What are we reading now? (October, November 2018)
DiscussionsCanadian Bookworms
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3rabbitprincess
Today I started a book peppered with fun facts: Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Defects, from Broken Genes to Pointless Bones, by Nathan Lents.
4LynnB
I'm reading An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena....not my usual fare, but a nice break from Ulysses late at night.
5ted74ca
Trying a new British mystery/crime fiction series: Echoes of Lies by Jo Bannister.
6LibraryCin
The Third Act / John Wilson
3.5 stars
In current day, Tone, girlfriend Theresa, and friend/roommate Pike all came from China to go to university in the US. Tone is passionate about physics and has just gotten word that he is receiving a prize for his work/research and will be able to continue that research at MIT. He would like his actress girlfriend to come with him, but she’s just gotten a part that she thinks will open things up for her career in theatre. Pike is only where he is because it’s where his father wants him to be, doing what his father wants him to be doing. His father supports him, so he has money to burn, but he isn’t putting in the work.
Meanwhile, in 1937, Nanjing, China, there is a war going on. The Japanese have captured the city of Nanjing, but there has been a “Safety Zone” set up. Chinese-born, Lily is there, along with the American man she loves, playwright Neil Peterson (though he could go home, he wants to stay), and Hill, who wants to find his older brother, a soldier in the war.
The chapters alternate between the time periods. The play in the current day portion is the third act of a play Peterson never finished, about his time in 1937 China. It took me a bit of time to get interested, but once I did, it was quick to read and quite interesting. There wasn’t as much about the historical portion as I might have liked, though admittedly, I was a bit more interested in the current-day portion, anyway. Our three current-day protagonists are trying to find their way in a new culture, and are feeling like they are losing their own culture in the process. The end was a definite surprise!
3.5 stars
In current day, Tone, girlfriend Theresa, and friend/roommate Pike all came from China to go to university in the US. Tone is passionate about physics and has just gotten word that he is receiving a prize for his work/research and will be able to continue that research at MIT. He would like his actress girlfriend to come with him, but she’s just gotten a part that she thinks will open things up for her career in theatre. Pike is only where he is because it’s where his father wants him to be, doing what his father wants him to be doing. His father supports him, so he has money to burn, but he isn’t putting in the work.
Meanwhile, in 1937, Nanjing, China, there is a war going on. The Japanese have captured the city of Nanjing, but there has been a “Safety Zone” set up. Chinese-born, Lily is there, along with the American man she loves, playwright Neil Peterson (though he could go home, he wants to stay), and Hill, who wants to find his older brother, a soldier in the war.
The chapters alternate between the time periods. The play in the current day portion is the third act of a play Peterson never finished, about his time in 1937 China. It took me a bit of time to get interested, but once I did, it was quick to read and quite interesting. There wasn’t as much about the historical portion as I might have liked, though admittedly, I was a bit more interested in the current-day portion, anyway. Our three current-day protagonists are trying to find their way in a new culture, and are feeling like they are losing their own culture in the process. The end was a definite surprise!
7LynnB
I'm reading The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness by Kyung-sook Shin.
8ted74ca
I just finished the latest in Alexander McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie series, but as soon as I started it, I realized I'd missed one or two books before this one. Oh well, I've requested those from our library now. This one was enjoyable as usual: The Quiet Side of Passion.
9LibraryCin
The Anatomy of Edouard Beaupre / Sarah Kathryn York
4 stars
Edouard Beaupre was born in 1881; he was Metis and was the first child born in the small Southern Saskatchwan settlement of Willow Bunch (which happens to be about an hour from where I grew up). He died in 1904 at the age of 23; he was 8’4” and still growing. He spent parts of his adult life as a giant and strongman in travelling sideshows and circuses. Where the story actually starts and ends is with a doctor who is studying his corpse.
