What are you reading the week of Sunday, April 5, 2015?

[scarletwoman]

Good morning to you all, and a Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!

Well, I ended up setting Moby Dick aside after page 83 (chickened out) and picked up At Play in the Fields of the Lord instead. On the first page I realized I had, in fact, read it before - but apparently too many years ago for my poor memory to sustain. Still, it was wonderful to re-read it. It's an awesome book and I highly recommend it. Not light reading, but the writing is gorgeous and it's a powerful story.

Someone had mentioned P.D James in last week's thread, so I looked over her bibliography to see if there were any of her books I might not have read. I knew I had already read every book of her Dagliesh series, but I wasn't sure about some of her others. So I ordered the two Cordelia Gray books and one other stand-alone.

Once again, by the first page of An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (Cordelia Gray #1) I realized I had already read it. Bummer. But since it was either that, or back to Moby Dick, I've been carrying on with Cordelia - and enjoying it well enough as light entertainment.

However, I'm rather frustrated at this point. I have 11 new books that I really want to read on hold at the library, but not a single one of them is available yet.

I've been reading synopsis after synopsis (synopses?) of books that have either been recommended on Fantastic Fiction, on GoodReads, or brought up in posts in these weekly reading threads, and nothing has quivered my reading antennae since The Sea Runners. I suppose I'm too picky. I won't do "thrillers", stories with serial killers, dystopian novels, supernatural novels, spy stories, most historical fiction (although I am willing to make exceptions), and I'm not fond of American novelists or American settings in general. Yes, I am very hard to please.

Nevertheless, I very much look forward each week to hearing about what you're reading! One of you just might come up with exactly what I'd like to read next!

Thanks in advance...

[Enthusiast]

1. Hello, everyone! Thank you for the thread, scarletwoman. Happy Easter! Chocolate bunnies!

Last Sunday I reported that I was reading Hide & Seek by Ian Rankin. It was a good one. We fully intend to read all these Rankin books, if we live long enough.

This week I'm reading A Dead Man's Tale by James D. Doss. I have gown fond of the endearing characters in this series.

Mrs. Enthusiast is reading The Source by James Michener. This is one massive book so she will be at it for a while. She is less than half way finished. I believe she is enjoying it.

[hippywife]

6. I've probably read The Source

ten times in the past 20 or so years. Michener is one of my favorite authors and it was the first of his books that I read. I pick up on different things every time I read it. Since then I've read a dozen of his books and loved everyone of them, particularly The Covenant and Space.

What I love about Michener's historical books is he never takes sides, advocates for one side or the other, but illustrates the personal dramas of the individual people on both sides who find themselves caught up in forces they have no control of, which really does foster understanding. This was the reason I really loved The Covenant as much as The Source.

[Enthusiast]

11. I agree with your take on Michener. I read The Covenant and Space years ago.

I always planned to read the Michener books again.....some day. Now that my wife has increased her reading I am enjoying sharing the Michener books with her.

I enjoyed The Covenant also. Maybe one day I will get to read it again. I have The Covenant, Hawaii, Tales of The South Pacific, Chesapeake, Centennial and others by Michener scattered throughout the house. I must round them up. Oh, and Poland, which I also enjoyed years ago.

Nice to talk with you, hippywife.

[hippywife]

13. Poland

was the only one I struggled with, but did read it twice just in case, out of a love of Michener, and because I was out of fresh reads (sometimes library reserves can take a while to come in) and I must have a book at bedtime or I can't sleep. Michener makes a most perfect bedtime companion.

Good to speak with a fellow Michener fan, Enthusiast.

[Enthusiast]

15. Thank you.

I'm a bed time reader too. My bedtime might be any time during the day or night, lol. Me and the kitten. He tells me, "It's time for a nap!"

[hippywife]

16. Cute. :0) eom

[scarletwoman]

8. Hi, Enthusiast! I'm sure you'll live long enough to read all of Rankin - I did it in a few months.

Your mention of James D. Doss rang a bell, so I quick looked him up on FF. And damn if I haven't already read all his books! I got started on him many years back, and read all the through his entire wonderful Charlie Moon series up to Doss's death in 2012.

Maybe I'll start back at the beginning and re-read the whole bunch one of these days. I'm still so sorry he passed on - he was a marvelous writer, and his characters - especially Daisy Perika - were unforgettable.

Michener remains an author I honestly have never had any desire to read. Probably a stupid prejudice on my part, but there it is. I guess I'm just not into epics.

[Enthusiast]

12. We are nearly finished with the James D. Doss books. I will be sad when they end.

Daisy was a fun character. All of them really.

