Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2  (Read 739856 times)

Frybabe

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6000 on: April 09, 2016, 05:22:55 PM »

         
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 Little Paris Bookshiop is a great story. The epilogue was kind of unecessary, IMO. The book ended with some recipes and a booklist to read for different maladies. Enjoy the barge ride through the French countryside. Meet new people, come out of your shell, dare to make a change, dare to live again, learn to greive and move on with your life. That is what the protagonist of the story embarks upon. Worth reading.

BarbStAubrey

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6001 on: April 09, 2016, 05:45:11 PM »
Sounds good - I've got it on my coffee table pile however, I've a couple of others I want to read first - I've been so taken with The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon - one of these how to feel good and get your life at work back on track - thin book that is usually one of these super Christian takes - well this one is really different - only a paragraph or two about God but what has stuck is it has a neat storyline - not preachy but it was like a 'what is next' story - and then the principles that are the key according to the author all were attached to a great everyday life problem - in fact I have been reading the last part several times I've been so taken with the concept, the message and the story.

Two others on my coffee table pile - The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy: A Novel - it is the sequel or maybe pre what would you call it - but remember we read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry well he was walking to visit Queenie who had died before he got there and this is the story of Queenie when she and Harold worked together.

And then I love Irish authors - their way with language just hits me the right way - she is one of the prize winning authors from Ireland who writes mostly about families where there is an issue with one or more of the brothers or sisters - this one has to do with the death of the mother and dividing her things - again, have not started it yet - All these books that I am so excited about I wish I could hole up and just read and read for a week with nothing on my plate - anyhow the book is The Green Road: A Novel by Anne Enright
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

rosemarykaye

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6002 on: April 17, 2016, 04:44:54 AM »
Barb, we are having quite a lot about Ireland on TV, at the cinema, etc just now as it is the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Our local independent cinema is showing Michael Collins and I think i will try to see that.

My favourite Irish writer is one of my (sort of) 'guilty secrets', Maeve Binchy. I enjoy her sagas but I know they're not to everyone's tastes - my own Irish friend can't bear them. Cathy Kelly is another, more recent, Irish romance writer - again, certainly not works of Great Literature, but easy reads and enjoyable if you're in the mood.

I've also read some Molly Keane (quite different of course); tales of old Anglo-Irish families in the days when they ruled the country.

Rosemary

Steph

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6003 on: April 17, 2016, 09:58:58 AM »
Oh yes, Rosemary.. Maeve is a hidden treasure of mine. Loved most of her stuff, except the one about the woman who disappeared into the local lake.. and reappeared when her children were grown..
Stephanie and assorted corgi

CallieOK

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6004 on: May 02, 2016, 07:49:50 PM »
As I may have mentioned before (having an "Intellectual Interlude" about previous posts!),  I am now reading e-books on loan from the OKC Metro Library.  Recently, I decided to start a data base of titles/authors I've read since I began doing this about a year and a half ago.  I now have more than 180 books listed individually and several "series" (such as The Clifton Chronicles) that I grouped together!

 I've just finished "The Summer Before The War" by Helen Simonson and enjoyed it very much.

Currently available on my reading list are "Roses" (rereading after finishing the prequel "Somerset") and  "Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante" (a "Maggie Hope" novel by Susan Elia MacNeal that I suppose could be called "suspense").   I switch back and forth and am enjoying both.     

  I love Maeve Binchy and think I've read every one of her novels (except the one you mentioned Steph - what's the title?) - as well as her memoir "Maeve's Times".

Steph

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6005 on: May 03, 2016, 09:03:58 AM »
Maeve wrote one story and I do wish I could remember the title. The woman disappeared in a boat and was presumed dead for many years.When her children were grown, it was then discovered she had left to find her own life, etc. I really hated it and could not believe it was written by Maeve who writes lovely irish stories.
Stephanie and assorted corgi

bellamarie

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6006 on: May 05, 2016, 11:34:59 PM »
I picked up the book The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, at my library today.  So many members said they liked it, so I thought I would give it a try.  The lady working at the book sale saw it and told me she absolutely loved it.
Frybabe, I also had them hunt for The Little Paris Bookshop.  She said my library should have it in a couple of days.
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

mabel1015j

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6007 on: May 06, 2016, 01:06:28 PM »
Callie, what are the Clifton Chronicles?

