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  • Originally posted by BigPiney View Post
    https://www.npr.org/2018/10/16/65798...-by-anna-burns

    Milkman - by Anna Burns won the Man Booker Prize.

    Here was the shortlist:
    Daisy Johnson, U.K., Everything Under

    Esi Edugyan, Canada, Washington Black

    Rachel Kushner, U.S., The Mars Room

    Richard Powers, U.S., The Overstory

    Robin Robertson, U.K., The Long Take

    I am glad that US authors now are eligible.
    Thanks for posting. Haven’t read any of these yet. Guess I’ll start with the winner.

    Comment


    • Originally posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
      Just finished A Gentleman in Moscow, based on some recommendations here. It was a decent book, but I didn't love it.
      This was one of the best books I've read in years. Readers who deem it slow don't appreciate it as a concept: it's a character study and a freaking hilarious one at that.

      There are plans to turn it into a movie or mini-series. I simply can't imagine how the genius of that book translates in any way, shape, or form to celluloid.

      Comment


      • Originally posted by Babs View Post
        This was one of the best books I've read in years. Readers who deem it slow don't appreciate it as a concept: it's a character study and a freaking hilarious one at that.

        There are plans to turn it into a movie or mini-series. I simply can't imagine how the genius of that book translates in any way, shape, or form to celluloid.
        Agreed, loved it.

        I must be on a Russia kick since I visited a few years ago, but I just read A Terrible Country https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/b...e-country.html

        I liked it, but the ending was hurried. Gives a look into Moscow in our day. Not near on the same level as A Gentleman in Moscow.

        Comment


        • Originally posted by Babs View Post
          This was one of the best books I've read in years. Readers who deem it slow don't appreciate it as a concept: it's a character study and a freaking hilarious one at that.
          It was excellent. It's been a year and a half since I read it and I actually still miss the Count. Have you read his Rules of Civility? While nowhere near as complete a novel as Gentleman, it is still worth reading. Towles has a facility with dialogue that I really enjoy, and it was quite evident in that first novel.

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          • Originally posted by SteelBlue View Post
            It was excellent. It's been a year and a half since I read it and I actually still miss the Count. Have you read his Rules of Civility? While nowhere near as complete a novel as Gentleman, it is still worth reading. Towles has a facility with dialogue that I really enjoy, and it was quite evident in that first novel.
            Yes. Rules of Civility was okay, but nothing like the Gentleman. Like you, I was disappointed to realize I had turned the final page. I didn't want it to end. The movie/series will be a disaster.

            I recently finished reading the works of Fredrik Backman. A Man Called Ove is the best known novel but imo not his best one.

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Babs View Post
              Yes. Rules of Civility was okay, but nothing like the Gentleman. Like you, I was disappointed to realize I had turned the final page. I didn't want it to end. The movie/series will be a disaster.

              I recently finished reading the works of Fredrik Backman. A Man Called Ove is the best known novel but imo not his best one.
              Which of his did you like best? I started reading the hockey one and got bored too quick. I think I read 20% and haven't been back in months.

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              • Originally posted by BigPiney View Post
                Which of his did you like best? I started reading the hockey one and got bored too quick. I think I read 20% and haven't been back in months.
                A Man Called Ove is cute but nothing special. The only one I was most impressed by is And Every Day the Way Home Gets Longer. It's absolutely brilliant but a serious heartbreaker. I only recommend it if you're into the whole tear-jerking catharsis kind of thing.

                Comment


                • Originally posted by Babs View Post
                  A Man Called Ove is cute but nothing special. The only one I was most impressed by is And Every Day the Way Home Gets Longer. It's absolutely brilliant but a serious heartbreaker. I only recommend it if you're into the whole tear-jerking catharsis kind of thing.
                  he’s into a different kind of jerking catharsis
                  Te Occidere Possunt Sed Te Edere Non Possunt Nefas Est.

                  Comment


                  • Stay classy, Gregg.

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
                      Educated by Tara Westover.

                      Rural Idaho mormon version of Hillbilly Elegy.
                      Originally posted by bluegoose View Post
                      What did you think? I've got it on my kindle. I read Hillbilly Elegy a few months ago and thought it was just ok.
                      OK, I just finished it so time to do a short review. This is an engrossing book, especially so for LDS readers as the family in question is from rural Idaho and are hardcore LDS fundamentalists. Tara goes to BYU where she starts to learn about the world after an extremely sheltered childhood.