I knew of Edouard Beaupre when I was younger, but knew him as the “Willow Bunch Giant”; I don’t remember if I knew his name when I was younger. There is a museum in Willow Bunch that I have been to, once about 15 years ago. I was very interested to find this book about him. I think I initially thought it was a biography, but it’s actually fiction, but it sounds like a lot of research went into it and so it sounds like most of it is probably fairly accurate. I found it very interesting and a little bit sad, for him.
4 stars
Edouard Beaupre was born in 1881; he was Metis and was the first child born in the small Southern Saskatchwan settlement of Willow Bunch (which happens to be about an hour from where I grew up). He died in 1904 at the age of 23; he was 8’4” and still growing. He spent parts of his adult life as a giant and strongman in travelling sideshows and circuses. Where the story actually starts and ends is with a doctor who is studying his corpse.
I knew of Edouard Beaupre when I was younger, but knew him as the “Willow Bunch Giant”; I don’t remember if I knew his name when I was younger. There is a museum in Willow Bunch that I have been to, once about 15 years ago. I was very interested to find this book about him. I think I initially thought it was a biography, but it’s actually fiction, but it sounds like a lot of research went into it and so it sounds like most of it is probably fairly accurate. I found it very interesting and a little bit sad, for him.
10LibraryCin
When Everything Feels Like the Movies / Raziel Reid
3.5 stars
Jude is gay, wears makeup, and likes to dress in his mother’s clothes. He isn’t shy about this, even at school. But, of course, he is bullied because of it. He thinks of himself, though, as a movie star, and his life is like a movie; this allows him to deal with the other kids and the bullying. He does have a best friend, Angela, who sleeps around with many of the boys at school.
It was a bit hard to get into at first, a bit hard to follow. Have to admit, I didn’t like either Jude or Angela. As a warning, there is a lot of sex and drugs, or at least talk of it. It probably shouldn’t have, but the end came as a surprise to me. But, it blew me away! Overall, I’m rating it “good”.
3.5 stars
Jude is gay, wears makeup, and likes to dress in his mother’s clothes. He isn’t shy about this, even at school. But, of course, he is bullied because of it. He thinks of himself, though, as a movie star, and his life is like a movie; this allows him to deal with the other kids and the bullying. He does have a best friend, Angela, who sleeps around with many of the boys at school.
It was a bit hard to get into at first, a bit hard to follow. Have to admit, I didn’t like either Jude or Angela. As a warning, there is a lot of sex and drugs, or at least talk of it. It probably shouldn’t have, but the end came as a surprise to me. But, it blew me away! Overall, I’m rating it “good”.
11LynnB
LibraryCin, I've never heard of Edouard Beaupre but will check it out. My father was the first male baby (which at that time probably meant the first white male baby) born at the medical centre in Willow Bunch. He was born in 1934.
12LibraryCin
>11 LynnB: Oh, interesting! Have you been to Willow Bunch? I grew up in Gravelbourg, about an hour drive away.
13LynnB
yes, I went to Willow Bunch in 1979? 1980? with my Dad. Saskatchewan was having a "homecoming" contest where people were asked to take a picture of the grain elevator in their home town. We picked up my grandfather in Moose Jaw and off we went!
14LibraryCin
>13 LynnB: Oh, fun! Sadly, I'm going to guess there are no more elevators in Willow Bunch. I think Gravelbourg has one left (I think there were 7 or 8 in its heyday), and that one is privately owned.
15LynnB
I'm reading Yasmeen Haddad Loves Joanasi Maqaittik by Carolyn Marie Souaid.
17LibraryCin
The Age of Hope / David Bergen
4 stars
Hope was born in 1930. She was fairly young when she married Roy. They lived in the small Mennonite town of Eden, Manitoba. They had four children, and we follow Hope’s thoughts and feelings throughout her entire adult life, as she marries, becomes a mother to her four children, while Roy is mostly working. She feels lonely and Roy doesn’t understand since she has four kids around. But, Roy loves her; he is a nice man and treats her well. But, sometimes Hope has trouble and needs some help. The story follows Hope through her entire life.
There is not a whole lot to the story, ultimately, and definitely not fast-paced, but it was still really good. The (male!) author does a really good job of bringing us into Hope’s world, I thought.
