Any book readers out there....?? [Archive]

NYCwife

12-06-2007, 07:25 PM

I am writing a paper on Toni Morrison's Beloved and Esmerelda Santiago's America's Dream and it made me think that maybe we should have a book discussion thread on the site. I like talking about books (ME: Lit chick... not chick lit.) so if anyone is interested, maybe we can choose a book and have a group chat.

Some books I've read recently that I like:

Drown, short stories by Junot Diaz (he has a new novel, The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, that I am interested in reading)

Bel Canto
Water for Elephants
Life of Pi
Song of Solomon

I like pretty much ANYTHING by John Irving and am a fan of Alice Walker and Zora Neale Hurston. I tend to gravitate to African American fiction (my major), but anything that can't be put down is my speed.

So.....any takers?

peace....
nycgrrl

Salsa2

12-06-2007, 07:29 PM

I also LOVE John Irving, have read all his books. I love A Prayer for Owen Meaney especially. I agree with you on Alice Walker and I've read Their Eyes Were Watching God several times. It was required reading in high school b/c the town of Eatonville, FL was in the same county as our school.

I don't get to read much these days, but I listen to books on tape during my commute. Right now I am enjoying The Alienist by Caleb Carr.

Laura

12-06-2007, 07:32 PM

I would love to do this - until I start law school! :)

Favorite books: Love in the time of Cholera, 100 Years of Solitude, (both Gabriel Garcia Marquez), every book by Barbara Kingsolver, especially Poisonwood Bible, hmmm.. I love reading. It's hard for me to list favorites. I haven't read anything by Zora Neale Hurston and something by her is on my list. What is your favorite NYCgirl?

I read Beloved in high school - it was such a difficult book back then for me (growing up in a homogeneous, white suburban atmosphere) but what an amazing read. It's a great sign that I remember so much of reading it 10 years later.

angela256z

12-06-2007, 07:37 PM

OK I am an Romance Junkie...Judith McNaught or McNaughty as one of my sister calls her. I have read all her books and own most of them. I also like Nicholas Sparks....one of the only books that ending up being movies that I read before the movie came out. Oh and I read the Outsiders...after the movie though. I wasn't even born when the movie first came out. So those are my favs. I am a member of www.paperbackswap.com it is pretty cool and have shipped 3 books and received about 5 and all I pay is shipping the booking people want from me. It is pretty cool.

NYCwife

12-06-2007, 07:38 PM

OMG.... A Prayer for Owen Meany. I used to keep that in my desk drawer at work until it grew legs. My husband says I have an alter to John Irving, because I have hardcovers of all of his novels on one shelf with toy armadillos I have gotten as gifts over the years.

Tell me about The Alienist. I have heard good things about it. How far into it are you? Can you recommend it? I loved Water for Elephants and in many ways it reminded me of Irving's Son of the Circus. They would make good compare and contrast subjects.

Did you read Until I Find You? I have yet to discuss that book with anyone and it resonates with me for personal reasons.

That is good to hear about Hurston's novel being required reading. I think she is quite underrated.

nycgrrl

NYCwife

12-06-2007, 07:47 PM

Laura, I like Marquez alot. I am kind of psyched about Love in the Time of Cholera coming out on film. I think Javier Bardem is HOT and I can't wait to see it.
In a similar vein, do you like Isabel Allende?
As for Hurston, I like Moses, Man of the Mountain best.
I never finished The Poisonwood Bible and haven't had a chance to read anything else by her. I know I am in the minority, since most people LOVED this book.

Angela.. I like romance novels, too....but I end up getting disappointed when I know exactly how it will end about a third of the way through. They are an easy guilty pleasure when I do indulge.

nycgrrl

gaby

12-06-2007, 07:59 PM

Love to read books too, event though i read more in Spanish.
My favorite authors Garcia Marquez, I read all of his books, Also Paulo Coehlo, he is a brazilian writer. Alquimista, Veronika decide morir, junto al rio piedra me sente y llore, and more.
The only one I read in English was
Pilars of the Earth, It was almost 1200 pages. By Kent Follett.
Also I just read a 7 books written by an french Author Maurice Druon,
in spanish is LOS REYES MALDITOS, there are 7 books, about kings, popes politics and more in the 1300, Europe the war for the kingdoms, power and more

ARodrigues

12-06-2007, 08:05 PM

gaby-Veronika Decides To Die is my favorite book, hands down. I enjoy almost all of Paulo Coelho's, but that is my favorite.

