tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post7492692974817793921..comments2024-03-29T07:18:41.334-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Vacation Day #1: My vacation reading!Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9644593207258513712016-06-01T18:14:26.233-04:002016-06-01T18:14:26.233-04:00I was beaten up in the workplace in 2011--forced t...I was beaten up in the workplace in 2011--forced to retire a couple years early. For the first two years of my recovery, all I did was read Jack Reacher novels. Nothing else. When I'd read them all, I read them all again. There's a lot more to this story; suffice to say, Childs and a ridiculous border collie named Sophie kept me going. True story. anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06226568186166369146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10864489640719194272015-08-25T15:37:09.963-04:002015-08-25T15:37:09.963-04:00I finally got around to starting The Long Embrace ...I finally got around to starting <i>The Long Embrace</i> by Judith Freeman. I was given to believe this would be a somewhat history-based nonfiction account of Raymond Chandler's relationship with his wife. When the first chapter was almost entirely about Freeman and her obsession with Chandler, I thought, "Okay, she's explaining why she wrote this book. That's fine." But the book...kept being more about her than Chandler. I've never read any of Freeman's novels, and I don't care about her as a person or a Chandlerphile. I felt hoodwinked.<br /><br />I gave up and moved on to <i>Empire Express</i> by David Haward Bain, about the building of the transcontinental railroad. It has been suggested that summer is for lighter, breezier books.D. B. Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14726277195370623653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28707248629998690752015-08-22T15:14:06.856-04:002015-08-22T15:14:06.856-04:00Actually not reading anything right now, because I...Actually not reading anything right now, because I'm finishing up writing a novel. But oh! The choices for afterward...Charles Todd, Carola Dunn, Josephine Tey, Ngaio Marsh, among others. Where to start, where to start...Pepper Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00088936125225559789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-49097849188434491542015-08-21T14:48:58.988-04:002015-08-21T14:48:58.988-04:00Thanks for all the great suggestions. More things ...Thanks for all the great suggestions. More things to add to my library list.<br /><br />I'm rereading The Emperor of Scent about biochemist and scent genius, Luca Turin, because I'm working on an essay about trying to capture the scent of a flower. Chandler Burr can make chemistry sound fascinating. And I'm reading it with Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turn by my side so I can look up his fabulous descriptions of perfumes whenever one is mentioned in the text.Waverlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09457723282170501661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-15025000066221051222015-08-21T14:41:41.154-04:002015-08-21T14:41:41.154-04:00I just finished Uprooted, by Naomi Novik, and I pl...I just finished Uprooted, by Naomi Novik, and I plan to immediately read it again and analyze it because it is the sort of book I want to be a comp for me (not that I'm remotely there, yet).<br /><br />I read it in less than 24 hours, even with family visiting, and normal lots-of-young-kids chores. <br /><br />It's beautifully plotted, with amazing characters, a heart-wrenching villain, and one of the few fresh heroines I've encountered in awhile. I now need to read everything else she's written. <br /><br />It's also a good read for people thinking about the YA/adult convo from the comments a few days ago - it is fantasy, with a 17 year old protagonist, and it is _not_ YA. The comments helped me pick apart why it wasn't, and what would have been different in it.RachelErinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09510327163701754950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56927088201389425752015-08-21T13:25:43.563-04:002015-08-21T13:25:43.563-04:00"We Sinners" by Hanna Pylvainen