                      In the end, I didn't like this book that much. I love a good memoir, but this one is just too raw for my tastes. It is basically the nasty underbelly of an incredibly messed up, dysfunctional and abusive family. Not much of a resolution in the end.
                      "There is no creature more arrogant than a self-righteous libertarian on the web, am I right? Those folks are just intolerable."
                      "It's no secret that the great American pastime is no longer baseball. Now it's sanctimony." -- Guy Periwinkle, The Nix.
                      "Juilliardk N I ibuprofen Hyu I U unhurt u" - creekster

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                      • Devil in the White City. Good, engaging history. Recommended on here a few years ago, but finally getting around to it.



                        It's a Scott Freaking Brick narration, but this one isn't too bad because: A: I'm listening at 1.4 speed and B: he doesn't actually have to do an character voices.

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by LiveCoug View Post
                          Devil in the White City. Good, engaging history. Recommended on here a few years ago, but finally getting around to it.



                          It's a Scott Freaking Brick narration, but this one isn't too bad because: A: I'm listening at 1.4 speed and B: he doesn't actually have to do an character voices.
                          F'n Scott Brick. Of course they pick him to narrate a good book like that.

                          Speaking of bad narrators, I've discovered another horrible one: Nick Sullivan. He narrated the first Mitch Rapp book, Transfer of Power. I love Mitch Rapp (thanks YOhio!), but he nearly ruined the book for me. Luckily I was able to read most of the book instead of listen to it, so I was able to substitute George Guidall's voice for Sullivan's in my head.
                          Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

                          "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

                          GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

                          Comment


                          • Any Murakami fans here? I feel like maybe old gregg and Katylied have mentioned liking him in the past? So, I have a love/indifference relationship with him. The first of his that I read was The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, his best in my opinion and by a fairly wide margin. After finishing that I wanted to read everything he has written, and I pretty much have. Unfortunately, as I've made my way through his works I have frequently felt let down. Nothing has lived up to that Wind Up Bird, though I have certainly liked others, Norwegian Wood for example was quite good. His most recent offerings have been forgettable.

                            Anyway, I'm about 1/4 of the way through his newest, Killing Commendatore and it feels like a return to that Wind Up Bird form. Yes, he uses the same techniques as he does in all of his novels. If you played Murakami bingo you could check off lonely male narrator, unnamed narrator, unfaithful spouse, whiskey and whisky, jazz, opera, classical music, history of American and British rock, awkwardly described sex scenes, and though it hasn't happened yet, I'm certain there'll be a cat. The difference this time, so far, is that the story feels more complete, the magical realism has been haunting and captivating instead of inducing eye rolling. When I've really liked Murakami, he's brought to mind David Mitchell (whose works I read first) and I'm feeling that so far. So, plenty of pages left to go downhill, but so far I'm all in. It's like Wind Up at a mid-life crossroads, and since I'm there age wise, this one has been worthwhile so far.
                            Last edited by SteelBlue; 10-19-2018, 11:51 AM.

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by SteelBlue View Post
                              Any Murakami fans here? I feel like maybe old gregg and Katylied have mentioned liking him in the past? So, I have a love/indifference relationship with him. The first of his that I read was The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, his best in my opinion and by a fairly wide margin. After finishing that I wanted to read everything he has written, and I pretty much have. Unfortunately, as I've made my way through his works I have frequently felt let down. Nothing has lived up to that Wind Up Bird, though I have certainly liked others, Norwegian Wood for example was quite good. His most recent offerings have been forgettable.

                              Anyway, I'm about 1/4 of the way through his newest, Killing Commendatore and it feels like a return to that Wind Up Bird form. Yes, he uses the same techniques as he does in all of his novels. If you played Murakami bingo you could check off lonely male narrator, unnamed narrator, unfaithful spouse, whiskey and whisky, jazz, opera, classical music, history of American and British rock, awkwardly described sex scenes, and though it hasn't happened yet, I'm certain there'll be a cat. The difference this time, so far, is that the story feels more complete, the magical realism has been haunting and captivating instead of inducing eye rolling. When I've really liked Murakami, he's brought to mind David Mitchell (whose works I read first) and I'm feeling that so far. So, plenty of pages left to go downhill, but so far I'm all in. It's like Wind Up at a mid-life crossroads, and since I'm there age wise, this one has been worthwhile so far.
                              I read Norwegian Wood when it came out in the original Japanese.
                              "There is no creature more arrogant than a self-righteous libertarian on the web, am I right? Those folks are just intolerable."
                              "It's no secret that the great American pastime is no longer baseball. Now it's sanctimony." -- Guy Periwinkle, The Nix.
                              "Juilliardk N I ibuprofen Hyu I U unhurt u" - creekster

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
                                I read Norwegian Wood when it came out in the original Japanese.
                                Now, I'm impressed

                                I've have read any Murakami, but it sounds like he should go on the TBR list

                                I may be small, but I'm slow.

                                A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to, "The United States of America ", for an amount of "up to and including my life - it's an honor."

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