Yes, bellemarie, you will probably love The Invention of Wings.

Jean

evergreen

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6008 on: May 19, 2016, 04:56:59 PM »
I've only posted once a couple of years ago, but I thought since not many people are posting now I'd mention some books I've enjoyed lately which some of you might enjoy also.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman was written by a Swede with the half-smile humor I've run into before with Swedish authors.

A Strangeness in my Mind by Orhan Pamuk.  Pamuk is not for everyone, but I've read most of his books, and I think I've learned a little about the Turkish culture.  I wasn't too satisfied with the translation of the word "strangeness," but after reading the book I haven't been able to come up with a better word.  After reading the book, I felt like I'd traveled to Istanbul and learned a little more about the culture.

Finally, The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende.  This isn't great literature, but it is set in Senior Housing in San Francisco, and was a fun read.  I'm 77 and live in an independent living sort of arrangement, so it attracted my interest.

I have read this discussion group since you were in Senior Net and enjoyed many books your members have mentioned.  I'm not really into discussions, but I hope you will continue to mention what you're reading.  I appreciate it (as I am sure other lurkers do as well).



marcie

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6009 on: May 19, 2016, 09:20:32 PM »
evergreen, How thoughtful of you to let us know what you're reading and providing us with interesting descriptions of why you've enjoyed those books. I'm glad that you posted and hope you won't wait very long before you post again!

FlaJean

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6010 on: May 20, 2016, 01:05:52 PM »
Evergreen, your reading list sounds interesting.  I'll look for The Japanese Lover.  A fun read sounds good.

nlhome

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6011 on: May 20, 2016, 10:28:33 PM »
Evergreen, I too enjoyed A Man Called Ove. The author has another book that sounds interesting, My Grandmother Asked me to Tell you She's Sorry. Have you read that?

bellamarie

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6012 on: May 24, 2016, 10:29:12 AM »
I am about halfway through The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, and am just astounded at how at such a young age Sarah Grimke and her little sister Nina (Angelina) were able to instinctively know that slavery is wrong.  This is a fiction story based on true life people, Sarah Moore Grimké who was an American abolitionist, writer, and member of the women's suffrage movement, and sister who was 13 years younger than her.  The sisters continued to live together, fighting for the rights of women, until Sarah's death in 1873.  These were women before the times. 

And most aren't aware that slavery in this country didn't officially end until Dec. 6, 1865, the day the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. It didn't end on Jan. 1, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation.

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/slavery-and-anti-slavery/essays/angelina-and-sarah-grimke-abolitionist-sisters

I've really never read any books I can think of on this topic before.  This would make a good book discussion in the future.

“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

evergreen

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6013 on: May 27, 2016, 01:59:56 PM »
nlhome,  I haven't read My Grandmother Asked Me ....It's definitely going on my TBR list.  The 'ole TBR list is getting pretty high. :)

evergreen

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6014 on: May 27, 2016, 02:07:26 PM »
I'm about one-third of the way into the new Julian Barnes novel  The Noise Of Time.  It's a keeper. Such a wonderful writer.

evergreen

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6015 on: May 29, 2016, 02:48:53 PM »
Finished The Noise Of Time.  Artist vs. Power.  Saw an interview with Mr. Barnes on Charlie Rose in which the author said it was his attempt to rehabilitate the memory of Shostakovich.  Fascinating story.  Irony just smacks this reader in the face.  One of my favorite books so far this year.

Frybabe

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6016 on: May 29, 2016, 04:26:34 PM »
We have a Shostakovich fan here; PatH, I think.

PatH

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6017 on: June 02, 2016, 08:57:44 PM »
Shostakovich fan reporting for duty: I don't think Shostakovich's memory needs "rehabilitating", but it's certainly a fertile field for examining.  Scholars argue a lot back and forth over the details and amount of his repression by Stalin, who was no music lover, and how much S caved in to it, but it was a big factor in his life, and makes a very good story indeed.

My main interest is in his music, and you can certainly see the different moods playing out there.  I do think that he is one of the modern composers whose work will survive for a long time.