"Th..."We Sinners" by Hanna Pylvainen<br />"The Magical Ms. Plum" by Bonny Becker<br />"Life is a Terminal Illness" by Cynthia McDonald (self-published on Kindle by my niece who was diagnosed with and had surgery two years ago for a brain tumor)Jerrianne Haysletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08975610833197313201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-50319656082104997052015-08-21T09:52:00.421-04:002015-08-21T09:52:00.421-04:00I am reading Moscow-Petushki by Venedikt Erofeev. ...I am reading Moscow-Petushki by Venedikt Erofeev. The author described as "the ultimate drinking novel" and so far this has proven to be a very accurate summary. The first line reads: I have never seen the Kremlin [despite having doddered around Moscow about a hundred times] and it just gets more dysfunctional from there. Also, it contains some very interesting recipes. I have an inkling Your Sharkly Highness would appreciate this book. <br /><br />Have a lovely holiday! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-70058076693521757742015-08-21T08:02:07.620-04:002015-08-21T08:02:07.620-04:00Theresa, thanks - now the TBR will have to go to 7...Theresa, thanks - now the TBR will have to go to 76...Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-40579302585841217482015-08-21T05:03:08.449-04:002015-08-21T05:03:08.449-04:00The Wolf's Hour is my favorite McCammon.The Wolf's Hour is my favorite McCammon. CynthiaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175917641033760408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78697155533743456832015-08-21T01:12:14.188-04:002015-08-21T01:12:14.188-04:00Just finished SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD by Robert McCam...Just finished SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD by Robert McCammon and am now knee-deep into THE QUEEN OF BEDLAM, also by McCammon. I'm rediscovering him after a decade-long hiatus. He's a great storyteller.Curtis Moserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05021906060658789963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-41851868137548358302015-08-20T20:46:07.415-04:002015-08-20T20:46:07.415-04:00Donna: I liked Neverhome, but so far Paulette Jile...Donna: I liked Neverhome, but so far Paulette Jiles's Enemy Women is my favorite Civil War historical novel.Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18165072684559960801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-79108555975821243442015-08-20T20:15:13.933-04:002015-08-20T20:15:13.933-04:00Julie W. as usual you are right.
I'm going to...Julie W. as usual you are right. <br />I'm going to go read now. My pile of unread, half finished and I just can't get into it books is obscene. I think I'll find an untouched gem to Energize my writing-bunnies.<br /><br />Ah, the previous deleted comment was mine because of a dumb typo. Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-16825290333025728572015-08-20T20:12:57.799-04:002015-08-20T20:12:57.799-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64601830785861244832015-08-20T19:54:21.480-04:002015-08-20T19:54:21.480-04:00CynthiaMac - I think I'm going to take my book...CynthiaMac - I think I'm going to take my books (those 75+) and stack them, take a picture and blog about it. Because honestly. It's REEDonkulous. As my son says.<br /><br />My husband and I are both into Civil War - well for him he studies any war really. We live close to Averasboro and Bentonville. We've been to several re-enactments at both sites. On a hot summer day they are sort of spooky when no one else is around. <br /><br />While I'm taking those pictures of the books, I should also scan one from Mississippi when we went to the Pilgrimage they have every Spring. They throw open the doors on all the historic homes, and folks dress up in period dress. In it, I'm standing amongst a bunch ladies dressed as Civil War widows and men in uniform. I love it. Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-66649328751026161552015-08-20T19:05:29.135-04:002015-08-20T19:05:29.135-04:00Trying to be mindful of posting but had to shout o...Trying to be mindful of posting but had to shout out to my Civil War peeps (or as my great-aunts called it "The Recent Unpleasantness.") I grew up playing at Fort Morgan and seeing Battle of Blakely re-enactments. It was pretty common to unearth minie balls while we were playing.Our first military assignment was Petersburg, Virginia. That crater was chilling. Love Michael Shaara. Haven't tried Shelby Foote yet but I will. CynthiaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175917641033760408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-90108607212700449882015-08-20T18:57:05.845-04:002015-08-20T18:57:05.845-04:00Donnaeve - I hear you on the 75+ books. My entire ...Donnaeve - I hear you on the 75+ books. My entire bookshelf by the front door (3 cubbies across and 3 rows high) consists of books to be read. I told myself I would stay within those bounds. Every book I read either goes to the veterans or in the library/music room to live with the other keepers. Thank goodness for Overdrive or I'd have to build another room.CynthiaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175917641033760408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-1236584824507734462015-08-20T18:03:28.642-04:002015-08-20T18:03:28.642-04:00Carolynn,
