Archive through December 12, 2002
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TV ClubHouse: archive: Library - What are you reading?? Sep 2002 - Mar 2003: Let's Share - What are you reading??? (ARCHIVES): Archive through December 12, 2002

Marysafan

Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 01:51 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Welcome Zeno39...I am sure you will find many to share your reading interests. I have read "Heart of a Woman" and liked it so much I have read several other of Maya Angelou's biography books. She is a most fascinating woman. You will like this book quite a lot...I highly recommend it.

I haven't read Tom Brokaw's books...although I know I probably would enjoy them once I got into them. I have a bias toward "the Greatest Generation" that stems from the fact that I hold them responsible for sending their sons to be slaughtered in a far away jungle for no good reason. I just can't get past it.

...but I do like Tom Brokaw and am sue I would enjoy his writing.

I read a lot of historical fiction...but not too much into romance...but there are several others here who are! So stick around...and let us know what you are reading!

Seamonkey

Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 05:34 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Zeno, don't say that!! Maya Angelou is amazing!!

We even used to be able to watch a much younger Maya on our PBS station from San Francisco when we were at Berkeley in the late sixties.

I have one of her books on tape, too, but the downside was that they abridged it (not a long book). However the UPside was that she read the book.. read the book, laughed the book, sang the book.. amazing.

My current book is The Future of Life by Edward O. Wilson which is a cry for global conservation.

Please share whatever you read, Zeno. I've gotten some great book recommendations here.

Max

Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 08:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was one of the formative books in my early teen years. I love her! :)

Zeno39

Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 09:30 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks so much for the nice comments. I am going to read every book I can by Maya Angelou. She fascinates me. I saw her long ago on Oprah, and she is a very lovely person in her speaking and holding one's interest. I'm already loving this book!

Sia

Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 02:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm trying to get through "A Lesson Before Dying" on tape, but am having a tough time. I don't find it all that moving, well-written, informative, or entertaining. Yes, I am valiantly struggling to complete Oprah's Horribly Depressing, Depraved Booklist.

Max

Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 02:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh, my! "A Lesson Before Dying" is a favorite of mine. When I read it, I couldn't put it down and I must have gone through most of a box of tissues.

I stopped reading Oprah books way before her club ended because they all seemed to have the same kind of theme and I got very bored with it.

I did discover a few authors I really like, though. For example, both of Wally Lamb's books were excellent. :)

Sia

Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 02:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Max, part of what bothers me about "Lessons..." is the way...the...guy...reads...each...word...distinctly and separately, making his diction so EXACT. Drives me nuts. The only time he reads naturally is when he lapses into a dialect. I just find it so artificial to hear each and every letter pronounced and a distinct pause after every word. The version I have is the unabridged one, and I am not liking it.

Yes, all Oprah's books have been horrible so far. I can't honestly name one off the top of my head that I thought was "fabulous." I am Horton the Elephant, however, and vowed to finish the #$%^& list, so I am trying to do so.

Marysafan

Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 02:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
OH Sia! Big hug for you! Same here. I just didn't "get it". I didn't much care for this this book. It was so depressing I had to force myself to finish it.

I have read over 30 of the Oprah books. Some I liked ...some I didn't. I liked some that other folks loathed...and I loathed some that other folks liked...so go figure. Just goes with what your personal preferences are.

Max

Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 03:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sia, I love books on tape, but I agree with you that some readers leave a lot to be desired. Sounds like you've found one! HBO made a movie of the book that was quite good and true to the story. So, maybe you can 'cheat' on your reading list and watch that instead! :)

Seamonkey

Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 06:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm sure there were others, but I definitely felt like Wally Lamb was a "gift" from Oprah to me. Since I have no problem finding reading material (LOL), I did pick up a few books that were discounted because of Oprah. Oh.. I liked Where the Heart Is..

I didn't need Oprah to know about Alice Walker or Maya Angelou.

