What BOOK are you reading right now?

Speaking of books I couldn't finish, I read Mary Wallstonecraft Shelley's Valperga all the way, slog, slog, to p. 388 out of 454 pps. and said, "That's it, no more, I don't give a damn."

No, Kara, I didn't put up Rock Island Line, only because Driftless, being virtually new, is more easily come by; readily to hand in bookstores and libraries throughout the land.

As to disagreeing with me, sure and you're not prone to causing me much discomfort, at least no more than, say, a sprinkling of ginger caught in the back of me froat.

The fact is, both Rock Island Line and Driftless are wonderful novels. The first being something in the way of a coming of age tale; the second concerning folks who, to varying degrees, are already of an age -- as was the author himself, respective of his own lives and times.

Anyway, one has only to read the first few pages of either to know they've taken hold of something special; sentence structure, characterizations, and word pictures in both novels are real good. For why the 'ell else would I have recommended them?

Well, g'night, you two. I'm off to read the NYer (tinnitus!) and as much as I can stand of d.h. lawrence at one time.

I suspected it was, Kara. You'd enjoy the whole trilogy, too, I think.

...which makes me think we are on the same page. (Though I'm very impressed by the diversity of your reading!)

... which makes me wonder if you have read any Janette Turner Hospital. Particularly Due Preparations For The Plague. Now that is some novel!

I usually read more than one book at a time.

Cities of The Plain - Cormac McCarthy

Having read the first two in the Border Trilogy

McCarthy "fans" might be interested in knowing he was born in Rhode Island in 1933 and didn't move to Texas until the late 70's.

Those new to McCarthy, you need to read

1) Blood Meridian
2) Suttree
3) The Road
4) No Country for Old Men
5) All The Pretty Horses

Terminal Man -Michael Crichton

This was the only one of his novels I had not read, and I bought it at an airport because I left my Kindle at home.

Anything by Crichton is a good read.

Now I need to buy another copy because I left in on a plane from England to Atlanta.

Night of Thunder - Stephen Hunter. (This was on the Kindle)

Pulp to many but always a great read.

I just started to read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

I finished Pillars of the Earth just a couple of months ago. Great read!

At Large and At Small familiar essays by Anne Fadiman.

A "gem" dandy book.

The latest in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series, T is for Trespass.

j p donleavy : ireland - in all her sins ... and some of her graces .

donleavy was sent by his parents to study at trinity college , dublin , after WW II . seems that j p and his college chums tried to study as little as possible and instead drink as much guinness as possible !
it seems that he was quite sucessful at that difficult task - a great read ! should have known about it when i was young !
hbg

I am reading 'Almost Moon' by Alice Sebold. One of the books I got for Christmas from my sister.

Almost finished it - I like the way she writes - experimental.

Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul - Great read for those who are committed

I got it from a colleague and I am really surprised how good it is.

Just finished Wild Swans, by Jing Chang.
Wonderful book. History, intrigue, politics, action... and all the shades of human greatness, meanness and madness.

Just started Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano. Anyone familiar? He's like the first South American novelist to rival the "Boom" authors (Cortazar, Marquez, etc.), though he would boast of an aesthetic contrary to theirs.

Really, really good so far, and hefty, so it should keep me busy for a few weeks. I'm psyched.

Got one word for you; Prey. Never, read it. But, someone once pointed out to me - when you go into OpShops ('thrift' shops in the US) and 2nd-hand book shops there's always a copy of 'Prey', usually more than one. Since I have started looking, that is so true. I think I one saw 3 copies once.

Oh yeah, Tell it like it is brother. Wabbits = vermin.

This is my second read - very well written and a personal account as the author is a scientist as well as a good history of the pest.

Uh-oh. I think dlowan follows this thread. Watch yer bavk, Stilly.

Reading and re-reading E. M. Delafield's Diary of a Provincial Lady.


I'm not a Jilly Cooper fan, but her Delafield review is really quite wonderful.

I'm still reading Sir Edmund Hillary's View From The Summit. He's now on his trek to the South Pole. He's an amazing fellow who not only has the stamina for this "sports," but he's also had a great deal of luck go his way.