4 stars
Hope was born in 1930. She was fairly young when she married Roy. They lived in the small Mennonite town of Eden, Manitoba. They had four children, and we follow Hope’s thoughts and feelings throughout her entire adult life, as she marries, becomes a mother to her four children, while Roy is mostly working. She feels lonely and Roy doesn’t understand since she has four kids around. But, Roy loves her; he is a nice man and treats her well. But, sometimes Hope has trouble and needs some help. The story follows Hope through her entire life.
There is not a whole lot to the story, ultimately, and definitely not fast-paced, but it was still really good. The (male!) author does a really good job of bringing us into Hope’s world, I thought.
18ted74ca
I usually really like anything by Gilly MacMillan, but this mystery/thriller was kind of lacklustre I Know You Know.
19LynnB
I'm reading Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg.
20rabbitprincess
Just finished the latest Kopp Sisters novel, Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit, by Amy Stewart.
Next up in library reading is The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I, by Stephen Alford.
Next up in library reading is The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I, by Stephen Alford.
21LibraryCin
Escape / Linwood Barclay
4 stars
This is a straight continuation of Barclay’s first YA book, “Chase”. It picks up pretty much where “Chase” left off. I’ll just give the basics of what’s going on so as not to spoil the first book. Chipper is a dog that has been altered by “The Institute” – he is still part-dog, but also part-robot. He escapes and finds 12-year old, Jeff, whose parents passed away not long ago. The Institute is now looking for Chipper, and by extension, Jeff.
I really enjoyed these two books. They really are two parts to the same story, so I’ve rated them the same. It’s fast-paced, but it is meant for younger readers, so it is more simple than his adult books, but he still throws a couple of twists into the story, as well.
4 stars
This is a straight continuation of Barclay’s first YA book, “Chase”. It picks up pretty much where “Chase” left off. I’ll just give the basics of what’s going on so as not to spoil the first book. Chipper is a dog that has been altered by “The Institute” – he is still part-dog, but also part-robot. He escapes and finds 12-year old, Jeff, whose parents passed away not long ago. The Institute is now looking for Chipper, and by extension, Jeff.
I really enjoyed these two books. They really are two parts to the same story, so I’ve rated them the same. It’s fast-paced, but it is meant for younger readers, so it is more simple than his adult books, but he still throws a couple of twists into the story, as well.
22Cecrow
I've been reading the Pelbar Cycle (1980s sci-fi series) for a while now. Just finished Book Six, The Song of the Axe and this American-setting post-apocalyptic took the story northward into Canada, starting in Manitoba and crossing the plains to (and through) the Rockies. Seems we'll have another ice age in 1,000 years, or so this author thought. Take that, global warming!
23ted74ca
Despite the rave reviews I'd read about this "thriller"- I found it not at all thrilling, way too dragged out and I'd figured out the culprit(s) very early into the book. The Breakdown by B. A. Paris
24ted74ca
Woke up too early this am and quickly read a clever little novella by Gillian Flynn that I really enjoyed: The Grownup.
26LynnB
Next up: My Secret Sister by Jenny Lee Smith.
27rabbitprincess
This weekend I am hoping to have a little readathon and put a major dent in or finish The Disorderly Knights, by Dorothy Dunnett. I've foolishly been carrying it around as my bus book for the past two weeks :)
28ted74ca
>25 frahealee:. You know, I've never read any John Buchanan. I'll have to try some of his work, being as I'm become such a fan of anything Scottish!
29ted74ca
Finished 2 books in the last 2 days and they couldn't be anymore different from one another...I'd been reading Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah at the urging of friends who had all loved it. Well, I didn't-apart being interested in the story of the siege of Leningrad-it was too romanticized and "tear-jerky" for my taste and the ending far too contrived and implausible. So I cured all that by reading a somewhat grisly murder mystery novel-the first in a series that I will be looking for more from. Perfect Remains by Helen Fields
30rabbitprincess
Interrupting my Dorothy Dunnett reading with some short books. Today I read The Little Book of Feminist Saints, by Julia Pierpont and Manjit Thapp, and tomorrow I will read the hilariously (to me) titled Does it Fart?: The Definitive Guide to Animal Flatulence, by Dani Rabalotti.
