CanadianContent discussion

35 views
Archives 2018 > W/o January 13 to 18, 2018

Comments Showing 1-50 of 60 (60 new)    post a comment »
« previous 1

message 1: by ❀ Susan (new)

❀ Susan G (susanayearofbooksblogcom) | 3856 comments Mod
Good morning readers - it has been an exciting week with the announcement of the Canada Reads long list! Our TBR lists have expanded.... again!

Are you reading our monthly read? do Not Say We Have Nothing? How about participating in our January Resolution Reads challenge? A few participants have even finished BINGO squares already!

What are you reading and what is next?


message 2: by Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ (last edited Jan 12, 2018 05:15AM) (new)

Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ (allisonhikesthebookwoods) | 1769 comments Good Friday morning! My reading has kind of been on the backburner this busy, busy week. I was doctoring with both kids this week - one stubbed her pinky toe leaving the top of her foot bruised and swollen and the other has a throat infection and hasn’t eaten even the tiniest morsel of solid food since New Year’s Day. An X-ray has shown no broken bones in the foot and I am getting some test results today with respect to my son, so hopefully we are on the up and up now!

I did manage to listen to Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, which is very short, but probably intentionally so, as it's very "sciencey." I am now listening to The Hate U Give. This book is fabulous. I want to suggest it to my book club.

I've started reading Do Not Say We Have Nothing, but I'm not that far into it yet. Hopefully the weekend will deliver on some overdue reading time!


message 3: by Wanda (new)

Wanda | 728 comments I am happy for Friday! I am plugging along in a few books: The Boat People and Bellevue Square. On audio I am truly loving Oryx and Crake. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. (I hate no links on mobile...)


message 4: by Rainey (last edited Jan 12, 2018 05:47AM) (new)

Rainey | 713 comments Good Friday Morning everyone.

I have completed 4 bingo squares so far.

Working on by BDA book club books and our read this month. Also listening on audio book 4 of series Plague Pits & River Bones which came out yesterday.

Just finished The Autobiography of Gucci Mane on audio book for the Read Harder Challenge and loved it.

4 squares down for that Challenge as well. (2 books - 1 of my reads crossed off 3 off of the list (you can double dip in that challenge) and Gucci.


message 5: by Susan (new)

Susan | 838 comments Happy Friday, everyone!

This week I finished Goodbye, Vitamin, which I liked. I can see why some might be turned off by the "voice" of this book, but it worked for me. I also finished Emily Carr Country for my first bingo square/cross-Canada entry (Canadian nature/BC). And, on audio, I read the short book Fever Dream for the Tournament of Books. It was too weird and didn't work for me.

I still have two story collections on the go: Signals: New and Selected Stories and The Dead Husband Project. I'm also still making my way through the long but interesting One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway. And I'm reading Manhattan Beach, but itching to get started on some Canada Reads books. :-)


message 6: by Gillian (new)

Gillian | 229 comments I was listening to A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki but found I still read my faster so I've now switched back to paper. I just can't listen fast enough so my library holds keep expiring.

My most recent read was Starlings by Jo Walton, which was ok. It felt more like a collection of ideas rather than actual short stories. And I'm finishing A Tale for the Time Being over the weekend. It's fantastic and I don't want it to end.


message 7: by Diane (new)

Diane (Tvor) | 357 comments I finished Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham for a Bingo square this week. Currently trying to finish Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson so I can start on American War by Omar El Akkad. Don't know how many Canada Reads books I'll be able to get my hands on but I'll give it my best shot.

I'm also perusing Yum & Yummer by Greta Podleski for the Canadian Cookbook Bingo square. taking my time and making copies of the recipes I want to try (borrowed the book from my mother) and I've finally started my Christmas book, the "door stopper" that is A Column of Fire by Ken Follett.


message 8: by Shannon (new)

Shannon White | 198 comments This week I finished They Left Us Everything: A Memoir which was written by a local GTA author (Oakville). Given that the author was local, I was a little more interested in the content than I would have been if it were set somewhere else. I liked the "house" as a character however, in general I was not wowed by this book. As Simon Cowell says, I found it a little "So what". :)

I am just about 100 pages into The Marrow Thieves, a recently announced Canada Reads contender. So far, so good. The Canada Reads announcement has delayed my intent to start Do Not Say We Have Nothing. I will attempt to finish by the end of the month but I am hoping to read Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City next. I am really excited about that one.