Nutsy

Friday, December 06, 2002 - 07:00 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Back from vacation - read a couple good books -

We Were the Mulvaneys - Joyce Carol Oates
Enjoyed every beautiful phrase, word picture and plot development. Terrifically put together, and the characters leapt off the pages. Must read more of her work!

Quentin's - Maeve Binchy
She does it again! I absolutely could not put this one down, it's a story that had many entertaining characters, and tied in some characters from past novels.

White Oleander - Janet Fitch
At first meandering, and I found the language to be a bit much - wayyy to many $5 adjectives - but after the first few chapters I got into the rhythm. The story itself was quite moving, and I loved that the novel didn't have the "all tied up with a bow" ending.

While I Was Gone - Sue Miller
Didn't much care for this one. Found the main character to be quite unsympathetic. Main character's hubby seemed very unrealistic. Quick read, light and entertaining, but I didn't think it was worth an "Oprah" recommendation. I've read much, much better.

Marysafan

Friday, December 06, 2002 - 08:04 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I have to agree with the Wally Lamb accolades. I really liked "She's Come Undone" and it is among my favorites of the Oprah books.

I also liked Ursula Hegi's "Stones from the River" and Billie Lett's "Where the Heart Is" once I got into it.

I have a whole bunch of Maeve Binchy books that I aim to get to...and am hoping that someone will put "Quentins" under the tree for me this year.

"We were the Mulvaney's" and "White Oleander" are among the Oprah books I plan to read "next" along with the other Wally Lamb book.

Sia, if you haven't read "Tara Road" by Maeve Binchey yet...I think you will find that one quite enjoyable and not so depressing.

Seamonkey

Friday, December 06, 2002 - 11:00 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I have Quentin's but got The Scarlet Feather (I think, may not be exact title) and Tara Road to read first.

Nutsy, all of those books you listed were ones I enjoyed very much. Sue Miller's characters do tend to be introspected and self absorbed. I loved White Oleander, but it wasn't "pretty".

We Were the Mulvaneys was definitely a good one.

Zeno39

Friday, December 06, 2002 - 12:31 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't watch Oprah unless I hear of someone I like being on the show. I already knew of Maya Angelou, and watched Oprah when I read she was going to be on. The same for wanting to watch when Sidney Poitier was on. I am good friends with his first cousin (their Dads were brothers), and they sound so much alike and look alike. I wanted to see what Sidney had to say since I know Sebren, his cousin.

Rissa

Friday, December 06, 2002 - 01:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I finally picked up The Demon in the Freezer and have a couple books on the go before I can start it, but as always I am thinking ahead and making a to-buy list. Has anyone here read the following:

1) New Cardiff by Charles Webb. Webb is the author of The Graduate and this novel is being turned into a movie as well under the title: Hope Springs. From my local book store's computer, it seems the book will also be rereleased with this new title.

2) Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding. Read the first one YEARS ago but can't even remember if I liked it since the movie overshadowed it. LOL

Can anyone give me any opinions? Worth it? Not worth it?

Ophiliasgrandma

Sunday, December 08, 2002 - 09:37 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Seamonkey: Gail Tsukiyama...I just finished 'The Samurai's Garden' and am now on the very last book of her's I have yet to read, 'Night of Many Dreams'. I hope this young lady lives a long, long life and presents us with many more of her wonderful stories. She is up high on my fave authors list.

Rissa

Sunday, December 08, 2002 - 01:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't know why I bother asking for opinions, I am too impatient to wait for an answer. LOL Just finished: The Edge of Reason. It was an absolute HOOT!!!! Especially funny is knowing that Helen Fielding (the author) has or had a huge crush on Colin Firth, so based the character of Mark Darcy on his protrayal of Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice) and then devotes a considerable amount of THIS book telling us of Bridget Jones' huge crush on Firth and she even interviews him at one point. Will be interesting to see how Colin plays both Mark Darcy and himself in the film. LOL For anyone looking for some light and very humerous writing, I will definately recommend this one.