32LibraryCin
The Painted Girls / Cathy Marie Buchanan
3.5 stars
This story follows three sisters, all ballet dancers. Their father has died and their mother, a laundress, neglects them and doesn’t have enough money to take care of them all. The middle sister, Marie, ends up posing for some of Degas’ paintings. The oldest sister, Antoinette, gives up dancing and falls in love with Emile, who is later accused of murder.
The story follows the viewpoints of Marie and Antoinette and alternates between them. I listened to the audio, and though there were two different narrators for each girl, I still found it difficult to follow who was speaking if I missed the intro to the chapter (which did say). I appreciated the author’s note at the end that tells us that the sisters were real and Marie was one of the ballet dancers who posed for Degas. Emile was also real, as was his story, though in reality, he and Antoinette were not involved. I do think both stories are interesting, but I just wonder if I might have liked it better if I wasn’t listening to the audio. I’m still rating it “good”.
3.5 stars
This story follows three sisters, all ballet dancers. Their father has died and their mother, a laundress, neglects them and doesn’t have enough money to take care of them all. The middle sister, Marie, ends up posing for some of Degas’ paintings. The oldest sister, Antoinette, gives up dancing and falls in love with Emile, who is later accused of murder.
The story follows the viewpoints of Marie and Antoinette and alternates between them. I listened to the audio, and though there were two different narrators for each girl, I still found it difficult to follow who was speaking if I missed the intro to the chapter (which did say). I appreciated the author’s note at the end that tells us that the sisters were real and Marie was one of the ballet dancers who posed for Degas. Emile was also real, as was his story, though in reality, he and Antoinette were not involved. I do think both stories are interesting, but I just wonder if I might have liked it better if I wasn’t listening to the audio. I’m still rating it “good”.
33ted74ca
I've found yet another mystery/crime fiction series to follow. This one was The Dead Season by Christobel Kent
34rabbitprincess
Just finished an OK British Library Crime Classic: Fire in the Thatch, by E.C.R. Lorac.
35ted74ca
Just finished a book from a long time favourite series of mine - the Isabel Dalhousie novels. This one was The Novel Habits of Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
36rabbitprincess
Today I finished two books: Up Front..., by Victor Spinetti (you may know him from A Hard Day's Night, Help!, and Magical Mystery Tour); and Let's Go Exploring: Calvin and Hobbes, by Michael Hingston, which is part of ECW Press's "Pop Classics" series.
37ted74ca
More crime fiction-2nd book in this series-Perfect Prey by Helen Fields
38LynnB
Since my last post, I've done quite a bit of reading:
It's All Greek to Me: A Tale of a Mad Dog and an Englishman, Ruins, Retsina--and Real Greeks by John Mole
Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices by Mosab Hassan Yousef
Clifford: A Memoir, A Fiction, A Fantasy, A Thought Experiment by Harold R. Johnson
A Woman's Place: Memoirs of a Gibraltarian Woman - A "Llanita" by Mariola Summerfield
A History of the World in 101/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes
Changing Heaven by Jane Urquhart
Comfort Woman by Nora Okja Keller
The Mother by Yvvette Edwards
The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry
Windflower by Gabrielle Roy
Disobedience by Naomi Alderman
The Sweet Edge by Alison Pick
Amongst Women by John McGahern
The Accident by Chris Pavone
Talking to my Daughter about the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis
Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman; and
I'm currently reading Milkman by Anna Burns
It's All Greek to Me: A Tale of a Mad Dog and an Englishman, Ruins, Retsina--and Real Greeks by John Mole
Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices by Mosab Hassan Yousef
Clifford: A Memoir, A Fiction, A Fantasy, A Thought Experiment by Harold R. Johnson
A Woman's Place: Memoirs of a Gibraltarian Woman - A "Llanita" by Mariola Summerfield
A History of the World in 101/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes
Changing Heaven by Jane Urquhart
Comfort Woman by Nora Okja Keller
The Mother by Yvvette Edwards
The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry
Windflower by Gabrielle Roy
Disobedience by Naomi Alderman
The Sweet Edge by Alison Pick
Amongst Women by John McGahern
The Accident by Chris Pavone
Talking to my Daughter about the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis
Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman; and
I'm currently reading Milkman by Anna Burns
39WeeTurtle
Gradually making my way through several books, as I'm pretty bad for picking up new ones before I've finished others even though I've told myself repeatedly I wouldn't do it.