Maybe we could think of a Michener book that wouldn't be quite the investment of your time just to give you a flavor. The Bridges at Toko Ri is a short book. But then it is not really representative of Michener either. The Fires of Spring is not an epic nor is Tales of the South Pacific or Caravans.

Mrs. Enthusiast is was very fond of Caravans and especially The Fires of Spring. Caravans wouldn't require a huge investment of your time and it is not an epic.

I do understand your aversion toward epics. With Michener's Centennial and some others, just when I felt a comradeship with a set of characters we were swept far into the future leaving my loved ones behind.

[scarletwoman]

18. Truthfully, I'm good with taking a pass on Michener.

There are plenty of famous and popular authors whom I will most likely never bother reading. I'm content for Michener to remain among them.

I know exactly what you mean about coming to the end of Doss's Charlie Moon series, knowing that there will never be any more of them. It was the same for reading the very last Hillerman novel. These wonderful authors built such rich worlds full of characters we come to love and care about - and then those worlds are gone.

There's another author I came to love a few years ago who died while his series was still progressing: Stuart M Kaminsky I totally devoured his entire Inspector Rostnikov series. The last book he published, in the year he died, was #16 in the series. You could tell there was supposed to be more to come - but then the author was gone and that was it.

I never read any of his other series, I just couldn't imagine falling in love with them like I did with the Inspector Rostnikov books. They were something very very special. If you ever run out of ideas of what to read, I think you'd probably really enjoy the Rostnikov books. They are intriguing mysteries with wonderful characters, gentle humor, the beautiful relationship between Rostnikov and his wife as they grow old together, and the totally fascinating setting of Moscow during and after the collapse of the USSR; all that history unfolding as a backdrop as the novels move through the years.

Anyway, just musing on a few of my favorite dead and dearly missed authors...

[Enthusiast]

19. I will certainly keep the Rostnikov books in mind.

They might assist me in my quest to keep Mrs. Enthusiast in books when she retires in three years.

We have a few Hillerman novels to go. Glad of that.

[shenmue]

2. "Detective Inspector Huss," Helene Tursten

[Enthusiast]

3. That sounds fun. Motorcycle gang.......

I have a couple of motorcycles. Tires and batteries are breaking me up.

[scarletwoman]

9. Despite my prediliction for Nordic Noir, I have continued to hesitate over Helene Tursten.

I've gone to her Fantastic Fiction page countless times, but every time I've come away with the feeling that I don't want to read her. Too bloody, too dark, too much serial killer stuff. Maybe I'll give her try one of these days, but as of now, I'd rather find something else.

Thank you, though for bringing her to this thread. And I hope you enjoy the book!

[hermetic]

4. Happy Easter, fellow readers.

Most of the way through Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris. I'm not nearly as impressed as I was with Grave Site. This one is just too much about her dysfunctional family. I do appreciate getting to know a character's background but I have enough personal experience with jerks. I get it. I don't need it explained over and over. There are two mysterious happenings but not much attention gets paid to them. It feels like she didn't know how to flesh them out so she had to drag out all this dirty laundry instead. To fill pages. Well, hopefully it will redeem itself in the final 70 pages.

You know, this is the woman who wrote Midnight Texas. She seems to have this thing about strange names. At first I didn't mind Harper, Cameron and Tolliver. But so many extraneous characters get odd names. Maybe she thinks it makes them more memorable.

I think I'll be going back to Rankin and Bowen my next library visit.

[scarletwoman]

10. Hi, hermetic! Thank you for posting.

I have to admit, when I looked up Charlaine Harris, I couldn't see myself wanting to read any of her books. Just not the kind of reading I'm into. (I did say I'm picky)

On the other hand, I sincerely thank you for bringin up Bowen again. I think I'll have a go at her Constable Evan Evans series. It may be just the thing to tide me over while I'm waiting on all my other book orders.

As for Rankin, having already read the entire Rebus series up through Saints of the Shadow Bible, all I can do is wait for Rebus #20, Even Dogs in the Wild, to make it through the library system. Rankin is definitely one of my enduringly favorite authors.

Thanks again!

[hermetic]

25. Thank YOU, scarletwoman

for these weekly posts. I love to talk about books.

Thanks, as well, for referencing Good Reads. I signed on there the other day and checked that my favorite genre is Mystery. Then up popped the list of mysteries by rating and at the top of that list is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Since I am probably one of the last 5 people in the world who hasn't read that one, I decided it was time. Started it last night and I can tell this is one of those where I will have to keep a list of names so I can remember who's who. I was glad to see there is a family tree at the beginning. That will help.

