Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2

[BarbStAubrey]

This is the place to talk about the works of fiction you are reading, whether they are new or old, and share your own opinions and reviews with interested readers. Every week the new bestseller lists come out brimming with enticing looking books and rave reviews. How to choose?

Discussion Leader:  Judy Laird

The doors are open to our Holiday Open House - come on over - drop in and share with us a moment of your Holiday memories and current celebration.

Hope I am doing this correctly but here is a link to our Holiday Open House.
http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=2715.msg139632#msg139632

[Steph]

Finished an older Maeve Binchy yesterday and last night Jass, which is quite a different type of fiction. Both good, but oh my different. The Binchy was nice in that it was about a baby and how a whole neighborhood banded together to help a man raise a baby.

[Tomereader1]

Can someone tell me if M. M. Kaye's "The Far Pavilions" was read here?
I tried the "search", but it didn't find anything. (or so it said)

[Steph]

I loved Far Pavilions, but I dont remember it being a discussion book.

[Judy Laird]

Steph the book was
The Notorious Mrs Winston by Mary Mackey.
I gave it to my friend and she loved it also.
I also have The Widows War by same author.
I have not read that. I am sure you could find them
on Amazon.

[mabel1015j]

I picked up William Martin's Citizen Washington in 2002, - i know that only bcs i wrote in my little "read" notebook- bcs the title caught my eye. I liked it very much. Then i read Back Bay, shich i also liked, altho i don't remember much of the story today. My library just got a couple more of his. I'm reading Harvard Yard now. It's going back and forth between 1600/1700's  and contemporary times. I'm not fond of that style, but in the first 100 pages it's working. The early story is of families involved in the beginning of Harvard and it's time and the contemporary story, so far, is about a group of alumni. The connector is that Shakespear gave a manuscript to one of the early characters and a contemporary character is an expert in antique books and manuscripts, so i'm sure it will turn up inthe 21st century.

Jean

[marcie]

I just received the following information from Matthew Pearl about his new book, THE TECHNOLOGISTS, which will be out in February. We've read some of his previous books together. This one looks very interesting. My public library has the book on order in several branches. I'm first on the HOLD list!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the holiday season. My latest
novel, The Technologists, will be out February 21, 2012. That evening, we'll
have a very special launch event at the M.I.T. Museum in Cambridge, MA; if
you're in the Boston area or want to make a special trip for it, that
celebration be open to all so please watch for details on that and my others
events at the book tour guide through the news page of my site
(http://www.matthewpearl.com/news.html).

Though we still have a couple of months before the novel's release, I wanted to
tell you about three ways you can get a taste of the book right now!

First, I'm excited to announce that you can now read an exciting prequel to The
Technologists, titled "The Professor's Assassin." This is an original story told
in twelve chapters available exclusively for download to your e-reader, tablet,
phone or computer. In The Technologists, you'll meet William Barton Rogers, the
determined visionary founder and president of M.I.T., as its inaugural class of
1868 must fight a threat to Boston. In "The Professor's Assassin," we find
Rogers many years earlier, as a professor in his mid-30s at the University of
Virginia at a time when Southern colleges are plagued with violence and riots.
Rogers must confront an unexpected turn in his life when the dean of the
college, his friend, is shot down in cold blood by a student--a real life case
filled with twists and drama. As events unfold, we discover where Rogers
receives some of his early inspiration for the creation of a groundbreaking
college.

"The Professor's Assassin" became available for download just Monday, so I hope
you'll be among the first to give it a read! If you do, please blog and post
about it to help spread the word. Here is a page with links to download it from
a variety of booksellers: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/216279/the-professors-assassin-short-story-by-matthew-pearl

Second, I am happy to tell you that our website devoted to The Technologists is
up and running! We worked very hard to give it a unique look and feel to match
the novel. Please explore at: http://www.matthewpearl.com/tech/index.html

Finally, I'd also like to invite you to watch a "book trailer" for The
Technologists. What's a book trailer? It's a recent trend in publishing to help
get the word out about a new book, similar to a film trailer. This is my first
one, and I'm really excited to share it with you. Have your audio on to listen
to the great accompanying music, too. You can find it on the website or a direct
link right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJHkUYnHk-w

Thanks for letting me touch base. As always, you can stay more updated by
visiting my website (www.matthewpearl.com), choosing to "like" me on Facebook
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Pearl-author/29977879540), and following
me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/MatthewPearl) and Goodreads
(http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6247.Matthew_Pearl).