Sounds like I have lots to do this month!


message 9: by Petra (new)

Petra | 706 comments Good morning!
I finished reading The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer. It's an interesting story of a true murder where a 13-year old kills his mother. The case details themselves are somewhat vague. The records only show so much. It was an interesting case.

I've now started listening to Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town. The details are interesting. I'm finding the narration a bit odd for the topic. It's making the women sound a bit weak, unsure and, therefore, unconvincing at the moment. The words, though, don't. It's a strange listening experience.

In print, I've started Independent People and am very much enjoying it.

I'm still listening to Portrait of an Unknown Woman on my jogs. Slow progress this week. I haven't found the time to get on the treadmill much this week.


message 10: by Shannon (new)

Shannon White | 198 comments @Petra - I read Missoula and really enjoyed it. I like Krakauer's journalistic writing style. Would be a different experience in audio for sure. Is the narrator Krakauer himself or someone else? Given the subject matter, it would be difficult for the narrator to remain unbiased emotionally in my opinion.


message 11: by Petra (new)

Petra | 706 comments @Shannon, the narrator is a woman. She's using a voice that is supposed to sound soothing and calming, I think. It's making the women's voices sound weak, which I find annoying. These women were strong to stand up.
I don't know the narrator's name and will check when I get back to the car.


message 12: by Emmkay (new)

Emmkay | 252 comments Happy Friday!

This week I finished You Will Know Me, which I really enjoyed - loved the look at the quite peculiar-sounding world of competitive gymnastics and the parents behind the athletes, coupled with a bit of a domestic thriller. Interestingly, my 2 family members who read it both didn't like it at all, so maybe it is a polarizing book.

I'm also close to done Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City.

@Petra, I really liked Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, but read it in hard copy. I'm also looking forward to The Wicked Boy - I like Kate Summerscale's books.


message 13: by Heather(Gibby) (new)

Heather(Gibby) (heather-gibby) | 462 comments Good morning everyone!
I put a bunch of holds on library books over the holidays, and now I have that situation where I have a number of unfinished books on the go at the same time.
The only book I managed to finish was Funny Boy, which is quite a good story. Each chapter is told form the point of view of the main character at a different age, so the voice matures as you progress through the chapters.
I used this book for G2 a first novel, but it can be used for B1 as it is on the 100 books that make you proud to be Canadian.

Stay warm everyone!


message 14: by Lisa (last edited Jan 12, 2018 07:46AM) (new)

Lisa (lisafriel) | 210 comments @Shvaughn - I am just getting into audiobooks while I am driving. I listen on the Libby app which lets me speed it up to 1.25x or 1.5x. It depends on the book - sometimes 1x is all that I can take in. Does let me get through others a little faster.

This week I completed two BINGO and Cross Canada reads. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery was really good. For some reason I thought I had read this as a child. I certainly did all of the Anne of Green Gables series. It was all totally new to me and I loved it.

Annabel by Kathleen Winter is one of those books that I probably had come up at the library/overdrive several times, but too many at once and got put on the back burner. I am glad I finally read it. I really liked the writing and it really got you thinking about several issues - who we are, nature vs nurture, gender identity, friendship, relationships. Although I did find it very detailed during the early school years and then kind of breezed through the rest. Almost felt like the author knew the book was getting too long. I would still recommend it.


message 15: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments I'm having a great reading week. I'm almost finished The Remains of the Day, and it is exquisite and I have to wonder how on earth I've managed to never read any Kazuo Ishiguro before!

I'm also halfway through Fingersmith, another winner.

And plugging away at Proust. I'm up to page 130! It's not easy reading....


message 16: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments Shannon wrote: "I am just about 100 pages into The Marrow Thieves, a recently announced Canada Reads contender. So far, so good. .."