Right now I'm in the middle of:
Vas: an opera in flatland
The Princess Diarist
The Last Wish
Cathay
Tales from the Inner City
Other than that I've been reading mostly youth and YA novels for reader's advisory and reviews. My favourite of the lot so far is The Skeleton Tree. That one is actually authored by a Canadian! Bonus points! ;)
Right now I'm in the middle of:
Vas: an opera in flatland
The Princess Diarist
The Last Wish
Cathay
Tales from the Inner City
Other than that I've been reading mostly youth and YA novels for reader's advisory and reviews. My favourite of the lot so far is The Skeleton Tree. That one is actually authored by a Canadian! Bonus points! ;)
40LibraryCin
>39 WeeTurtle: I also really liked "The Skeleton Tree" when I read it... earlier this year? Or last year? Really liked it, anyway!
41LibraryCin
The Blue Girl / Charles de Lint
4 stars
Imogene ran with a bad crowd in her last school, but when she, her mother, and her brother move to Newford, she meets a girl, Maxine, who gets picked on and they become best friends. Imogene decides she’ll try to be straight and narrow. At the same time, she is no stranger to standing up for herself against the school bullies – in this case the head cheerleader and her football-playing boyfriend. When Adrian sees this from a distance, he falls for Imogene. But, Adrian is a ghost… with friends who are fairies. When he actually meets Imogene, he manages to get her into something dangerous. In the meantime, Imogene’s childhood imaginary friend, Pelly, shows up, but there’s something different about him.
I don’t believe any of my summary is a spoiler. It’s all on the blurb on the back of the book, and it’s all revealed very early on in the book. I really liked this! I do love the references to other characters in some of de Lint’s other Newford books, as well. The viewpoint changes between Imogene, Maxine, and Adrian, and a bit of back and forth in time, but you are told at the beginning of each chapter whose POV you are following and when, so I didn’t find it too tricky to follow. I would love to read more from Newford, but always hard to choose which one next!
4 stars
Imogene ran with a bad crowd in her last school, but when she, her mother, and her brother move to Newford, she meets a girl, Maxine, who gets picked on and they become best friends. Imogene decides she’ll try to be straight and narrow. At the same time, she is no stranger to standing up for herself against the school bullies – in this case the head cheerleader and her football-playing boyfriend. When Adrian sees this from a distance, he falls for Imogene. But, Adrian is a ghost… with friends who are fairies. When he actually meets Imogene, he manages to get her into something dangerous. In the meantime, Imogene’s childhood imaginary friend, Pelly, shows up, but there’s something different about him.
I don’t believe any of my summary is a spoiler. It’s all on the blurb on the back of the book, and it’s all revealed very early on in the book. I really liked this! I do love the references to other characters in some of de Lint’s other Newford books, as well. The viewpoint changes between Imogene, Maxine, and Adrian, and a bit of back and forth in time, but you are told at the beginning of each chapter whose POV you are following and when, so I didn’t find it too tricky to follow. I would love to read more from Newford, but always hard to choose which one next!
42LynnB
Unlike WeeTurtle, I rarely have more than one book going at a time. However, I've had to put aside Milkman in order to finish The Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee for a book club meeting on Tuesday.
44LibraryCin
>43 frahealee: I listened to the audio, but did look up a couple of the paintings (and the statue) online after. I also don't know much about art.
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