union, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. Or, if there is room for a coffee shop within the (hallowed) walls of the library, then great. But to remove the books to make room for coffee and snacks seems crazy to me!

I just started reading this book, thanks to your r...

2009-09-09T19:35:58.214-04:00

I just started reading this book, thanks to your recommendation. I'll weigh in when I'm done!

Pam asked first... but now the RARI blog also want...

2009-09-09T19:33:58.536-04:00

Pam asked first... but now the RARI blog also wants our input on the "short list" Did I leave a comment or two? Of course I did!

http://ribook.blogspot.com/

I just finished reading "Unaccustomed Earth&q...

2009-09-09T19:30:25.813-04:00

I just finished reading "Unaccustomed Earth". The stories were very good, although I am usually not a fan of short stories. A couple of the stories stayed with me, while a couple were somewhat forgettable. I liked this book, but I am still rooting for Guernsey!

Truly frightening. I am a fan of digital informati...

2009-09-09T19:27:10.364-04:00

Truly frightening. I am a fan of digital information, but I don't think the answer is tossing out the books. Especially... ALL the books!

I poked around Cushing Academy's site and found the text of a talk entitled “Libraries Beyond Books: A Call for New Paradigms” by James Tracy. An excerpt:

"At the same time, we can use the space now freed up from books to build convivial areas where students and teachers are encouraged to interact – yes, even talk - about ideas, so it becomes a place of interaction – with a coffee shop, faculty lounge, shared teacher and student learning environments, a student area for study." http://www.cushing.org/misc/library.shtml

Coffee shops and snack bars have become very important in academic libraries, at least, to the students. But this school is for grades 9-12! Study areas should be available, but moving the books to make way for coffee for teenagers just doesn't seem right.

I think that eliminating all books is too extreme. Eliminating some that are redundant might be ok. When it comes to journals, articles are easy enough to read online. But entire books? I can't imagine reading all of my books on a computer screen. It will be interesting to see how the students cope with this. I wonder if some will resort to purchasing their own books from Amazon instead!

Hi Madge! Thanks so much for commenting on my bl...

2009-08-23T17:09:45.131-04:00

Hi Madge!

Thanks so much for commenting on my blog! I was beginning to feel as though I was talking to myself. Thanks too for your RARI input. I will be sure to mention this at that next meeting. I'm on the edge of my seat to see what book the committee will choose.

I haven't done much with audio books, but lately I've been hearing more and more people talk about them (you included) and just yesterday I ordered a book from my "to be read" list as an audio and I'm going to try listening to it in my car. Most of my trips are pretty short (less than 20 minutes), so I'm not sure how that's going to work, but I'm anxious to give it a try. I'll let you know what I think.

Thanks again for your awesome comment! See you at book club on Wednesday night.

Happy reading,

Pam

I really liked this book and was drawn into the st...

2009-08-22T18:57:14.775-04:00

I really liked this book and was drawn into the story, especially the parts that took place in India. Umrigar's portrayal of the people, places, and political climate was what gave this story a unique perspective. Some parts were slightly unbelievable but overall a very good read.