Sincerely yours,

Matthew

www.matthewpearl.com

"THE TECHNOLOGISTS combines everything I love in a thriller: fascinating
history, science, and a frightening mystery that demands to be solved. Matthew
Pearl is one of my must-read authors. He never fails to intrigue and thrill!"
--Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Girl

"Fascinating, mesmerizing, and richly atmospheric, THE TECHNOLOGISTS is the best
yet from a true master of the historical thriller. I loved this novel." --Joseph
Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Buried Secrets and Vanished

"Pearl's signature complex plotting, strewn with red herrings and populated with
unlikely villains, leaves readers as shocked and intrigued as the Bostonians...
Pearl's first three novels--The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow, and The Last
Dickens--were all New York Times best-sellers. His latest, another
literary-historical thriller, seems certain to join the elite club." -- Booklist

[Babi]

 A very enticing website on "The Technologists", MARCIE. If I had seen only
the title, I might not have given the book a second thought. Technology
is pretty much a foreign language to me. But this sounds really interesting.
Thanks for all the information.

[marcie]

Thanks, Babi. Yes, "The Technologists" title may lead some to think it's a dry science/technology book but I think that Matthew Pearl weaves history and mystery together very well.

[mabel1015j]

I sent the site for the ebook to my UVa alumni friend. Sounds like a good read.

Jean

[Steph]

He could have chosen a better title. The Technologist will turn a lot of readers off. I am on the fence with him. Some, I like, but others no.

[FlaJean]

Marcie, I downloaded the short story by Matthew Pearl (from Apple to my iPad).  It was really interesting.  At the end it has a few pages of The Technologists and it sounds intriguing.  I definitely have it on my reading list.  By the way, the short story was 99 cents.  Well worth the price.  I think my husband will like the short story as well as the book also.  Thanks for the info.

[mabel1015j]

I picked out a Christopher Buckley book, Florence of Arabia, at the library, because i wanted something light and funny. Then i noticed that his father William had also written fiction books, i didn't know that, but it didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was that one of the books, Elvis in the Morning, is really about Elvis Presley and the times. I'm about 50 pages into each of them and they are both interesting, well written stories.

 F of A is about a woman who works for the state department and decides that educating and empowering women would be the way to bringstability to the Middle East. She puts together a team of misfits; i see some hilarity coming up. E in the M's protagonist is a young boy who adores Elvis. His Mother works on a military base in Germany, where i suppose Elvis will show up soon.

Have any of you read either of the Buckley's fiction?

Jean

[Frybabe]

I'm surprised, Jean. I knew W. F. Buckley wrote a novel or two, I just didn't realize how many. I had one of the Blackford Oakes spy series, name forgotten, but I couldn't get past the first few pages.I think I expected better from Buckley. It no longer resides here.

I looked up what Christopher Buckley wrote and came across someone else who wrote a "spy spoof". Hugh Laurie. How about that. Amazon readers rate it highly.

[rosemarykaye]

Frybabe - Hugh Laurie is a man of many parts - I think he gets overshadowed by Stephen Fry, who is much louder.

Rosemary

[Steph]

William Buckley was a really truly intelligent man. He did many things and almost all of them extremely well.. He was way too conservative, but all in all we could use him nowadays. He was like the voice of reason compared to the current Presidential front runners.

[Babi]

Really?  Who is Stephen Fry, ROSEMARY?  I suppose he's not as well known
here as Hugh Laurie.  I am constantly amazed to consider that the same man
plays Dr. House and also played Bertie Wooster. Didn't know he had written
a book, tho'.
  I remember reading an article by Christopher Buckley, a memoir about his
parents titled "Losing Mum and Pup".  I thought it beautifully written.

[rosemarykaye]

Stephen Fry was Hugh Laurie's contemporary at Cambridge - they were all there at the same time - Emma Thompson, Tony Slattery, Sandy Toksvig, etc.  Fry is hugely famous as an actor, presenter, author and all round national treasure.  he is immensely erudite and very funny.  One of his first TV comedies was 'Jeeves' in which Laurie played Bertie Wooster and Fry played Jeeves.   They are apparently still the greatest of friends.  Fry appeared with Laurie again in Blakadder - in one series Laurie played the Prince of Wales and Fry the Duke of Wellington.  Fry also read all of the Harry Potter novels for the audiobook versions, and he chairs a very long-running TV quiz called 'QI'.   Laurie, meantime, not only hit the jackpot with 'House', but also has his own band, and, as we now see, also writes.  In fact they are both depressingly high achieving!

[maryz]

I never saw Hugh Laurie play Bertie Wooster or with John Cleese; I watched a couple of times, but didn't like House; I didn't know Laurie had written a book.  But, if you haven't heard Hugh Laurie play and sing old New Orleans jazz/blues, RUN, don't walk to get his CD called Let Them Talk.  It's fabulous!!!

[salan]

Stephen Fry had a recurring guest role on "Bones" as a psychiatrist that Seely was required to see.  I absolutely loved him in that role and an hoping they will bring him back.  I think both Fry and Laurie are good actors--very versitile.
Sally

[mabel1015j]

Rosemary mentioned Emma Thompson at Cambridge which struck me queer. My mind sees only men at Cambridge 

Does anyone know when those English colleges became coed?