Frybabe

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6018 on: June 15, 2016, 07:02:59 AM »
I picked up a freebie Historical Fiction and am now about half way through. The only reason I can see that I am continuing is to see how (or why) one of the main characters died in disgrace.

Regarding Tiberius by by Helena Mithridates Kleopatra and Bartholomew Boge. The author claims this book is written using sketchy and fragmented historical data, some actually written by HMK. I hope the author has listed some sources at the end of the book because a cursory Google search indicates several things. The first is that there was a Cleopatra the Younger (from Mithridates sixth wife), although no info about her was given. While some survived because they were elsewhere or not immediate family, those captured with the king were executed. I assume, unless I find otherwise, that Cleo the Younger was among them.Second, Metellus Scipio did have a son, but he appears to have died at around age 18 (of what I don't know yet). He may or may not have had another son, or have adopted one, but that is also unverified. The book is wrapped around several people who may or may not have survived, let alone meet. Being fiction, is can go along with the premise for the story's sake that they did survive and did meet. But....

Right off the batt the book annoyed in several ways. How a lowly soldier could persuade his superiors not to crucify the daughter of Mithridates VI along with the rest of the royal family is beyond me since the Romans were hell-bent on destroying the whole bloodline and not executing Cleo as well went against direct orders.  Also, the story is being told in a long journal written to her father-in-law of her life before Tiberius, the history of their life together, and how and why he met his end. It was written while she prepared his body for mummification (which takes more than a month) for shipment back to Rome. I don't really think anyone would include in such a detailed account her efforts to avenge her family's death, unbeknownst to Tiberius, and other secretive and intimate details. How does that help in her efforts to gain support for her and her child with an admission that she hated the Romans for killing her family (and one in particular), sought vengeance, and still carried a bloodline that the Roman authorities wanted extinct? I'd say there are some gaps in plausibility in this book that I am trying to overlook.

One thing I did verify, and did not know, is that Strabo was related to the Mithridates clan on his mother's side.

Frybabe

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6019 on: June 15, 2016, 08:43:34 AM »
Oh, here is another puzzler about Regarding Tiberius. This part of the Amazon blurb about the book
Quote
Regarding Tiberius is the novelization of a series of ancient scrolls recently discovered in the ruins of famed Roman commander Scipio Africanus' seaside villa (near Naples, Italy). Written in the First Century by a young woman of Persian and Ethiopian ancestry, Helena Mithridates Kleopatra, they comprise an account of how her life and destiny were forever altered by her chance meeting with Tiberius, the son of a prominent Roman senator.
The book is not set in Africanus' time, but in Metellus Scipio's time; Pontius Pilate features in the book. So, did his decendent, Metellus, also reside at the villa at some point? Must have, if the papers were supposedly written in the 1st century. Pointing Africanus out is somewhat deceptive, then. Does this account actually exist or is it another bit of marketing? More digging to follow. 

BTW, I think this book feels like a Greek Tragedy. I found Boge's blog and he says
he originally came up with the concept for a rock opera, but then it got "reborn" first as a stage play, then a screenplay, and finally a novel. Boge is a Christian singer/songwriter; this is his first novel. He does have a few references back in the Acknowlegement pages, but not many. May be worth a read (it is free on Kindle) if you like Historical Fiction/Christian Fiction (half way through, no Christians yet) of that era.

evergreen

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6020 on: June 15, 2016, 11:36:53 PM »
Just finished reading The Summer Before The War Helen Simonson's second book.  Lovely writing.  Enjoyed the book very much.  If I remember correctly, it was mentioned in Senior Learn, but I can't remember by whom.  Next up, something by Preston & Childs.

evergreen

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6021 on: June 28, 2016, 07:50:42 PM »
I've finishedBarkskins, a new novel by Annie Proulx, in which she traces two families from the 1600's to modern times and the impact the colonial settlers had on the indigenous tribes in  northeast Canada and the US.  The book is long and slow at times.  But let's face it:  some generations are just more interesting than others.