I did like how the Harris book I was reading worked out. Didn't feel like it was a waste of my time to read.

[scarletwoman]

26. Dear hermetic, it's delightful to have you here in the Fiction group!

Just so you know, these weekly "What are you reading" threads are a longtime tradition in the Fiction group, ever since it was started some years ago on DU2. I just happen to be the latest person to take on this task, and it was pretty much unintentional, to be honest. If you go back to the beginnings of this group, there have always been different folks who have taken on starting the weekly thread. It just happened to fall on me for the past several months - and it's been great fun to do them!

However, ANYONE is welcome to start the weekly thread, and if some Sunday comes along and I'm occupied elsewhere, I do hope someone else will step up and start the thread. My only unique contribution is that, as a host, I have the "powers" to pin the new thread and unpin the previous week's thread. But there are two other hosts who can also exercise this "power".

I'm happy to hear that you've found GoodReads to be a useful resource. Personally, what I enjoy about it most is reading the readers' reviews. I can waste enormous amounts of time reading them - although I make it a point not to read reviews of a book I'm reading until after I've finished it.

I can't remember exactly when I read Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (must have been around 2008/2009) - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo being #1 of the series - but it set me off (like millions of other readers) on a binge of Scandinavian Crime Fiction, for which I will be always be grateful. One of my happiest discoveries was the Icelanic author, Arnaldur Indriðason, whom I very nearly worship.

So, do read the three Stieg Larsson books! I don't think you'll regret it! And then, if you feel so disposed, I'd more than happy to share my other favorite Scandinavian crime fiction authors with you - I have a list!

[hippywife]

5. Annamanda by Jo Houser Haring

Had to return several books to the library yesterday and my reserves weren't in yet. Husband was waiting in the car so I didn't have time to do a lot of looking around and had to have a book for bedtimes, saw this one on one of the front display shelves, quickly scanned the notes and checked it out.

It's categorized as historical fiction and it's well written, but I find myself trying to figure out if it's also xian lit. From what I've been able to Google on it, it does say that it incorporates many of the religious conflicts of the era in which it's set, and it does that pretty much from the start.

Has anyone else read it? Does anyone know if it is xian lit? Thanks!

[scarletwoman]

7. I did a little google, too.

From this piece that came up, it doesn't sound like the author was into xian lit, it sounds like it was simply meant to be historical fiction:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/an-immortality-of-words-annamanda-published-after-authors-death-264381081.html

<snip>

But Annamanda also is a tale of the determination of Jo Haring's family to see that the book got published, 21 years after her death. It is her second published novel—The Founding Father was published in 1984, and thousands of copies were sold internationally. A collection of her humorous writings, Notes on the Refrigerator Door, was published shortly after her death in 1993.

<snip>

Jo Haring began writing humorous pieces for The Associated Press. That led to her newspaper column, Pocketful of Wry, and, after she relocated to Tulsa in 1975, to novels. She completed Annamanda while coping with leukemia. But after her death from that disease her agent and potential publishers lost interest. To get it published was a struggle for Jo's husband, Bob, and son, Robert.

I was unable to find any information about her other novel, The Founding Father. It's probably out of print. I thought it might give a clue as to the author's mindset - oh well.

My guess, fwiw, is that Annamanda is not xian lit. Not one of the enthusiastic reviews on Amazon made any mention of there being any kind of xian message, they all praised it as a wonderful historical novel.

[hippywife]

14. Thanks, Scarletwoman...

I read all of that, too, and quite a few other reviews, but didn't seem to get a definitely answer, so I'm guessing (and hoping) it's not.

It is well written and is so far holding my interest.

[scarletwoman]

17. It actually sounds like a very interesting book.

I look forward to reading your thoughts about it after you've finished it.

It sounded to me, after reading several reviews, that the christian stuff was in service to historical accuracy, rather than proselytizing.

[hippywife]

20. I'm almost throught he first 100 pages

and so far it is interesting and an enjoyable read, if a little heavy on the religious aspects of the speaker's life, but maybe you're correct. We'll see.

And I will come back when I've finished and share my review.

[hippywife]

29. This was a pretty good read.

It's written in what was mostly a lot of poor grammar, the main characters being largely uneducated outside of their churches, so that took a little getting used to in the beginning, but wasn't a lot of work to read, or terribly difficult to overcome so that it took away from enjoying the story.