This is good to know. I'm on the fence about whether or not I want to read it. I'm not a fan of YA, nor Dystopian, but it's been recommended to me nonetheless. I figure I'd wait and see if it makes it to the short list. If it does then I'll read it. But will look forward to your thoughts on it Shannon.


message 17: by Natasha (last edited Jan 12, 2018 08:26AM) (new)

Natasha Penney | 554 comments Well I started out the week with great intentions to read Certainty by Madeleine Thien and By Gaslight by Steven Price. You know what they say about good intentions... :)

I did finish Certainty, and I would have given it 10 stars if Goodreads permitted such a thing. I was amazed anew at almost every page by the scope and impact of Madeleine Thien's writing.

I tried starting Price's book next, but a book like Thien's took a bit of an emotional toll, and I needed something a little more familiar. So I borrowed dad's copy of John Grisham's Camino Island, and it's fun, light and entertaining.

Consider me also among the number with far more available library holds than time to read them all. I now have at my disposal The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit, Scarborough, and Precious Cargo: My Year of Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 towards my Canada Reads targets. I'll likely have to put my BINGO reading on hold while I concentrate on the longlist, unless some books overlap and I accidently find the books can serve a dual purpose.

BINGO holds that came in this week as well include A Fine Balance, Fall on Your Knees and Alone Against the North: An Expedition into the Unknown.

What IS a girl to do!? I think this falls under the category of happy problems. :)


message 18: by ✿✿✿May (new)

✿✿✿May  | 671 comments Happy Friday!!
Last week I finished Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I. It was just ok for me. I didn't really enjoy a book that was stitched together primarily by letters.
This week I am reading Mr. Mercedes, my very first book by Stephen King and am enjoying it.
Brother has arrived from Indigo and my library holds of The Marrow Thieves and Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City have come in, so I will be starting with those next. My library has The Boat People on order and Scarborough has a very lengthy hold, so will wait for the end of the month for the Canada Reads shorlist to see whether my guesses are correct :)
Enjoy your weekend!


message 19: by Megan (new)

Megan | 461 comments Happy Friday everyone!! Lots of great reads happening, you guys are amazing!

I have The Marrow Thieves, Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City and Scarborough on hold at the library.

I'm currently reading Kundalini Rising: Exploring the Energy of Awakening, a very interesting read.

I have What Happened and The Power out from the library but they both have so many holds on them that I won't be able to finish both before they're due back, so I'll have to choose only one. :S

I finished reading Song of Batoche. I enjoyed the first half of this novel, but the second half got bogged down in details for me. I wish it had been more from the perspectives of the Metis women than Riel himself. Overall, I learned a lot of history of the North-West Rebellion.


message 20: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments Megan wrote: "I finished reading Song of Batoche. I enjoyed the first half of this novel, but the second half got bogged down in details for me. I wish it had been more from the perspectives of the Metis women than Riel himself. Overall, I learned a lot of history of the North-West Rebellion. .."

It's a very well researched book. After reading it I read Joseph Boyden's book Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont because I wanted to know more but essentially it was all covered in Song of Batoche, except that Boyden's book goes further and continues with Riel's execution.


message 21: by Allison (new)

Allison | 2088 comments Hi — on a work lunch, so on phone. Like Wanda, I hate the no links! But love reading about what you guys have been up to.

First week of work has been a whirlwind but positive! Only problem is that 3 of 5 days were snow days! Ugh. So sorting out five kids before I leave for work was a bit of a new strain for the morning! Anyway, it’s nearly end of day Friday, and they’re all still alive, so that’s where I’ll be setting the bar going forward.

Allison, I hope your kids are doing okay!

I didn’t finish any books this week, but nearly completed an adoption story by my husband’s aunt. Interesting, but man, she needed an editor! Not the kind of thing I’ll be mentioning at a family reunion however! :)

On my “new” commute I’m listening to Bellevue Square. I’m loving it!