I enjoyed her book The Shipping News and am of the opinion Barkskins is quite an achievement for the 80 year old author.

evergreen

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6022 on: July 12, 2016, 05:13:19 PM »
I probably should note for the record that I began Crimson Shore by Preston and Child.  When the authors introduced a monster with a tail who eviscerated some of the town people I stopped reading.  This clearly was not their series with the hero Gideon Crew.  I'm still laughing about it!

mabel1015j

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6023 on: August 06, 2016, 12:14:40 PM »
I'm reading a really good Dorothea Benton Frank book Plantation. Is it redundant to say "really good.....Frank book?" I think i've liked everyone I've read. Of course it is set in the Carolinas, but the protagonist is living in NYC and has been for many yrs. She, of course, has to go back home when her brother insists their mother is losing her senses and should be moved out of the Plantation and into a senior community and she, of course, finds that home has a stronger pull on her than she had imagined.

Frank writes the mother character with humor and a broader lifestyle then older people are generally given in fiction stories. She's a real delight, if at times stuck in "tradition" and other times breaking the rules. Does that sound like someone you know?

Jean


Phillyfilly

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6024 on: August 13, 2016, 06:39:09 PM »
Greetings,
I am another reader, similar to Evergreen, who has found this site a source of good suggestions for reading pleasure.
The first time I came here I learned about Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I've recommended that charming story to others. I'm presently awaiting the concluding? publication  of The Clifton Chronicles. And will definitely look for the book beginning/continuing Harold Fry's adventure. British authors are some of my favorites.
Alice Hoffman's book Here on Earth was a page turner while her other books that I've tried and not finished, were either (for me) too fantastical or brutal. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger is a thumbs up book.
I don't visit here often, but when I need a suggestion I might stop by again. Thank you, all!

Frybabe

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6025 on: August 13, 2016, 07:15:47 PM »
Hi Phillyfilly. I take it from your moniker, that you are just down the pike from me by about an hour and a half. My Dad was born and raised in Philadelphia.

bellamarie

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6026 on: August 15, 2016, 12:24:38 PM »
evergreen, Glad to hear you enjoyed The Summer Before The War, that was the next book on my to be purchased list when I visit Barnes and Noble. 

I am reading a new author Erika Marks' book Little Gale Gumbo.  It takes place on Little Gale Island off the coast of Maine. Just started it and am already excited to see what happens.
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

mabel1015j

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6027 on: August 16, 2016, 03:29:13 PM »
Hi Phillyfilly. I'm on your eastern flank in the New Jersey suburbs. Welcome.

Jean

bellamarie

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6028 on: August 17, 2016, 06:01:02 PM »
Welcome Phillyfilly!  Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, is one of my favorite books.  I just loved it!!  I just finished the book I mentioned Little Gale Gumbo and would highly recommend it.  A Creole mother and two bi-racial daughters begin a new life in a small island town off of the coast of Maine.  A bit mystery, but mostly the dynamics of these three females are exceptional.  I didn't want it to end.
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

marcie

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6029 on: September 03, 2016, 12:06:14 PM »
Hello, Phillyfilly. Welcome!

BarbStAubrey

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6030 on: September 03, 2016, 12:39:22 PM »
Welcome Phillyfilly - sounds like you have a good list of books to enjoy - just the time of year with nights growing colder and shorter - glad you are posting with us...
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

ANNIE

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6031 on: September 03, 2016, 01:32:42 PM »
Welcome, Phillyfilly! Always nice to see a new face!  I plan to make a list of your and Bella's book suggestions.

I just finished a new author book that was so unusual and funny and just a good fun read that I couldn't put it down.  353 pages if pure enjoyment.  Entitiled "The Trouble with Goats and Sheep" by Joanna Cannnon, its being compared to "The Curious Incident if the Dog in the Night-Time" by Marc Haddon and Donna Tart's "The Secret History set in the 1970's English suburbia".  I too love English authors. Another author mentioned is James Hannah who wrote "The A to Z if You and Me" which sounds worth looking for at my library.






 
"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth." Robert Southey

Phillyfilly

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6032 on: September 15, 2016, 02:59:26 PM »
Thank you all for your kind welcome.

I’ve finished several books this summer and my favorite was “A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True” by Brigid Pasuelka. The title is a clue to how the book is written. The Long Long Time…..refers to Poland before the WWII and Essentially True refers to the years following the war. The chapters go back and forth between eras. It’s a beautifully woven/written story.