It did turn out to be pretty heavy on doctrine, and the differences/fissures between the various sects of American religion at the time. I suppose she was trying to make it as intrinsic to the story as possible, and it was to some extent, but I didn't think it needed to be as heavy on that aspect (I skipped over a few of the excerpts of the sermons given by the main character's Calvinist preacher husband.). It was basically almost all they talked about, lived and breathed, colored most of the story, as they were pretty insular for the most part. There was a major good vs. evil thread that ran throughout, doctrinally, as well as the major plot line, and interwoven through both, but not as tightly as it might have been.

I still liked the main character, though she and the other female characters didn't think much of themselves or their contribution to the lives of their families and the hardships they endured without every dropping the domestic ball. They worked really hard from sun-up to sundown, but were just wives and mothers, nothing more even in their own eyes. Her husband was pretty likeable, as well. Not a fire and brimstone style preacher, but a seemingly reasonable man who was kind and loving to his wife, his kids and the people around him, even the very divisive and annoying among them.

It was a pretty quick easy read, and the story line itself held my interest throughout, with the settlers moving ever west from Kentucky through Missouri, and all the conflicts that caused. Was pretty light on the details of the major happenings of the times. Much of it was mentioned mostly in passing with the characters discussing it and wondering how it would impact their lives, without actually going very deeply into how it would or did. Was heavy on the interactions, both positive and negative, with the Native Americans ("Injuns" to one and all), and surviving the seismic upheavals along the New Madrid fault.

Anyone who likes very light historical fiction, heavy on the family, community and religious lives of the settlers, but light on historic details, would probably enjoy it.

[scarletwoman]

30. Excllent review!

I really appreciate your analysis of the themes and the characters in this book. A trenhcant and well-written overview! It seems you were right on concerning the religiousity in the story, however your review seems very fair.

Many thanks for sharing your take on this book!

[hippywife]

31. You're very welcome, sw.

I always appreciate a detailed review of books when I'm looking for my next good read. Of course, many will have varied interpretations and take-aways on nearly every book, different levels of enjoyment or not, but as an avid reader I do enjoy a thoughtful review.

[scarletwoman]

32. Well, I have to say, yours was a professional quality review.

I am honestly impressed!

What few reviews I've attempted - as opposed to just making a passing comment or two about a book - have always turned out very unsatisfactory to my own mind. I just don't have the knack for it, at all!

You've "got it"! And as a fellow avid reader, I also really appreciate a good review!

[Number9Dream]

21. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

I'm re-reading "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury. I haven't read it in a long time. After this long, cold winter, this book transports me into summer (even if it is set in 1928).

[scarletwoman]

23. How lovely! Bradbury was a wonderful writer, well worth re-reading!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on re-reading this classic.

Thanks for posting!

[Number9Dream]

27. Brief review of "Dandelion Wine"

Scarletwoman requested that I share this brief review... Can't say no to Scarletwoman.

First, I hate winter and love summer, so any books or movies that make me think of warm, sunny days are good. "Dandelion Wine" transports me back to boyhood and summer, even though mine was in the '60's rather than 1928. The feelings and emotions in it are timeless. These words appear very early in the book, "Summer had gathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was long and warm and slow. You had only to rise, lean from your window, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer."

There is an early chapter in which the main character, Douglas, and his grandfather make dandelion wine. Douglas' words: "Dandelion wine. The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered."

The chapters are episodic, but flow with the passing of the season. Typical Ray Bradbury, many of the episodes have qualities of fantasy and magic. "Dandelion Wine" reminds me that Mr. Bradbury could describe the ordinary as amazing and meaningful. A completely wonderful book which I'm sure I'll re-read again in a couple years.

You didn't have to have been a boy to appreciate when the simple act of getting new sneakers could be special. "Summer in the Air" is a chapter from "Dandelion Wine". Only two magazine pages. It's in PDF format for any Adobe reader. You can enlarge the print by moving your cursor over the bottom center, opening the tool bar, and clicking on the + sign.

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/summer-in-the-air-ray-bradbury.pdf

[scarletwoman]

28. Bravo! Thank you for sharing your lovely review on this thread!

I'm sure there are other Bradbury lovers among this group!

[Enthusiast]

33. Thank you, Number9Dream.

The only Bradbury I have read is Fahrenheit 451.

[japple]

22. Emily St. John Mandel's book, Station Eleven. It is very, very good.

I love it.

[scarletwoman]

24. That's cool. I checked back and it was SheilaT who first mentioned that book on the March 8 thread.

I looked it up then, and it looked intriguing. Glad you're enjoying it!