Author Topic: Rate the last book you read.  (Read 194385 times)

Junior

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #60 on: January 27, 2009, 10:23:56 PM »
I don't remember having The Elephant Vanishes in my top 20 but it does have two of my favorite short stories by him, so it's possible that I did.

Yeah, I just went and looked at it. It wasn't on your list. But I'm almost sure you or somebody else mentioned it recently-ish.
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FifthCityMuse

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #61 on: January 28, 2009, 05:30:56 PM »
Candy Girl - Diablo Cody
Knowing how much we all love Cody around here, I'll keep it brief.

Even tho she doesn't do the whole quirky dialogue thing, her voice shines through incredibly. An interesting look at stripping, but far from perfect. How To Make Love Like A Porn Star by Jenna Jameson does the whole thing better. It took around three hours to read.

FifthCityMuse

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #62 on: January 30, 2009, 08:21:11 PM »
Cloudstreet - Tim Winton
I've written about Winton before on these boards, and with reason. He's an amazing writer, probably the best Australia has at the moment. However, until this, I don't know that I'd read a truly great book by him. This is it. Sure, it's a little obvious, and it has lulls, but that never really matters. It's written so well that it is an absolute joy to spend time with. He creates such strong characters and such believable lives for them. There is a great sense of the changing of times and the passing of lives, and, as usual, the water, whether it's rivers or oceans, is so important, and so palpable.

I'm so envious that Saltine has had correspondence with him.

saltine

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #63 on: January 30, 2009, 08:47:49 PM »
Yeah, I love Cloudstreet too.  In fact, I saw it in the cabinet a few days ago and thought: I should re-read that.  With your enthusiasm, I think I'll do that. 

I mentioned Dirt Music to my mother yesterday, and she has bought the book and started reading it.  She loves it too.
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roujin

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #64 on: February 01, 2009, 06:19:05 PM »
The Blithedale Romance was kind of excellent. None of the boring crap from Gables. Instead, what I got was this sort observant narrative that reminded me of Days of Heaven of all things. The main character looks on from the distance as he tries to make sense of the emotional narratives playing out between the people he knows. The final chapters explain too much but they do hit this really great emotional note that I wish more of the stuff I read/watch would have more of.

FifthCityMuse

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #65 on: February 01, 2009, 06:51:50 PM »
On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
It's difficult to say that this, a novella, really, of just over 160 pages, is better than Atonement, a masterful, moving, passionate, intellectual, beautiful novel of 400 odd pages. And yet, my initial reaction is to say just that. This really is, potentially McEwan's masterpiece. It seems that every word has weight and depth, which is appropriate in a story that is, as the synopsis suggests, about the power of words not said, gestures not made.

People talk of Revolutionary Road being devastating to them, and whilst I don't agree, I understand, and this had exactly that affect on me. I can feel my heart beating, and I'm sort of half shaking with adrenaline or something similar. The way McEwan writes gives this novel so much a sense of melancholy, a sense of people failing to meet at the middle, when it could be so easy. It's a brilliant, introspective look at British social structures in the early '60s, at the dawn of a new era, and just like he does with Saturday and post 9/11 - pre-Iraq London, he captures the time, the place, and the conventions so perfectly.

It's pretty easily the best book I've read so far this year (although there've only been around 5, so I suppose that's not a huge achievement, but still). It's just amazing.

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #66 on: February 01, 2009, 09:27:07 PM »
On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
It's difficult to say that this, a novella, really, of just over 160 pages, is better than Atonement, a masterful, moving, passionate, intellectual, beautiful novel of 400 odd pages. And yet, my initial reaction is to say just that. This really is, potentially McEwan's masterpiece. It seems that every word has weight and depth, which is appropriate in a story that is, as the synopsis suggests, about the power of words not said, gestures not made.

People talk of Revolutionary Road being devastating to them, and whilst I don't agree, I understand, and this had exactly that affect on me. I can feel my heart beating, and I'm sort of half shaking with adrenaline or something similar. The way McEwan writes gives this novel so much a sense of melancholy, a sense of people failing to meet at the middle, when it could be so easy. It's a brilliant, introspective look at British social structures in the early '60s, at the dawn of a new era, and just like he does with Saturday and post 9/11 - pre-Iraq London, he captures the time, the place, and the conventions so perfectly.

It's pretty easily the best book I've read so far this year (although there've only been around 5, so I suppose that's not a huge achievement, but still). It's just amazing.

Completely agree - it's an amazing book. Much better than Atonement.


jbissell

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #67 on: February 03, 2009, 01:55:55 PM »
Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers 2.5-3ish/5

The Tipping Point and Blink were interesting enough but this one really felt like a chore to get through.  Gladwell has clearly settled into a formula and it just didn't work for me this time around; some of what he has to say about the nature of success is interesting I suppose, but most of the anecdotes were fairly boring.

mañana

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #68 on: February 08, 2009, 04:31:48 AM »
I don't really get the Gladwell hype.
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FifthCityMuse

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Re: Rate the last book you read.
« Reply #69 on: February 08, 2009, 05:43:54 AM »
The Road
Oh yeah, it's great. I think I loved most of all the conversations between father and son.

Can I ask you something? he said.
Yes. Of Course.
Are we going to die?
Sometime. Not now.
And we're still going south.
Yes.
So we'll be warm.
Yes.
Okay.
Okay what?
Nothing. Just okay.
Go to sleep.
Okay.
I'm going to blow out the lamp. Is that okay?
Yes. That's okay.
And then later in the darkness: Can I ask you something?
Yes. Of course you can.
What would you do if I died?
If you died I would want to die too.
So that you could be with me?
Yes. So I could be with you.
Okay.


That's from page 8-9. It really sets the tone for the whole novel. I'm really glad I read it, and I'm excited for the movie, although very, very scared at the same time.

 

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