Now that school is back in session I’ve “hit the books” ;).  I’m listening to “The Art of Reading” published/produced by The Teaching Company when I drive. Lectures are about 30 minutes each.  If there is anyone who hasn’t discovered The Great Courses recorded university lectures, look for them in your public library. The series I have now is “The Art of Reading.”  Other topics available are Music, Art, Literature, History, Science, Religion, Philosophy and several others.

-   Always a Philly gal even though presently residing in California.

mabel1015j

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6033 on: September 16, 2016, 02:24:50 PM »
I've just finished Traveling With Pomegrantes by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd, a mother/dgt duo. Not fiction but a sort of memoir of about two years of their lives when both decided they were real writers. Sue went on from her agony over turning 50 and having menopause to writing The Secret Life of Beesand Ann came out of a depression after having been rejected from her first choice for grad school.

I read it as part of a mother/dgt book group, which made the discussion quite interesting.

Being 75 made me shake my head at some of Sue's navel gazing about menopause. She literally says her creative days are over because her womb is dead! Lordy, lordy, lordy. (Spoiler alert) Ann discovers that she didn't really want to end up teaching Greek history and two yrs after her rejection from a grad program to do that she decided that she really did want to enter the "family business" of writing instead.

It did pose some interesting questions in my head and made me think about my life. It was like reading an anthropological case study for me. I decided that I had little understanding of their behaviors because I would never say, do , or make the decisions that they made - kind of like when I sometimes stop in my travel up the cable channels to look for a bit at The Kardashians!  :)
Not that either the Kidds or I are wrong at how we handle life, it's just different. Their thinking and behaviors allow them to write stories. I can't do that. I do other things with my behaviors.

If you have traveled to Greece or France, are familiar with Greek myths - Sue writes a lot about Demeter and Persephone, mother and dgt - or are strongly spiritual, or "see" visions of what you should do in nature around you, or from your dreams, you may enjoy this book. ....... Sue determined to write The Secret Life of Bees when a bee landed on her shoulder.

It WAS a very interesting duscussion with 4 40-something young women and 4 70-somthing older women. How none of us older women "feel" what we have perceived 70 to be. How one young woman was very upset that at 40 she may not have more children, she has a set of 4 yr old twins. I encouraged her by telling her my mother was 42 when I was born.  :)

Have any of you read it?

Jean

BarbStAubrey

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6034 on: September 16, 2016, 02:49:12 PM »
No but I did see one of these TED things that finally gave me an answer - all this about go with your passion and only do what you feel passion for - la la la - spent the better part of two years trying to figure out what my passions are since I really need to change what I am doing - no longer have the stamina required and the business has changed so much it is no longer friendly but adversarial. Anyhow this TED talk nailed it for me - saying, you are passionate when you are good enough at something that you can enjoy it and want to get better at it or share it - and the only way you get good enough at anything is by doing it over and over again.

Well that hit home - I remember as a young homemaker being outraged because I had no clue how to make our home as I pictured it and thought schools were unfair teaching us, boys and girls the same with no consideration for the fact we would be on very different career paths only then homemaking was not considered a career even to me but simply what you did. This is 1952 folks - nope not a career - anyhow everyday I worked at cleaning and laundry and and and reading every home magazine for tips till after a few years of taking such pride in my accomplishments and having two babies in less than a year I did feel passionate about cleaning and cooking and gardening - laundry now was not high on the list but I did enjoy hanging out the wash and smoothing it as I took it down - so the idea of doing first and worry about passion later made perfect sense.

Now the problem is there are no expectations for us as elders except to be not seen and not heard - hmm at least as a  young homemaker the work was socially expected - so that is the current state of affairs - we have no expectations to shoot for except what our body will allow us to do... hmm... mixed blessing...
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

CallieOK

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6035 on: September 16, 2016, 03:43:53 PM »
Mabel and Barb,  your comments really resonated with me.

My children are in their early - mid 50's.  Sometimes, I think if I hear one more comment about "boring jobs",  health issues due to aging (theirs - not mine!), etc. etc.,  I'll be like Miss Daisy and "may spit up"!!!!