Seamonkey

Sunday, December 08, 2002 - 04:38 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
OG.. that's great.. I haven't gotten Night of Many Dreams or Samurai's Garden yet, but loved
Dreaming Waters, although it was more contemporary and actually takes place in a very short time (but with flashbacks) and it was wonderful. I agree that she's a real "find" and I can thank my friend Sandy, who I've never met in person.

I'm starting the latest book by one of my favorite authors: Anne Lamott's Blue Shoe.. I've read every book she's ever written, so am savoring this one.

Rissa, I've never read any of the Bridget Jones books but I suspect they lie in my future. Good light reading is one of the necessities of life now and then (and now and then as much or as little as one wants).

Sia

Sunday, December 08, 2002 - 07:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks for weighing in on both sides of the Oprah-list question; it's great to see opinions that fall across the entire spectrum. Books certianly are a matter of personal preference. Some things are just appealing to different people, and that's why it's so nice that there are so MANY books available. I just wish I had time to read more!! I'm too busy to read as much as I want to read. Before I got married and had children, I read a lot more than I do now.

Well, I still read, but the books are not really that challenging, LOL! My son (6 and in Kindergarten) can now read anything all by himself, although we still love to read together, and I'm using a phonics approach with my four-year-old daughter. She's coming along.

Hermione69

Monday, December 09, 2002 - 03:48 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Rissa, I loved "The Edge of Reason." It got slammed by critics, but I thought it was a delightful follow up to "Bridget Jones Diary."

I just finished "A Traitor to Memory" by Elizabeth George. It's a big 'un. 1,000 pages. The ending disappointed me; it seemed too pat, but it was still time well spent. It's a very well done mystery. I'm currently reading "Murder @ Maggody .com," which is cute, but not a page turner. Much more lighthearted than Elizabeth George. I'm also rereading "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabhan" (Book 3) for the fourth time and I am trying to get through "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines before Thursday when I am chaperoning a field trip to hear the author speak. It's a powerful and realistic story, but I usually read before bed and the subject matter is too heavy for bedtime reading so I am having trouble finishing it.

(Yes, I'm sometimes working my way through more than one book. Depends on my mood as to which one I pick up.) :)

Ooh, loved Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone." Also loved "White Oleander" but it's not the type of book that I will revisit one day. As far as Maeve Binchey, I think "Circle of Friends" is one of her best and while I enjoyed the movie too, the book wins the smackdown.

Has anyone read "Good in Bed"? I can't remember the author, but it is a current bestseller/paperback. It is another one that will hit home for women who struggle with weight issues. I loved it.

Also loved Anna Maxtead's "Getting Over It", but didn't like her "Running in Heels."

Seamonkey

Tuesday, December 10, 2002 - 09:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Finished Blue Shoe and already a bit sad because I just love Anne Lamott's writing so much.

Anyway, out of a stack of recommended books I snatched up a non-fiction one by Noelle Howey:
DRESS Codes: of three girlhoods -- my mother's, my father's and mine

Definitely an interesting family.. Dad being transgendered and well.. she tells the story.

When it arrived I was surprised to see that it was emblazoned with a logo saying "Good Morning America READ THIS!".. sigh.. another book club book. I tend to resist that but I chose the book on my own online.

Seamonkey

Tuesday, December 10, 2002 - 09:27 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Sia, does your son have Chicka Chicka Boom Boom? and more importantly the cassette with the words to well like kid rap..?? Pretty catchy and even parent friendly...

Sia

Wednesday, December 11, 2002 - 09:44 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks for the recommendation, Seamonkey. We don't have the book you mention, but I will check it out of the library and see how we like it! I love rhyming books best. One of my favorite children's books is "One of Each" by Mary Ann Hoberman. Cute book!

Seamonkey

Wednesday, December 11, 2002 - 11:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
If you like it at all, Sia (or if your son does) be sure to check out the cassette, because it is totally wonderful!

Sia

Thursday, December 12, 2002 - 12:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks, Seamonkey!