NYCwife

12-06-2007, 08:07 PM

OOh.. I have to look up Veronica Decide. I am always on the lookout for something good.

nycgrrl

gaby

12-06-2007, 08:09 PM

That is great, congratulatuions for your baby. I had all books written by Paulo Coehlo. I love the way how he writes.
He goes very often to borders book store and barnes and noble, my favorite bookstores in USA but since I am not allowed to be there any more. I go to wherever feria del libro is around my town

angela256z

12-06-2007, 09:11 PM

Angela.. I like romance novels, too....but I end up getting disappointed when I know exactly how it will end about a third of the way through. They are an easy guilty pleasure when I do indulge.

nycgrrl

Oh but Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Message in a Bottle)...You can not guess what happens in those books. They are all so different yet you may have seen the movies by now, but still he is good at twisting it. Now McNaughty....Yeah the girl always ends up with the right guy, but she adds so much character to it and they are both modern and contemporary books....but yes I know what you mean.

Dorothea

12-06-2007, 09:52 PM

I'm a reader too, though I usually find I don't have much time...
I just, today, finished Bread and Wine by Ignazio Silone. It's a very OLD book... I believe he's an Italian author, but I read the English translation. Sad ending...
It takes me a month or two to read every book now, because I just read a couple pages in bed and then I go to sleep! Lol

NYCgirl, I've always had a thing for African American lit... Alice Walker has written some awe-inspiring things...
Laura, Their Eyes Were Watching God is lovely... I never had to read it in high school like so many people I knew did, so I read it years later... I have not read other books by her tho...
One newer author that I think is amazing: Zadie Smith. I've only read one of her books, but it was really great. Another of my all time favorites is Tom Robbins!!!!!!!!
Since I have just finished my book, someone make a recommendation for me!! I love this thread!

NYCwife

12-06-2007, 10:29 PM

Dorothea: I liked White Teeth.....Smith has another novel out there that I haven't read yet that is supposed to be great. Any of the books I mentioned in my original post are good.

Angela: I have read Nicholas Sparks and liked him. I liked the Notebook, and what was the Nicholas one? And yes, I thought the movies were good as well. It is in the same vein as The Bridges of Madison County, not great literature, but a good read nonetheless.

Do any of you want to do a community bookread. We can choose a book and give everyone a couple of weeks to read it then discuss. My vote is for anything John Irving, but I am open to just about anything.... Any takers?

nycgrrl

Dorothea

12-06-2007, 11:03 PM

kenaly

12-06-2007, 11:25 PM

I read just about anything...Sidney Sheldon, Bernard Cornwell, Edward Rutherford, James Michener. I like medieval historical romances and LOVE the Black Lace erotica series.

angela256z

12-06-2007, 11:43 PM

I am headed to the library now, so I will see if they have any John Irving... The library here is awful, so no garauntees. If not, when I go to my mom's I'll have the library there get me an interlibrary loan. :) I am up for it!

Join www.paperbackswap.com I have never had trouble finding a book on there. New one's a little, but anything that has been out for a while I have been able to get and it only cost postage for when you have to send the book to someone else. You have to have 3 - 5 books that you are willing to give up to join, but they don't have to be paperback.

I would be interested in a book read thingy. I don't like to read books that don't interest me, but I am willing to try.

egonzalez1975

12-07-2007, 07:46 AM

I LOVE anything and everything John Grisham. He is the only one who can grab my attention.

Laura

12-07-2007, 02:43 PM

Oh, I like Zadie Smith too! I haven't read the newer book, but I thought White Teeth was wonderful!

This is a great thread!

arcoiris

12-07-2007, 03:33 PM

Let's see. In my library, on my favorites shelf, there is Cold Mountian by Charles Fraiser. Happy Ending by Francesca Duranti. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. The entire set of Harry Potter. Complete Works of Shakesphere. The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. I've just re-read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and I'm currently reading The Sillmarillion by JRR Tolkien. Then I will start on Unfinished Tales and the Children of Hurin, and maybe then my geekiness will be slated and I can move on to Water for Elephants and a few other things I would like to read. Sooo geeky, I am.

NYCwife

12-07-2007, 03:33 PM

So let's choose a book! Do you want to wait and see what John Irving book Dorothea picks up? I am partial that way, but am open to anything else. Want to go for a Grisham or Tom Clancy kind of thing?

kenaly: Black Lace erotica series?? whoo hoo.. I have never read, but do we want to do that to any of these separated wives? lol.... I have read The Story of O and the Anne Rice Beauty series and a collection of Black erotica called Noir something. I like the genre :blush:

Let's get two or three suggestions and vote.

nycgrrl

Laura

12-07-2007, 03:41 PM

I would love to read something by John Irving. I have never read anything by him, but from what I am seeing here, I would probably like him.

clmjmm7

12-07-2007, 03:55 PM

I've read Water for Elephants. Sara Gruen actually came here and did a book signing at the library where I work. I also love any John Grisham book. I've just recently gotten into reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. They are hilarious. I like Nicholas Sparks and Debbie Macomber too.