I ordered 3 books from the CR longlist and they’ve arrived! Getting them tonight & hoping to maybe start Precious Cargo first. Am I cheating to try to squeeze it into the travel bingo square??? I mean, he’s a bus driver, right?? :)


message 22: by CynthiaA (new)

CynthiaA (bookthia) | 91 comments Happy Friday, fellow Readers! Weather is a nightmare here, freezing rain to snow. I was supposed to drive an hour west to have lunch with a girlfriend, then dinner with my mother. Glad I cancelled, its HORRIBLE out there.

In a most uncharacteristic move, I am currently midway through FOUR different books.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing is my main read right now, with thanks to my Secret Santa, who intuited it would be the January read for this group! I'm only a few chapters in, but enjoying it.

When We Were Young: A Collection Of Canadian Stories is an anthology/short story collection edited by the late Stuart McLean. I started this before Christmas and have been periodically reading a story when I can fit it in. I'm 2/3 through and I love it. Susan, I will be dropping this beauty into your LFL when I am done, so keep an eye out for it!

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone is my current non-fiction title and I'm only just starting it. I try to do a chapter before bed at night, but I've been so tired that I haven't got anywhere with it lately.

Be Frank With Me is on my KOBO right now and I'm almost finished. I started it on the plane home from our holiday and I haven't had a chance to finish it up. It's kind of cutesy but it is really enjoyable. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint at the end!

Diane, I won a copy of Yum & Yummer on Greta Podleski's facebook page, and I have made 2 recipes from it now. I love that it is as enjoyable to read as it is to cook from! I haven't tried any of the videos yet.

Louise, Fingersmith is a fanstastic book, I loved it. I haven't read The Remains of the Day (I will get to it, there is a copy around here somewhere...) but I thought Never Let Me Go by the same author was absolutely brilliant.

The Canada Reads Longlist has so many tempting titles! The two titles that intrigue me the most are:
Precious Cargo: My Year of Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 and
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City


message 23: by Story (last edited Jan 12, 2018 12:18PM) (new)

Story (storyheart) I've had travel fever all week and took some virtual trips to:
Italy (The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard who I became aware of through listening to a recent interview on Writers&Co),
Botswana (The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine),
England A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian--a re-read)
Amsterdam (The Miniaturist)

@Louise, glad to hear that you enjoyed Remains of the Day. Our local cinema just had a Merchant Ivory revival and we went to see the film which was just as moving as the first time we saw it 25 years ago. I'll try the novel soon.

@ Shvaugn, I too loved Tale for The Time Being.

@Wanda, I thought the next book in the Oryx and Crake trilogy was even better than O&C. You've got lots to look forward to there!

@Allison, congrats on making it through the first week in your new office...I admire your courage. I hope to never have to leave my home office for the real world ever again.


message 24: by Maia (last edited Jan 12, 2018 12:38PM) (new)

Maia Caron | 3 comments I've put Do Not Say We Have Nothing on hold while I read Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City I read 84, Charing Cross Road this week (thank you Louise, it's a beautiful book). I'm also reading the stories and essays in Granta 150.

@Louise, I also loved Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet by the same author. I really want to read The Remains of the Day because it's one of my favourite movies, but will focus on chipping away at the Canada Reads long list!

Have a great weekend everyone and happy reading.


message 25: by ✿✿✿May (last edited Jan 12, 2018 12:46PM) (new)

✿✿✿May  | 671 comments I am going to move Fingersmith and The Remains of the Day up my TBR list :)


message 26: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments I read The Paying Guests last year and loved it as well, so Tipping the Velvet is being added to The Mountain. And now I must read more Kazuo Ishiguro as well, so Never Let Me Go and When We Were Orphans are going up The Mountain too.


message 27: by Louise (last edited Jan 12, 2018 02:19PM) (new)

Louise | 1171 comments Allison wrote: "On my “new” commute I’m listening to Bellevue Square. I’m loving it! .."