[rosemarykaye]

Jean - yes.  Until 1972 there were no mixed undergraduate colleges in Cambridge.  There were three women only undergraduate colleges - Newnham (the most 'blue-stocking'), Girton (3 miles out of the city up a hill) and New Hall (newer and famously radical - it's now been renamed as Murray Edwards).  In 1972 Churchill, Clare and King's Colleges started to admit women.  (I myself went to King's five years later in 1977).  Most other colleges gradually followed suit, largely because they were losing the best applicants to the mixed colleges.  Newnham and New Hall/Murray Edwards have remained resolutely all women.  Emma Thompson graduated from Newnham in 1980.

Rosemary

[Steph]

Oh, I loved the Harry Potter series on audio.. The man is incredible. Hundreds of voices and he does each one quite differently. I did love that..I still hate House.. the character is so horrid.. MDH regarded it as a funny show, but I would leave the room.

[rosemarykaye]

Steph,  I loved reading the H Potter books to my youngest and really got into doing all the voices - but before we got to the end of the series, she decided she wanted to read them to herself - I assume I just didn't measure up to Stephen Fry's expertise!

[Babi]

 Have  you ever noticed how whole groups of people of a particular talent can
seem to emerge at the same time and close together?  It's eerie, and tempts
me to wonder if there is anything to reincarnation.
 So Fry was Jeeves! I remember him well; just didn't know his true name.
such remarkable men.  And Emma Thompson is 'blue-stocking'. I can readily
imagine that.
  Yes, STEPH, House is a truly horrid person. If he wasn't a genius, he would
have undoubtedly been locked up long ago. But when you consider that Hugh
Laurie is not, it is a testimony to his talent as an actor. 

[marjifay]

I'd be interested in reading everyone's best fiction reads of 2011:

Here are mine (alphabetically):

BEST:
AGINCOURT - Bernard Cornwell
BUTTERFIELD EIGHT - John O'Hara
JANE EYRE - Charlotte Bronte
JANE OF LANTERN HILL - L. M. Montgomery
LIMA NIGHTS - Marie Arana
A TOWN CALLED ALICE  - Nevil Shute
WOLF HALL - Hilary Mantel

WORST:
THE BONE PEOPLE - Keri Hulme
CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES - John Kennedy Toole
MAKING TOAST - Robert Rosenblatt
YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION - Michael Chabon

Marj

[rosemarykaye]

My reading has been badly affected this year by all these house moves, school traumas, etc, but here are mine:

Best (in no special order):

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson
The Wouldbegods- E Nesbit
Bury Your Dead - Louise Penny
The Light Years - Elizabeth Jane Howard
Bertie Plays the Blues - Alexander McCall Smith
Excellent Women - Barbara Pym (must be the tenth time I've read it and it's still wonderful to me)

Worst:

Little Bee - Chris Cleave (with apologies!)
Do You Want To Know A Secret? - Mary J Clarke
Twenty-NIne Gifts (this is non-fiction) - Cami Walker

Rosemary

[JoanK]

rosemary: you're reading E. Nesbit? I loved her as a child! I recently got a collection of her stories on my kindle for 99 cents, but I haven't reread any yet. I'm afraid to spoil the magic.

[rosemarykaye]

Oh yes Joan, I love E Nesbit.  I only ever read The Railway Children as a child, but in recent years I have read The Treasure Seekers and The Wouldbegoods, and I have Five Children and It, The Phoenix & The Carpet and The Story of the Amulet still to look forward to.  I absolutely loved The Treasure Seekers; Oswald is a brilliant creation, isn't he?

Rosemary

[Steph]

Oh My,, O'Hara.. Read simply everything of his. He was considered racy when I was younger, but I adored his books..Also Nevil
Shute.. He did one of the very very best end of the world books years ago.
I hate and refused to finish Little Bee. Simply cannot handle violence. There is enough violence in the world without reading fiction about it as well.
Could not beging to make a list.. I am sure it would be of what I have read in the past few months, since remembering when I read books is hard for me. I can say for sure that I discovered Daniel Silva this past year and have read maybe 5 of his books thus far.. Have not gotten my hands on the latest Louise Penny, but loved all of her thus far. Loved reading about polygamy earlier this year. It is truly surprising how differently the differentl women talked of their lives. As always I simply love whatever book I am treasuring just now.

[marjifay]

Steph wrote, "remembering when I read books is hard for me."   I've gotten into the habit of as soon as a finish (or purposely don't finish) a book, I jot down in my computer's word file, a short summary and rating of it.  I also keep a list of authors' books (and date read).  Just so I won't accidently buy a duplicate, and I like to look back and see what I've read over the years.