Barb, I married in 1958 and it was o.k. for wives to work - as long as it wasn't a CAREER.  What exasperated me was the expectation that "my husband thinks, my husband says, my husband does....";  therefore, " I think, I say, I do...." 
I suspect it was a shock for my husband to discover that he hadn't married a sweet, compliant, "little woman" - but he did well with it.

I was suddenly and unexpectedly widowed when my husband was 59.  Not only had he never mentioned retirement, he refused to discuss it and was very critical of our friends who had begun to travel, spend time at the lake or in the mountains, etc..  I had so many ideas and he was wishing things could "be like they used to be".

It was about two years before I was able to begin thinking "I" and "me" instead of "us" and "we".  When I could do so  I discovered many opportunities to pursue activities I was interested in or curious about.

I'll be 81 in December and have had to give up activities that require standing or walking (which, of course, puts me out of "sync" with current expectations and is beginning to severely limit my going to quite a few venues!!).
The thing that exasperates me at this age/stage is being treated as if, since I can't do everything....I can't do anything.   Bah! Humbug!

BarbStAubrey

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Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6036 on: September 16, 2016, 04:13:09 PM »
Ha it really is funny - as if we were new shiny vehicles when our formal education ended and the world was open but within the limits of what society accepts and expects with the 'owners' of jobs and money calling the shots - so you get in line and stay on the line - as the line comes to an end they say OK off the line - go away - that old rubbish heap is a perfect place for you to park the rest of your life - and so, now that we have all the freedom not to walk the line or to even avoid parking at the rubbish heap, the body that was a shiny vehicle is dented and some parts act up and some parts do not work - so whatever you do you only have what little is left that we did not squeeze out when you were walking the line.

I think that is why I am so looking forward to our reading and discussing Two Old Women by Velma Wallis. Should be a fun discussion - they were sure facing what we have been chatting about... I understand we are going to discuss it in November since it is a short read that can be read in one sitting.
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

rosemarykaye

  • Posts: 3055
Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6037 on: September 18, 2016, 02:20:01 PM »
Callie - when I first married, which was in 1991, 'oil wives' as we were often known, were still expected to hang out in groups where we discussed what our husbands did, thought or said. I understand from some friends that if you had the misfortune to have to live abroad for one of the major oil companies, the whole thing was much worse - endless rounds of pool parties, no possibility of having your own job, your whole time taken up with sorting out your children's schools or meeting up with other oil wives, amongst whom there was a strict hierarchy, with the top boss's wife being the one who called the shots. All that mattered was your husband's status within BP, Shell or whichever company it was.

I have never thought as 'we' instead of 'I' - maybe because my mother was widowed very young, so she always thought as 'I' throughout my childhood. Nowadays I have my own independent life and could not give that up - it's really important to me to have my own friends, my own job and my own interests. You are so right, the world is full of opportunities.

As for being 'written off' - during our recent EU membership referendum, my mother was a lone voice among her acquaintances in deciding to vote 'remain'. A member of her sewing group - who is the same age as she is - actually told her that she was 'only saying that because Rosemary (ie me) has told you to'!!!! My mother may be 89 but she can still think for herself!

As I've mentioned in 'The Library', I've just seen a programme about the children's author and illustrator Shirley Hughes, who at 89 still lives alone in London and is still writing her wonderful books. Judith Kerr, another well known children's author, is of similar age and is also still working hard (and living alone). Ignore anyone who treats you like a has-been - it's their loss!

Rosemary

CallieOK

  • Posts: 1122
Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6038 on: September 18, 2016, 07:29:30 PM »
Rosemary Kaye,  I would never ever ever have made it as a "corporate wife" - or, probably, a military one, either.
I come from a long line of independent women and had great examples set for learning to listen to other opinions (and respect them) but making up one's own mind for personal decisions.

I'm realizing that I simply cannot do the things I used to do and am enjoying the search for new challenges. 
Onward and Upward!!!!

Frybabe

  • Posts: 9948
Re: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2
« Reply #6039 on: October 28, 2016, 11:26:30 AM »
I am about a third of the way through Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz and enjoying it very much. I expect to continue on with the series.

The other book I have just started reading is called Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews. It is a spy thriller set in present day Moscow and looks promising. However, I just found out it is yet another first of trilogy series book. I thought it was going to be a stand alone. Oh well.