That is the one awesome thing about working, listening to books on the commute :-). I wasn't sure how Bellevue Square would work in audio. Glad you are loving it. Can't wait to hear what you think of the whole thing when you're done. Michael Redhill is doing an author event in Montreal in a couple of weeks so I need to snag some tickets for that!


message 28: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments Maia wrote: "I really want to read The Remains of the Day because it's one of my favourite movies, but will focus on chipping away at the Canada Reads long list!..."

It's a quick read Maia; you can do it :-)


message 29: by ❀ Susan (new)

❀ Susan G (susanayearofbooksblogcom) | 3856 comments Mod
wow @Rainey - you are making a great start on BINGO!!

@Shvauvgn - A Tale for the Time Being seems to have both its fans and haters. I am in the fan category like @Storyheart!

@May - I had the same feeling about Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I - way too many letters telling the story and it was a mediocre read.

@CynthiaA - I would love to read that before it hits the LFL!

I have had a busy week so have read little. I am about 75% through Do Not Say We Have Nothing and am sad to admit that I had no idea of this history. It is such a beautifully written, compelling story but such terrible history has taken place. Thien has woven such a tale blending the stories of generations and the lasting impacts of horrible events.

I have had way to many holds come in at once so have a lot of reading to do. I was lucky that our library has most of the long-list but not sure that I will be able to read them all!


message 30: by Allison (last edited Jan 12, 2018 03:19PM) (new)

Allison | 2088 comments Like so many of you, I loved Do Not Say We Have Nothing when I read it last year. It's really stuck with me. In my review I also said what @Susan has said -- an awestruck realization that I got to my 40s without any deep understanding of what went on in China in those days. It's a sad reality of our school system, I think.

@Louise, Bellevue Square is great in audio! I'm really sucked in and so when it was an icey drive to work today and my hubby suggested carpooling, I was actually sad because I wouldn't be listening today! Ha! I took the smart route and did drive with him, but you are right that a commute is a great excuse to get into audio books! Duh -- I've just figured this out, as for the last five-ish years, my commute has been from bedroom to home office.

I was not a fan of A Tale for the Time Being and in fact, it was a rare case of me giving up on a book. However, I've loved very much Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet.


message 31: by ✿✿✿May (last edited Jan 12, 2018 03:35PM) (new)

✿✿✿May  | 671 comments @Allison, congrats on surviving your first week of your new job!! I bet you must have missed the Spine Crackers and the Canada Reads threads, Lol!


message 32: by Allison (new)

Allison | 2088 comments Oh I did, @May! Monday it was killing me when the long list came out! hahahah. Honestly, I realize now how I was looking at this group all day long, and how it was my social outlet when I was so solitary in my work! I miss you guys!


message 33: by Gillian (new)

Gillian | 229 comments @Lisa, I was listening to it at 1.4 speed but only have a 10 minute commute so there's not a lot of opportunity for listening time. It took be 7 hours to get half way through the audiobook and that was over 21 days. Then it expired from the library and I ended up on the wait list. So I got a hardcover from the library and read the second half in an evening, probably 2-3 hours.

The narration by Ruth Ozeki is really good though and I really recommend the audiobook version. They just sadly don't work that well for me.


message 34: by Mj (last edited Jan 12, 2018 05:01PM) (new)

Mj It’s great to see everyone is enjoying their reads this week!! I too enjoyed many of the books you enjoyed or are enjoying.

Gave 5 stars to Funny Boy, Do Not Say We Have Nothing and Brother and I’m pretty stingy about giving out 5 stars.

Also gave 4 stars to A Tale for the Time Being, Annabel, Precious Cargo: My Year of Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 and Bellevue Square. My book average is under 4 so my 4 stars aren’t readily given out either.

Sounds like many of you agree that the term Crazy Canucks isn’t about our skiers so much as a possible term for people who think Canadian authors don’t write terrific books!!

This past week I focussed primarily on two in-person book club books. I finished the first, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and was disappointed and was expecting more based on the positive recommendations I’d read. Am half way done the second book We're All in This Together by Canadian author Amy Jones and the verdict is still out.

