What books are you into recently?

how about short stories?

Kate Chopin's "The Astronomer's' Wife"

Plumber does house call (circa 1920)
.Husband works nights, on roof every night with telescope looking at heavens..
.Wife is lonely during daylight hours.
Plumber arrives, talks to wife about plumbing problem , conversation is very task oriented .
There may be some attraction, but very muffled.
The reader has no idea what this story is about?,

The reader eventually realizes the few pages are only a preface;, this is only giving you the setting, the possibilities of what
may occur in the future. The wife has found a person, and a male that is awake, alert during the daylight hours.
It is a certainty the wife will be calling the plumber again about the pipes, perhaps coffee prepared, perhaps more.
Kate Chopin's touch is so lightly done, it took me years to figure this one out.
 
" T O L S T O Y '' by Henri Troyat ...an older book.
Actually a bio on Tolstoy and it started from when he was a kid and included an extensive family and it was mostly good times and very entertaining to read.

I say entertaining but let me elaborate as that really isn't the right word, he (((the author Mr. Troyat))))))) grabbed every detail of everything: the weather, the floors in the buildings, the anteroom or rather the open air walk in from the carriages entry, other cities besides St. Petersburg, the parks! on and on full of bright!, enlightening minutiae of tiny details around the characters.

Oddly, I liked it better than some of Tolstoy's works, that "War and Peace" was only okay in my ever so giant slice of humbled pie opinion these days.
 
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I've been reading some books by Miinrose Gwin, a professor in English Department at UNC. She writes about nitty-griitty life in the deep south. Just finished Promise, a fictionalized account of the a tornado that struck Tupelo MS in the 1930s.
 
CallmeIshmael said:
100 Years of Solitude. Have been wanting to read this one for a while.
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So, it would be nice to know how you liked that, what it was about and how it stands up to
... to ? eeeeeh maybe not "War and Peace " but you know what I mean a popular one that everyone knows or read.

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Quickly , extra:::: Concerning bible and LC JONES .. I liked the first books of the bible, I'm not too hot or keen on the New testament at all but that's just me. Personally I liked well still!! like the old collection one with all the metaphoric / allegorical stories, wars CENTURIONS/JUDGES same diff if your a history buff and some decent guidelines in that Proverbs booklet too.

______________ and my niffty segue in to CRAP ! I"VE BEEN HERE TOO LONG AND I"M DONE TYPING AND TIRED NOW PLUS MY CAPS KEY IS ON THAT WAS A JOKE LATERZZZZZZZZZZ
 
Sunday.abovethe.grass.meh said:
So, it would be nice to know how you liked that, what it was about and how it stands up to
... to ? eeeeeh maybe not "War and Peace " but you know what I mean a popular one that everyone knows or read.

_________________________________________

Quickly , extra:::: Concerning bible and LC JONES .. I liked the first books of the bible, I'm not too hot or keen on the New testament at all but that's just me. Personally I liked well still!! like the old collection one with all the metaphoric / allegorical stories, wars CENTURIONS/JUDGES same diff if your a history buff and some decent guidelines in that Proverbs booklet too.

______________ and my niffty segue in to CRAP ! I"VE BEEN HERE TOO LONG AND I"M DONE TYPING AND TIRED NOW PLUS MY CAPS KEY IS ON THAT WAS A JOKE LATERZZZZZZZZZZ
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Fair enough. It’s hard to describe, to be honest. The book is set in Latin America and follows the Buendia family for 5+ generations - or 100 years. It’s an exploration of all the foibles and greatness of people within the family members and townsfolk of their small solitary town. Word of warning, its a bit like reading a Russian literary novel in that keeping track of all the names and who’s who takes some effort.

I like War and Peace better (I read it a few years ago - I put certain classics on my bucket list a few years ago). I have very vivid memories of certain passages of War and Peace. Tolstoy is a treasure.
 
OoohKAY ! well you're certainly right on that bit about TOLSTOY and I will probably -- no positively I will add those to my ever growing, expansive, ?(((my superlatives train of thought ran out /SARC! that means S A R C A S M btw) reviewing bucket list and NOW that I've chatted about it, THE 100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE titled book will have to be read sometime no doubt about it!

THANKS FO RGETTING BACK! oh a typo go figure just imagine. Places to see and water to burn Laterzzzzzz​
 
I just finished reading'The Great Alone' by Kristin Hannah
The story is set in the 70's,Ernst Allbright,a Vietnam vet comes home from the war emotionally changed.He decides to take his wife Cora,young daughter,Leni to live in Alaska,not really prepared to live there. They meet locals in small town who in the beginning help them adapt to their new surroundings.
This was a terrific book,really enjoyed it,tad long at 545 pgs but I couldn't put it down,took me 2 days to finish. I had not read any other books by the author,but I may now
 
I've read several of Kristen Hannah's books and love her work. I read "Winter Garden" at a time in my life when it was especially meaningful. I also thought "The Great Alone" could have been condensed a little but overall, great book.

Right now, I'm reading some Bill Bryson. Some also a little long but all well written.
 
Gennie,thanks for post about Kristin Hannah
I've read a few of Bill Bryson's books,love his sense of humor
A couple of favorites,'A Walk in The Woods, the movie version was ok
Bryson's memoir'Life&Times of The Thunderboldt Kid" was very funny,growing up in Iowa in the 50's.I could relate to some of the things he mentioned
 
I love biographies, especially ones about sports figures and Presidents. One I really enjoyed was "Billy Martin: Baseball's Flawed Genius," by Bill Pennington. It was hilarious in parts! Another that took me a while to get through but was terrific was "Truman," by David McCullough. I'm always fascinated by other people's lives.
 
Liberty said:
Just wondered. Who are some of your favorite authors? And what kinds of books are your favs - like mysteries, or non fiction, etc?
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I read some time back a psychological thriller by B A Paris. It's a gotta get snd read imo. I can still feel the chill of it.

Behind Closed Doors: The gripping psychological thriller ...

Rating: 4.3 - ‎8,904 reviews
'Brilliant, chilling, scary and unputdownable' Lesley Pearse, bestselling author of Without a Trace. 'Behind Closed Doors is an intriguing, sharply gripping debut thriller' Lovereading.co.uk. 'BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is both unsettling and addictive, as I raced through the pages to find out Grace's fate.
 
Just received the new Tom Chancy book, "Code of Honor", but haven't cracked it yet. Yesterday's - john Le Carre' "Agent Running In The Field".
 
Gosh, we have our own book reviews-how neat. Found some good leads,"
"Behind Closed Doors," will buy if it is at used book store.
Mickle Mantle may have been a better person had not Billy Martin become his mentor of NY nigh life.
Miinrose Gwin sounds interesting, wonder if she wrote any 'grit lit' about the south.
Then of course, The Bible, the book were all experts on, but never actually read.
 
DaveA said:
Reading another mystery novel. John Sandiford's, "Mad River - -a Virgil Flowers novel"
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Never heard of that one, Dave. Just received the new Tom Clancy's book "Code of Honor"...hub just
finished John Le Carre's "Agent Running in the Field".
 
My favorite author is Nora Roberts, I’ve read most of her JD Robb books, which I need to catch up on. Right now I’m reading The Dogfather by Roxanne St.Claire fun book. I think I’ll read Love Her To Death that 911 mentioned it sounds really interesting.
 
Found a Cozy Mystery Series, "Drew Farthering Mysteries" by Julianna Deering that are perfect for curling up with a cuppa and a purring cat =)
 
Just finished reading Danielle Steele's book "Jewels" and I loved it, of course I like most of her books.
 


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