"Problem is when you've spent ...Carolynn,<br /><br />"Problem is when you've spent a considerable part of your life doing something, and you end up doing it superbly, what do you do when it's taken away from you?"<br /><br />You find something else to love doing. I no longer have any horses and no longer live in the country, but I survived. I focus on other things now.<br /><br />The horse is remarkable, but so is the rider. Not many people can ride a cutting horse, let alone ride one bareback.<br /><br />Regarding the reading, I make it part of my schedule. I stopped reading for a while and it affected my writing. I didn't realize it, but it did. Hemingway had the right of it. Reading recharges the creative batteries of a writer.<br /><br />"When I was writing, it was necessary for me to read after I had written. If you kept thinking about it, you would lose the thing that you were writing before you could go on with it the next day." Ernest Hemingway Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-40243569110821760752015-08-20T17:53:16.049-04:002015-08-20T17:53:16.049-04:00Cemetery Girl - thanks Janet! A gripping concept s...Cemetery Girl - thanks Janet! A gripping concept so far!<br /><br />Also, The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America, by Russell Shorto.<br /><br />Highly recommend the latter. Hilariously dry voice, sharp writing, and impeccable research. Riveting stuff even for those who are conversant with the history.<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02927341320624880126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-29455431141402499472015-08-20T15:46:38.270-04:002015-08-20T15:46:38.270-04:00Steve,
Just finished Dennis Lehane's World Go...Steve,<br /><br />Just finished Dennis Lehane's <b>World Gone By</b> a few weeks ago. His <b>Shutter Island</b> is one of my all-time faves. Also loved Gone, Baby, Gone and Mystic River. He set the bar too high, and his last couple haven't been able to reach it for me.John Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01702305890462479118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-67575257222799033632015-08-20T14:34:54.348-04:002015-08-20T14:34:54.348-04:00Stephen King's FINDERS KEEPERS
Craig Johnson&#...Stephen King's FINDERS KEEPERS<br />Craig Johnson's AS THE CROW FLIES<br />ROGUES, edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois<br />Susannah Cahalan's BRAIN ON FIRE<br />Eric Berne's GAMES PEOPLE PLAY<br />Patrick Lee's RUNNER<br /><br />Lots of library books over which I have no control when I get, so I usually have a lot of books going on at once. Stacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03365582623380288038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-65634331026733274542015-08-20T14:33:13.248-04:002015-08-20T14:33:13.248-04:00I just thought of this.
Future reading: I'v...I just thought of this. <br /><br />Future reading: I've heard a lot of good things about BAREFOOT TO AVALON: A Brother's Story, by David Payne. Since he was born in NC...it's a must read... for me anyway.<br /><br />If only I didn't already have that unruly stack of 75+. I can't seem to stop myself from buying books. But, that's a good thing, right? Right. Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-45066129949305677292015-08-20T14:22:47.153-04:002015-08-20T14:22:47.153-04:00I always have 2 books going at once. One paper on...I always have 2 books going at once. One paper one I can read in the bath without fear of electrocution, and one e-book for the bus trip to and from work. At the moment I am reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe in the bath. It's quietly wonderful. I just finished my last e-book, a memoir called Holding the Man. It wasn't very well written, but what an emotional read! I will have to decide what's up next when I get to the bus stop this morning.Kate Larkindalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06202347563426692610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-79920459589785671132015-08-20T14:04:29.473-04:002015-08-20T14:04:29.473-04:00I'm using these comments to pad my TBR list - ...I'm using these comments to pad my TBR list - love the suggestions.<br /><br />I'm trying very hard to finish THE GOLDFINCH (40 more pages!). I think Donna Tartt is brilliant, but Lord, this book is taking me forever. I feel like it could be considerably shorter. I also just started CHILD 44. I think something lighter is in order for my next read.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14579884957931782780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-58159021212100619612015-08-20T14:02:07.085-04:002015-08-20T14:02:07.085-04:00How about that Tom Cruise? How about that Tom Cruise? Marc Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14655107171881634183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-12737641472774869432015-08-20T13:58:39.603-04:002015-08-20T13:58:39.603-04:00Julie, agreed, and the cows in hell comment was on...Julie, agreed, and the cows in hell comment was only in jest.<br />Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.com