Am partly through The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimalineand hope to finish soon as the other Canada Reads Books are arriving fast and furiously. I’m concentrating on the lesser known books this month as I have what I think are strong contenders frozen in the Number 1 Hold Position at my public library currently. If I don’t read any short listed books before the announcement, I figure I can release the holds and read 5 books between the January 30th short list announcement date and March 24th = the day before the debates start.

@ ༺ Allison hikes the bookwoods ༻ hope your children are feeling better soon.

@ Allison - wow 3 snow days out of 5 are a lot!! Glad you survived and are enjoying your new away from home job. You’re clearly well-organized and resilient. Precious Cargo: My Year of Driving the Kids on School Bus 3077 for Tailie’s travel square made me chuckle. It is very creative but seems like a bit of a stretch. I don’t remember Craig driving across the U.S.-Canada border. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the book whatever square you choose.

Congrats to Rainey & others for your strong Bingo and Cross-Canada starts. Very impressive. It’s wonderful to see everyone’s enthusiasm for these challenges and especially heartening to see so many new members joining in.

@❀ Susan - thanks for designing and setting up these challenges for us.


message 35: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments As we are all trying to speed through the Canada Reads longlist, our library holds and the piles of books everywhere, here is a quote to think about:

“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.”
― Mortimer J. Adler


Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ (allisonhikesthebookwoods) | 1769 comments Love it @Louise!


message 37: by Mj (last edited Jan 12, 2018 05:34PM) (new)

Mj @ Louise - great quote. Totally agree. While I know how to speed read - I usually just read that way to get through a lot of research material in a short time - newspapers, other publications, reference books etc.

I never skim pleasure books - neither fiction nor non-fiction. I like to read slowly and savour the books (hence the term reading for pleasure.) As a general rule, by savoring, pausing, stopping and reflecting on what I've read, most well-written books get through to me if the timing is right, Whether I end up liking the book or not, I usually get the book's essence by reading this way.


message 38: by ❀ Susan (new)

❀ Susan G (susanayearofbooksblogcom) | 3856 comments Mod
Great quote @Louise but my problem today is that I have had 9 library holds come in... including 3 from the long-list, Song of Batoche and 2 from my Grimsby author series authors and don't know where to start!!! I also have 2 on my shelves from the long list and am enjoying Do Not Say We Have Nothing... the problems of too many books and too little time!!

I have to give props to my library which has all of the long-list books!


message 39: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments Yeah, I can sympathize. I should be reading one of my books right now, or at least a few pages of Proust but so far today all I have done is read from my magazines, Granta 141, The Brick, and World Literature Today (which is really outstanding). I have trouble reading my mags because I always have a book I want to finish but being in between books I decided to skim my mags and enjoyed reading stories/essays/reviews etc by the likes of Madeleine Thien, Louise Erdrich, Aminatta Forna, Omar El Akkad, Michael Redhill, and a few International names that are unknown to me. I need to take more time to enjoy these stories by International authors even if they don't count as "books read" for Good Reads. But yeah, too many books and too little time is a real problem.


message 40: by ❀ Susan (new)

❀ Susan G (susanayearofbooksblogcom) | 3856 comments Mod
LOL - I have my copy of Granta sitting beside me calling me also! My daughter suggested I start with Scarborough


message 41: by Magdelanye (new)

Magdelanye Yesterday I returned home after 3 nights in the city and an exciting opening that included a wall of books from the old Vancouver Womens Bookstore in the 70's and 80's. It was stunning to meet again with many of the sisterhood is powerful crowd. I did not make a presentation but contributed select memories and observations.

I got very little personal reading done. The book I brought with me The Chimes by Anna Smaill is one Ive been gently discouraged to read, but I had a feeling that I needed to penetrate the obscure but oddly lyrical plot and finally, after 200 pages, it began to make sense. Ive got about 60 pages left and its gotten quite gripping, now that Ive figured out the underlying order.
Those of you who have read this may appreciate the pun.

@Louise, yes what a great quote.
I enrolled in a speed reading course once but I hated it and dropped out after two or 3 lessons.

