dagblog - Comments for "What are you reading?"

If you were a fan of Time

Matthew Herzfeld — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:49:55 +0000

If you were a fan of Time Traveler's Wife,

You might be interested to know that Regal Literary is giving away ten advanced reader's copies and three first edition hardcovers of the new Audrey Niffenegger book, Her Fearful Symmetry, on October 1st in a lottery to people who join the facebook page as a fan and send an e-mail to hfs@regal-literary.com. Good luck!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Her-Fearful-Symmetry/68080996784

Hi!

I work for Regal Literary, the literary agency that represents Audrey Niffenegger. We noticed your interest in Audrey Niffenegger and THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE and want you to know we’re giving away Advance Reader’s Copies of HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY now to bloggers who have written about Audrey’s work. To get yours, click below or you can contact me directly at hfs@regal-literary.com with your mailing address.

http://tinyurl.com/facebookhfs

Look forward to hearing from you,

Hannah

Found this literate video

Donal — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:01:48 +0000

In reply to What are you reading?

Found this literate video fantasy on Daily Dish.

thanks for the recs. haven't

Deadman — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:22:43 +0000

In reply to What are you reading?

thanks for the recs. haven't read any of those so i will be adding them to my amazon cart shortly.

This has been an unusally bad year for me in my reading selection. I am currently reading Netherlands by joseph O'Neill, and I'm having a tough time finishing it. The story is still meandering a couple hundred pages in, and there's a lot of stuff about cricket in it that just hasn't captured my interest.

Other books I've read recently and DON'T recommend include:

The Yiddish Policeman Union by Chabon. That was just a bear of a book to finish. i love his writing, but despite an interesting 'alternative history' premise, the story is a snoozer.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. It was okay, but a disappointment given this was the first book i've read by him. i love the imagination of the writing and the eccentricities of the characters, but I just didn't feel moved or enlightened by the end. They made a movie of the book which apparently came and went very quickly.

Falling Man by Delilo. A 9/11 novel that seemed rush with rather uninteresting characters.

Boomsday by christopher Buckley. Really enjoyed Thank You For Smoking, but while the book's premise was just as topical, the story was bleech and unbelievable.

Recent books I've read and actually enjoyed:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - great energy in the writing, fascinating Dominican history.

The Kite Runner (I know, Im a bit behind the trends) was also good, a bit maudlin, but fast-paced, and again great for the historical lessons.

And I loved Then We Came to the End, which was reminiscent of The Office TV show, but sad and semi-tragic.

A friend told me about Liars

Orlando — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:31:39 +0000

In reply to My favorite Smiley book is

A friend told me about Liars and Saints a long time ago, but I haven't gotten around to reading it. I think it might still be on my bookshelf.

Kingsolver's book is on my

Donal — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:51:41 +0000

In reply to What are you reading?

Kingsolver's book is on my coffee table. My stepdaughter gave it to me. The premise reminds me of Mosquito Coast, which was a great book and an interesting, though comparatively tame film.

I'm reading Lay of the Land, which follows The Sportswriter and Independence Day in the travails of Frank Bascomb. I'm supposed to be finishing Planet of Slums and Fat History one of these days.

I'm reading that Benazir

CaliforniaPaige — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:39:05 +0000

In reply to What are you reading?

I'm reading that Benazir Bhutto book on democracy and Islam and relations with the West -- and feeling quite pleased with myself for being able to say that I'm reading a non-fiction book. Because the truth is that the only I actually get around to reading those non-fiction books I always think I should read is when I take the bus frequently. Here's to public transit!

My favorite Smiley book is

Michael Wolraich — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:01:49 +0000

In reply to What are you reading?

My favorite Smiley book is The Greenlanders, a fictional account of the decline of the doomed Norse Greenland colonies. Narrated sparsely in the manner of Icelandic sagas, it's not for everyone, but I found the sad, haunting tale of medieval colonists succumbing over generations from the Little Ice Age, Inuit attacks, and social dissolution to be incredibly moving.

Other favorites of mine:

The World According to Garp - hilariously tragic story of a misfit writer trying to live a normal life as a husband, father, and wrestling coach while his stern but beloved mother becomes a feminist icon. I'm not doing justice to it, but it's Irving at his best -- biting and funny yet tender and poignant.

Tom Jones - I love the early novels. Without a history of literature to guide them, inventors of the novel like Fielding were incredibly original and free-wheeling. The clever satire of Tom Jones is still relevant and funny two centuries later. It's a must read for serious readers.

The Sparrow - Not your father's sci fi. Mary Doria Russell tells a profound and gripping tale of a Jesuit space mission to to enage an alien civilization. Rich with allusion to Christian theology and European colonization, the Sparrow is suspenseful, thoughtful, and unsettling.

Liars and Saints - Maile Meloy's story of the slow motion implosion of a Catholic family in California through three generations is one of the best first novels I've read. You can't help but share Meloy's empathy for her characters as they struggle to to contain secrets and inner turmoil in the face of familial expectations and illusions.

Isn't that what

Michael Wolraich — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:49:00 +0000

In reply to P.P.S. You're such a noodge.

Isn't that what self-appointed editors are for?

Excellent additions.

P.P.S. You're such a noodge.

Orlando — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:44:32 +0000

In reply to O, if I may be so bold as to

P.P.S. You're such a noodge.