Bookworms 2020

Ditzy_Mitzy

pollypenny said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

pollypenny said:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I've never seen the film, but this book is a wonderful satire, not just on treatment of people with mental health problems, but on society itself and the way we are expected to conform. Funny and moving, beautiful imagery, too. 

Oh you really should see the film - it's excellent and does a super job at dramatizing the book.  Have you read 'Catch-22'?  You might like it if not; it's similarly surrealist but funny.  

I've read Catch 22 about four times!  It's one of my favourite books. 

If you like satire, you'll love The Sellout by Paul Beattie, which won the Booker about 2017, I think. 

About the black man in L.A. who attempts to bring back segregation?  I know it well , great fun and I did love it thank you.  

Charly27

Just finished Please Forgive Me by Melissa Hill. Two Stars. Some interesting plot twists but didn’t really care too much about the main character and I got fed up of reading ‘she interjected’ in the dialogue, a little thing, but it grated on me. Now read 49/50 target for 2020.
Here’s my piles I got from the library and the CS’s before LD2.

ruby_eskimo

That's a good selection of books Charly27.

I finished Mendelsohn is on the Roof yesterday - the ending was rather sad but enjoyed the slightly satirical nature of the tale.  Moved on to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green.  I enjoy the novels by his brother John and have heard good things so hopefully it will be good.

Charly27

Sounds interesting Ruby. I’ve started A 1000 splendid suns today. My choice was fairly random but I wanted to challenge myself a bit with genres - couple of autobiographies, a John Grisham, Toni Morison & Judy Finnigan who I’ve never read and one I wanted to read again - To Kill a Mockingbird. Work is crazy at the moment so any progress is likely to be S-l-o-W. 

Charly27

Hope you are all well and reading. Just finished ‘One Thousand Splendid Suns’. Humbled by my privilege as a woman, to live with the freedoms I enjoy . Mariam and Laila will stay with me for a long time. Beautiful writing and leant so much about Afghanistan and Kabul. Highly recommend. 

Charly27

Just finished Stephen King’s ‘On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft’. Five stars from me, not only is it a very good explanation of the craft and the nuts and bolts of writing, but also a personal memoir. I haven’t read any Stephen King novels for over twenty years (my first husband was an avid fan, and I suspect that’s the reason) and now I want to. His love and respect for his wife Tammy and his children sing out and he leaves you in no doubt that she is his touchstone.
He also includes three lists of books he has read at the end, because writers must also read and his lists are as eclectic as all of ours! 

Now reading A Dog’s Way Home’ by W. Bruce Cameron, new author to me before I start my Christmas list. 

Pleased and proud that I have accomplished my goal of reading 50 books in 2020 before the end of November. 

annieb64

I found One Thousand Splendid  Suns to be one of those books that I couldn't  get out of my head.  I'd  read about how women were treated in countries  like Afghanistan  before but somehow the novel  brought it home to me.

Charly27

I know exactly what you mean annieb64. He doesn’t labour or lecture but you just live through it with the characters who feel so real. I must read The Kite Runner now.

ruby_eskimo

I've read The Kite Runner but never got round to A Thousand Splendid Suns - have added to the list of requests from the library now though!

Finished An Absolutely Remarkable Thing yesterday - life got in the way so I've been a bit slower with the reading recently.  It didn't progress how I thought it would but still enjoyable.  It's about what happens when a series of giant metal robot-like beings suddenly appear on Earth but they don't do anything, they're like sculptures, which was quite funny to read while the mystery of the monolith in Utah was on the news   On to The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - it's my choice for our next book club meeting which I was supposed to host in October but someone needed to swap.

Syman

Charly27 said:

Just finished Please Forgive Me by Melissa Hill. Two Stars. Some interesting plot twists but didn’t really care too much about the main character and I got fed up of reading ‘she interjected’ in the dialogue, a little thing, but it grated on me. Now read 49/50 target for 2020.
Here’s my piles I got from the library and the CS’s before LD2.

The librarian of Auschwitz is a great read. as is the Rainmaker.