NFRC: Speaking of Books, would you share your latest reads; looking for titles for my bookclub

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deb-in-mi

Well-known member
I'll go first:

These two were GREAT! Both were narrated by a child:

“Memories of an Imaginary Friend” ” by Matthew Dicks

“The Absolutely True diary of a Part-Time Indian” ” by Sherman Alexie

Also excellent:

“The Snow Child” ” by Eowyn Ivey

“Heft” by Liz Moore

“Behind The Beautiful Forever: Life, death and hope in a Mumbai undercity”

by Katherine Boo

 
Larry loves Sherman. I'm on the second book ("Wolf Hall", then "Bring Up the Bodies")

of the rise/fall of Anne Boleyn tied to the rise of Jane Seymour (whose family home is Wolf Hall). The story is a 180-degree turn from how this same story line was portrayed in the HBO series "The Tudor" and is told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, secretary and chief minister to Henry VIII. Basically, he is the Henry Kissinger of his time.

I enjoyed this sequence (paraphrasing): a papist loyalist to the former Queen Katherine is trying to convince Cromwell that the king must renounce Anne Boleyn (and Lutherism) and go back to the "true faith." He then pauses and says "Oh, but you are a Lutheran." Thomas puts his hand where his heart is and says, "No I am a banker and Martin Luther has condemned all bankers to hell."

Perks to Martin Luther for his prescience regarding usary and bank bailouts 500 hundred years ago.

So well written. Wolf Hall is Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner.

http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Up-Bodies-Hilary-Mantel/dp/0805090037/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354711689&sr=8-2&keywords=Wolf+Hall

 
Darn, had bookclub last night wish I had this list!!! Not sure I have

anything to contribute. The last two books we read I wouldn't recommend, Catch 22 and Born to Run (a good read if you are really into running and why humans can run so well even tho we are not fast). We picked Crossing the Boarders of Time by Leslie Maitland for our Dec book and Gone Girl for our Jan Book.

Thanks Deb and Marilyn for the suggestions!

 
You'll have to tell me how the Gone Girl discussion goes

I loved the book but haven't put it as a bookclub selection just yet!

 
Might want to consider

Just read "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. Released in 2009 but I didn't come across it until a good friend handed it to me and said "you've got to read this". I must admit that I teared up at the end and that there was a plot twist in the epilogue that I never saw coming. If you love dogs or any animal for that matter, you may find yourself looking at them in a whole different light.

 
Uh oh - I didn't; should I return it and start with Wolf Hall?

Since I replied with the post title above I put a request in at our library for Wolf Hall; should have it in a few days - i'll just hold off reading the second book. Thanks for letting me know!

 
Yes. The beginning of Wolf Hall brings you up to speed on Thomas Cromwell and his personality.

That affects how he treats people throughout the rest of both books.

I'm listening to the audio version on my long commute into work and it's well-read by Simon Vance.

 
Just finished re-reading Stud's Terkel's "The Good War". Great book. I also, often recommend

"Carter Beats the Devil" by Glen David Gold. Don't know why it hasn't been turned into a movie.

 
We liked "Gone Girl" somewhat, but ended up giving it the same

rating as Atonement. In the end, not too happy with the final resolution.

 
I have been meaning to recommend this book here for us Foodies. It is Kitchen's Daughter and easy to

read and interesting. One of my book groups really enjoyed the points this brought up.

 
I liked it so much that I am now reading his two other books

My Own Country - very interesting

The Tennis Partner - if I understood/interested in tennis I'm sure it was a good read...but I skipped most of that content.

 
The Tender Bar, The Lost Wife (amazing) Violets of March,

Angry Housewives Eating BonBons (don;t let the title throw you off, it was really good)
The Diplomat's Wife
Unbroken
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

 
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