Not much progress on either of the other books I have on the go.
A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing by Lawrence M. Krauss not only needs to be read slowly, each sentence needs to be reread a few times, then a re-run of the whole paragraph. Its mind boggling the dimensions

Glad to report that at last I've come to a series of stories that I find more engaging than offensive as I wade my way through Long, Last, Happy: New and Collected Stories by Barry Hannah

@Allison, I'm surprised that you were not engaged with tales for the time being. But then again, you continue to surprise me with your eclectic taste :-)

Love the Tractors of the Ukraine and also recommend.

I see that many of us keeners have discovered the downside of getting all the holds at once. I am curious @Mj's method of freezing the hold at number 1 and how that works. I'm afraid to check my library account!

Thinking about the east coast storms and wishing all of you hardy ones safe journey.


message 42: by ❀ Susan (new)

❀ Susan G (susanayearofbooksblogcom) | 3856 comments Mod
Sounds like quite an event @Magdelanye - I love the idea of a wall of books!


message 43: by Ann-Marie (last edited Jan 17, 2018 08:03AM) (new)

Ann-Marie | 158 comments Hi All
I love hearing about your reading, it's like a bit of me is reading with you!
I finished The Book of Eve (for the Feb group reads & O2 sqaure) at the end of last week. Really enjoyed it, it will be a a good discussion in Feb.

Library holds for The Rules of Magic & The Woman in Cabin 10 came in over the weekend. I finished The Rules of Magic and it had received a lot of press lately so I was keen to join the frays. It reminded me a lot of Canadian Ami McKay's The Witches of New York but McKay's book is much better written. The Rules of Magic was a fun escape read.

Today I picked up holds for The Party Wall & canadian cook book (O4 Bingo) Oh She Glows Every Day: Simply Satisfying Plant-Based Recipes to Keep You Glowing from the Inside Out. I think Party Wall is going to trump Cabin 10 for my focus.

Tonight my book club meets & we are discussing the historical fiction The Alice Network and the books we received from our club xmas swap (I got The Beggar's Garden = amazing!)

I love your quote Louise about how many books move you. It's so important. I actually started a book journal in 2018. I find they all blend together and I want to better remember the perspectives and thoughts each book inspired.


Happy reading all!


message 44: by Petra (new)

Petra | 706 comments Ann-Marie wrote: "Tonight my book club meets & we are discussing the historical fiction The Alice Network and the books we received from our club xmas swap (I got The Beggar's Garden = amazing!)..."

That's a great reading week, Ann-Marie!
I also thought The Beggar's Garden was a wonderful read. Glad you enjoyed it.


message 45: by Mj (new)

Mj @ Ann-Marie - I quite enjoyed The Party Wall and can see why it won The Governor General's Award in 2016 for Translation (from French to English) and was nominated for some other awards. Thought the writing was excellent and it really made me think. I hope you enjoy reading it.


message 46: by Alan (new)

Alan | 542 comments I tried so hard to read Brown by KamalAl-Solayee but it was becoming like work and even one paragraph was torture.he so much talks at you,it just isn’t my kind of book. I post this because I hate dumping a book but this was painful.


message 47: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments Alan wrote: "I tried so hard to read Brown by KamalAl-Solayee but it was becoming like work and even one paragraph was torture.he so much talks at you,it just isn’t my kind of book. I post this because I hate d..."

I read his memoir Intolerable: A Memoir of Extremes because it was on Canada Reads, and it was just okay and didn't inspire me to read anything else of his.


message 48: by Alan (new)

Alan | 542 comments I just threw out the book. Life’s too short.


message 49: by Louise (new)

Louise | 1171 comments Alan wrote: "I just threw out the book. Life’s too short."

Good for you! There are TOO many books that need reading to spend time on any you're not enjoying.


message 50: by ❀ Susan (new)

❀ Susan G (susanayearofbooksblogcom) | 3856 comments Mod
LOL - I felt that way about Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things - it just made me angry as it was disrespectful to people with mental health challenges and ridiculous. I could not wait to ditch it!


« previous 1
back to top