Dorothea

12-07-2007, 04:31 PM

Ok, the John Irving I picked up: Until I Find You. Is it any good? If so, let's do that!
I also bought The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai when I was at the airport a couple weeks ago. It's a Man Booker prize winner, so that's a good sign to me. I put off reading it because I wanted to finish the other one...
I vote for the John Irving, as I've never read anything by him either!

NYCwife

12-07-2007, 05:48 PM

Well I like Until I Find You, and it resonates personally for me. (we can discuss why after you've read it) I think his most "literary" book is A Prayer for Owen Meany, but other than his first novel Setting Free the Bears, everything he has written is worth reading.

And OH.... I never even mentioned the Harry Potter series... I am a Harry Potter FREAK. One of my daughter's friends was Luna Lovegood for Halloween and thought it was freaking terrific. lol

So...is anyone else up for Until I Find You?
Here is the link for the NYT review and warning: It contains spoilers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/books/review/17GRAY.html

anyway...let's get this book party started.

nycgrrl

Dorothea

12-07-2007, 05:51 PM

I will get to work on it this weekend! Between study sessions... I have a ton of work to do...:shy:

Laura

12-07-2007, 05:53 PM

Great! I will order it today!

Has anyone read Middlesex? Or Kite Runner? Those are just two recent faves I remembered today!

NYCwife

12-07-2007, 06:05 PM

I want to read Kite Runner!.... That would be a great book to read, since the movie is about to come out. I generally hate movie adaptations (another side effect of liking Irving)

So I gues we are reading Until I Find You.....by default? any others want to chime in?

nycgrrl

M&M

12-07-2007, 06:15 PM

I love reading, but haven't done a whole lot of it lately. I need to get into going to our library and just getting books, even when I don't know anything about them or their authors.

One of the more recent books I read was Gone with the Wind! It was sooooooo good! Like the movie is awesome, but I have to say the book is even better.

Like Ellie, I also always enjoy a John Grisham! I own most of his books, they are really good, action packed!

One of my favorite authors is Frank Peretti. His books are soooo good! He's a Christian author though, so you have to be open minded or okay with that. His classics are Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness. You guys should read those, they are soooo good! I own all of his books also.

Lord of the Rings are great too! I've read those twice!

I'm a sucker for romance too, but don't read it very often. What are some good authors???

Oh, Oh and Jane Austins!!!! Like Pride & Prejudice is great! I've read that one and Emma. I need to get the other ones. I love her movies though!!! I know most have you have probably seen the newer P&P, but if you haven't seen the older one with Colin Firth, than you have to watch it! It's way longer and so much better I think. The new one is just too fast and skips so much info. All the movies based on Jane Austins books are great as long as you don't go way back to the super old ones. I hope they make a new Persuasion! I like the one there is already, but they need better music and they could use better actors also.

M&M

12-07-2007, 06:17 PM

[QUOTE=arcoiris;72418]Let's see. In my library, on my favorites shelf, there is Cold Mountian by Charles Fraiser.[QUOTE]

Is that Cold Mountain as in the move Cold Mountain???? I love that movie, I need to buy is someday. I never thought to look into the book it may have come from, but if that's it I would love to read it!

Dorothea

12-07-2007, 06:18 PM

M&M I am a huge Jane Austen fan too! :)
Read Sense and Sensibility!

angela256z

12-07-2007, 06:20 PM

I will see about getting it tomorrow.

M&M

12-07-2007, 06:25 PM

M&M I am a huge Jane Austen fan too! :)
Read Sense and Sensibility!

I've seen the movie that has Hugh Grant among others, but never read the book! I want to collect all those books! Hopefully my mom or someone will get me some for Christmas! LOL

Has anyone ever read Lorna Doone??? I have the movie which is GREAT, but want to read the book also. I've heard it's a really hard book to read since it was written so long ago, but the movie is so good I want to try it!

If you like romance movies like Jane Austins than you should watch Lorna Doone, it's really good.

Also some other good movies for Jane Austin fans are Our Mutual Friend and Wives and Daughters. Those are 2 great movies also!

NYCwife

12-07-2007, 06:37 PM

arcoiris

12-07-2007, 06:39 PM

Cold Mountian the movie was based on the book. Actually, it's one of the best books I have ever read. Charles frazier has a new one out called Thirteen Moons, which I have not read yet. Apparently, I'm going to have to know everything that there is to know about Middle Earth before I can move on. I actually asked for all the maps in poster size for Christmas. So sad.