I'm going to read some Daniel Silva's books and also Louise Penny this coming year.  I didn't care much for  the only Penny I read last year (Still Life), but everyone seems to like both these authors so much.

What book about poligamy did you like?  It must have been about Mormans?

Marj

[rosemarykaye]

Marjifay - re Louise Penny, Still Life was, I think, her first, and it's not nearly as good as the others (I seem to recall there was far too much about types of arrows?).  I've just read Bury Your Dead and it was brilliant - she really has come on and on as she's written more.  I cannot wait for A Trick of the Light (the latest one) to be released here next year.

Rosemary

[marjifay]

Thanks, Rosemary.  I put Penny's Bury Your Dead on my read list.  A Trick of the Light is available here, and has excellent reviews.  (You're exactly right about her Still Life--that long boring lecture about bows and arrows put me to sleep)  HOWEVER, AGINCOURT by Bernard Cornwell was such an exciting story of the use of bows and arrows in Henry V's fight to gain control over France that had I been a bit younger I'd have run out to try that sport.

Marj

[pedln]

Rosemary, I loved The Railway Children and I think I still have the video I taped of it several years ago.

Steph, I'm with you -- can't remember when I last read a book, but I do know that a few favorites this year were
       Major Pettigrew's Last Stand -----   Helen Simonson
       Still Alice  --------  Lisa Genova
       The Rembrandt Affair  --  Daniel Silva
        Clara and Mr Tiffany -- Susan Vreeland

We read The Bone People here several years ago, Marjifay, and it was not well-received.

My worst for this year --
     Hunger Games -- Suzanne Collins
      Room -- most folks have liked it, I didn't
     Freedom -- Jonathan Franzen;  I'm still slogging through it, only 17% more to go to find out if Joey becomes a decent person not.  So many unlikeable characters.

DIL has just finished reading As Always, Julia for her f2f group. It's non-fiction, letters between Avis DeVoto and Julia Child.  It sounds wonderful.  I've asked my library to get it, but have asked Emily to hold on to her copy as well.

I'm really looking forward to Matthew Pearl's The Technolgists .  It will be a gift for my son.   He's an MIT graduate and the book is due to be released on Feb. 21, 2012, his 50th birthday     

[FlaJean]

I saw the movie As Always, Julia and really enjoyed it.

[rosemarykaye]

Pedln, you sound a bit like my beloved MIL, who always buys everyone books she wants to read, and has now bought FIL a Kindle which she has used far more than he's been allowed to!      My husband knows if she sends him a book he had better (a) get it read and (b) keep it in good condition.  Mind you, I suppose I rarely buy anyone a book I don't like - although I have bought husband Dan Cruickshank's 'Bridges: Heroic Designs that Changed the World', and I somehow don't think I'll be rushing to read that one....

Rosemary

[Steph]

Was As,Always, Julia a movie?? Julie and Julia was.. It was excellent.
I loved Major Pettigrew and Still Alice. I read all the time , just dont remember the titles and dont think I rank them by year. One of the most fun of the year was my last Years Christmas book.. It was on what people eat on a given day.. with pictures and descriptions and calorie counts. IT was a lovely lovely coffee table size book. One of those you keep handy and dive into from time to time.

[salan]

Three years ago I started keeping a written record of books I read in the current year.  Year 1, I just listed the books, the month, and my rating of the book.  Year 2, I  added the author since I kept forgetting.  Year 3 I've now found that I need to write a sentence or two about the content.  I better stop there as soon it will be too much trouble to keep up my reading journal.  At the end of the year, I list my favorite books of the year.  I love that some of you are posting your favorites, and your worst.  Gives me more books to put on my tbr list.  My favorites so far this year:

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
The Silent Girl              by Tess Gerritson
The Peach Keeper        by Sarah Adddison Allen
The Butterfly's Daughter  by Mary Alice Monroe

I haven't read any Silva books.  Which one should I start with?    Is Still Alice depressing?  I've read about it, but it sounded depressing.

I didn't like Little Bee or Room either.  I don't know if it has been my mood this year; but most of the books I read fell below average in my rating.      Sally




 

[jane]

Sally...

Here's a link to Daniel Silva's website where he (or someone who does his site) gives the chronological order and answers the question about the need to read in order...


http://www.danielsilvabooks.com/content/faq.asp


Rosemary...your husband's love of Bridges sounds like something my husband would enjoy.  He's currently enthralled with The Heights: Anatomy of a Skyscraper by Kate Ascher.  It's about how they build skyscrapers...how the plumbing works in different parts of the world and how things are changed for customs/rules in various countries.  He thinks it's fascinating.

http://thesocietypages.org/graphicsociology/2011/10/25/efficiency-of-a-skyscraper-kate-ascher/

jane

[Babi]

 No question about it, Ladies.  It's  a 'man' thing.