Tag Plain Truth

Book Club Blabbering

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Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre Image by Stephen Cummings via Flickr

Time is sure flying by!  Last week the FC book club met at Joanie’s house and discussed “Plain Truth” by Jodi Picoult.  For the second time this year, I didn’t have the book finished by book club night!  Yikes.  Just so many books – and I’m just such a slow reader.  So I quickly read the last page – the trademark Picoult shocker – so that they wouldn’t have to worry about spoilers.  The discussion questions included in the book bag were mostly intellectual but we had a good discussion about the Amish and our belief in ghosts.  It was a good discussion with good food and good company.  Now what’s next to read?  We didn’t decide… but will get something picked soon!

I’m listening to “Jane Eyre” on audio and loving it!  I’m on disc 8 out of 18 and finding it easy to listen to and an interesting story.  I haven’t read anything by either of the Bronte sisters nor seen the movies about their books.  I signed up for the goodreads “Jane Eyre” challenge, because I saw the movie trailer and thought it looked good.  It comes out next week, I believe, but we’ll see if it comes to the theatre near me that soon or not.

After I finished “Plain Truth” on Thursday, I picked up “Juliet, Naked” by Nick Hornby.  It’s about a couple who live in England and the guy is obsessed with a band.  They traveled to US to visit the urinal he visited when he decided to quit being a musician, stand outside the woman’s house who caused him to quit being a musician, etc.  It will be interesting.

Next on my TBR list is “Mockingbird,” a YA novel about a kid with autism and on audio it is “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.”  Lots of reading to do!

Any suggestions for my FC book club?  I think we have about exhausted the choices at the Rochester Public Library for their book clubs in a bag.  Everything is either checked out and reserved through 2011 or we’ve read it or we’re not interested… so we’re looking for ideas of things readily available in the library or cheaply available.  Ideas?

So many books…

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Cover of "Traveling with Pomegranates: A ...

Cover via Amazon

So little time!

I finished the audio book of “Traveling with Pomegranates,” by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor.  It is fun to have it read by the authors, a mother-daughter duo, from South Carolina.  Sue wrote “The Secret Life of Bees,” and this book was written about the time before she wrote this novel.  She had written “The Dissident Woman” (I think… maybe Mother? Daughter? “The Dissident Daughter” sounds more like it) and had explored spirituality within feminism and this book continues that adventure of discovery.  It was a good listen.

So now… “Jane Eyre” via audio.  18 discs.  I have the print copy on my night stand, but I would rather listen to it.  It seems like a big undertaking, but the goodreads challenge inspired me.  It will be interesting!  I have a little driving happening this week so I’ll get a start on it!

I’m half done with “Plain Truth,” which is our book club pick for Tuesday.  Hopefully I’ll get it done by then!  It will take a little work – why do I have to be such a slow reader??  I enjoy words and savor them when sometimes I should just gobble them up.

My TBR list includes (in order of my hopes of completion): 1) Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby 2) Mockingbird.  That’s all I have in my house but my list is much longer than that!

How about you?  What are you reading?  What have you recently finished?  What will you read next?

Well, off to read!

Yeah sirsi!

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Cover of One Day

Sirsi is where the emails come from to let me know that books I’ve reserved at the library are ready to be picked up! Yeah! So tonight after work I sat down with the last forty pages of “Faking It” by Jennifer Crusie and then headed to the library to pick up “One Day” by David Nicholls (finally!) and “Juliet, Naked” by Nick Hornby.

I find the Rochester Public Library a little difficult to navigate. Well, maybe not difficult to navigate but overwhelming. Summer of ’09 I started with the fiction in the Zs, thinking I’d work backwards, and I read quite a few fun books, but soon that didn’t work for me. This past summer I referred to my goodreads TBR account via my smart phone and would look for specific books – either on the shelf or in audio version – but very rarely would I find them shelved! So this winter I’ve gotten a little smarter and I started reserving the books so that when I go in I just need to go to the reserve shelf and check out! It’s nice to be able to get exactly what you’re looking for sometimes – but there is also something about wandering around in the stacks, too. I’m sure I’ll do a little of both – reserve and wander.

Other random thoughts:

  • I didn’t know “One Day” was going to be made into a movie, coming out in July!
  • “Faking It” was a fun easy read. Not great but witty.
  • I’m falling behind in my magazine reading.
  • I’m not going to fall into the meme trap again – I hope. Maybe I’ll come up with my own weekly blogging themes – I do love themes, after all! Not that I’d ever blog every day, but how about Saturday or Sunday Smorgasbord? Monday Musings? Teatime Tuesday? Thursdays Thoughts? Ugh… ideas welcome!
  • “Water for Elephants” will be out in the theatres before we know it!
  • I’m super excited to watch the Oscar’s this year!

I think that’s all for tonight! My TBR list now includes: “One Day,” “Juliet, Naked,” and “Plain Truth” – probably in that order! Book club discussion for “Plain Truth” is March 8 so we’ll see if I need to rearrange the order. Good times! I love to read and talk about books!

Off to read!

TBR Pile Minus One

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Reading in bed

Reading in Bed Image via Wikipedia

Well, I didn’t exactly have a marathon of reading over the weekend, because I think that means that you spend more time reading than doing anything else.  I did have some marathon mornings – staying in bed on Saturday and Sunday and reading – but that was about it.  I finished the book I started – ‘The Summer We Read Gatsby” – and I really enjoyed it.  It was a nice summery read for a cold February weekend.

It seems I have a hard time making a dent in my TBR pile – or more accurately,  my TBR shelf!  That durn library always impels me to pick up new books every time I’m there!  So yesterday I picked up a quick paperback, then I’ll read “Plain Truth.”  If “One Day” comes up in my reserve list at the library, I’ll mosey on to that one.

So many books.

I have been enjoying the audiobooks in the car, since my iPod died.  I’m listening to a Super Sad one right now, and it kind of leaves a pall over me when I get out of the car.  Very sad.  I don’t like to recommend very sad books, because I don’t think it’s fun to feel this way, but it is called “Every Last One” by Anna Quindlan (sp).  I like that Hope Davis is the narrator, because that is fun, but that’s the only fun thing about the book.  I can only hope for a happy ending.  I’m about 2/3 through and then I’m going to listen to “Brava, Valentine!” by Adriana Trigiani, a favorite of mine.  Yeah!

Well, off to read!  What are you reading?

A Walkie Walkie

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Cover of "The Position: A Novel"

Cover of The Position: A Novel

Tonight Sarah and I mall walked and did a little planning of “what’s next.”  She’s reading “True Grit” and then going to see the movie.  She’s enjoying the book, so that will be on my TBR list.  She’s also working on “The Magicians.”  Then we’re going to read “The One,” and “Plain Truth.”  I’m gonna jump into “The Summer We Read Gatsby” and am listening to “Every Last One.” Then I’ll read “Plain Truth.”  Oh, it’s so fun to plan and dream about all the books we will read!

This morning I finished “The Position” by Meg Wolitzer.  It was ok.  Don’t know what else to say about it.  It’s about a couple who write a sex book in the 70s and how it affects their four children.  Then (as 10-17 year olds) and now (as adults).  It also is about the relationship of the couple and how it changed.  I’m not gonna recommend it to anyone, but I have a copy if anyone is interested!  🙂

Well, off to read!