Salsa2

12-07-2007, 06:57 PM

I listened to Until I Found You right when the book came out, but I can't remember it very well. I just put it on hold at the library so we can listen to it on our drive to CDJ!

M&M

12-07-2007, 07:13 PM

Oh I really like Jane Austen. I guess her novels are the exception for my disgust with movie adaptations because I really like most of the ones I've seen. I liked the Emma Thompson adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and I watch Pride and Predjudice every time it is on cable (I do like Kiera Knightly...am I the only one?) They are all very romantic and leave me sighing.

Mr. Darcy!!:daydream:

nycgrrl

Austen, duh! LOL, I can't spell! You would think all my reading would help that, but oh well...

Yes, I love Kiera Knightly and I think she actually does make a better Elizabeth Bennet. Have you seen the one with Colin Firth though. I think it's an ABC production. Anyways, I saw that one first and have watched it millions of times. It's a few hours long and is word for word from the book. There was only one timy paragraph from the book that they didn't have in the movie.

That one is so thorough and good, that when I watch the one with Kiera, it seems so fast a rushed! It's very good, I just wished they would have made it longer. Plus Mr. Darcy is much cuter in teh new one too!

Cold Mountian the movie was based on the book. Actually, it's one of the best books I have ever read. Charles frazier has a new one out called Thirteen Moons, which I have not read yet. Apparently, I'm going to have to know everything that there is to know about Middle Earth before I can move on. I actually asked for all the maps in poster size for Christmas. So sad.

Oh, yay! I'm going to have ot read that sometime then! Putting that on my wish list, because I love that movie. Normally I don't like sad ending movies much, but that ones so good that I can't help it!

arcoiris

12-07-2007, 07:47 PM

I can't always say that I am pleased with a movie based on a book I've read, but I was pleased with Cold Mountian. My grandmother and I both read the book and then went to the movie.

Laura

12-07-2007, 07:51 PM

I agree, Cold Mountain was a great movie based on a great book, which is rare.

Laura

12-09-2007, 12:27 AM

I remembered another book I definitely want to recommend to anyone who likes moving, world-altering writing:

What is the What - by Dave Eggers (http://www.amazon.com/What-Vintage-Dave-Eggers/dp/0307385906/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197159883&sr=1-1).

This is the best book I have read in years. I can't believe I forgot to bring it up before. If anyone wants to borrow it, I have a copy and will happily mail it to anyone as long as I eventually get it back.

NYCwife

12-09-2007, 02:10 AM

oh.. that sounds good. I loved A Hearbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I remember having this with me when I went to my daughter's preschool admission interview and I secretly think the conversation I had with the admissions officer about that book is what got us accepted.

I will have to pick that up.

nycgrrl

pen1137

12-09-2007, 02:13 AM

has anyone read "Term Limits" by Vince Flynn? this is an excellent read for anyone interested in politics.

Laura

12-09-2007, 04:54 AM

Yeah, Eggers is great. Have you read "You shall know our velocity?" That's another good one, but What is the What is the best!

Dorothea

12-09-2007, 03:36 PM

Loved A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius too! I've laways meant to read something else by Eggers, maybe we can do him next or something? So many good books to read!

M&M

12-26-2007, 06:14 PM

Well my mo got me Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore for Christmas!!! I started reading it last night. Read the first 2 chapters. I've always heard that's it's a really hard read, but I doubt I'll have any problem. I'm understanding everything fine so far.

It was first published in 1869.

M&M

01-07-2008, 07:01 PM

Can we possible get this thread moved to the Book Reviews section???

There's so many books metioned throughout that I might want to read later on and it would be easier to find there.

NYCwife

01-07-2008, 07:43 PM

gdalicia

01-07-2008, 07:56 PM

Good Idea....

SO....has anyone else started to read Until I Find You? The plan is to start discussing it (maybe the first 250pp or so) this Friday.

I was thinking that the book discussion thread can go over to the new folder.

nycgrrl

I have always wanted to do a book club! I'm going to see if I can find a used copy of this and try to cram some reading in.

I got "Omnivore's Dilemma" for xmas from my sis. I've already started and it looks very interesting. All about the food chain and why we eat the way we do.

I also loved Kite Runner and my Mom just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns so I want to read that next.

Laura

01-07-2008, 08:12 PM

Oh.. I have Omnivore's Dilemma and I haven't read it yet! Another related book that I LOVED is "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" by Barbara Kingsolver.

I hope you read Until I Find You as well!

Laura

01-08-2008, 04:17 AM

Can we possible get this thread moved to the Book Reviews section???

There's so many books metioned throughout that I might want to read later on and it would be easier to find there.

OMG - I'm going to try to move this thread. My first thread moving.. I don't really know how... it might take me until tomorrow... lol