Club Read 2013 : Kesbooks reading plan

Hi, this is the beginning of the list to be read in 2013

More Emile Zola and Toilers of the sea – Hugo Victor for (ATR group)

Other reading for starters (books lying around the house):

Possession- AY Byatts (I have heard wonderful praise about this one)
Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke (I see Stretch has it on his list)
Atonement –Ian McEwan (sits on top of my automatic LT recommendations)
An imaginary tale: The story of √(-1) – Paul Nahin

reread
Mistress of Montmartre – June Rose

read in 2012

Emile Zola
The drinking den
The ladies paradise
The belly of Paris
The masterpiece
Therese Raquin

Life of pi- Yann Martel
American Psycho-Bret Easton Ellis * the book I most talked about *
Fight Club-Chuck Palahniuk
Trainspotting - (DNF)
The prime of Miss Jean Brodie-Muriel Spark
Revolutionary Road – Richard Yates
Hallucinating Foucault – Patricia Dunker
My inventions-Nikola Tesla

Rereads
Mendeleyev’s Dream-Paul Strathern
The hours-Michael Cunningham

Recommendations from Tracey

Cutting for stone- Abraham Verghese ** the book I most recommended to others to read**
The sense of an ending –Julian Barnes
Sarah’s key-Tatiana de Rosnay

I've read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell as well. The writing style was very unique, I think! And the first fiction book I read with SO MANY footnotes (well, if you don't count the translation Tale of Genji, of course, but those are cultural-difference footnotes and translation-related footnotes).

First book of the year was a recommendation from my friend Julie: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I read all day today and feel a little vexed and disturbed by this. The characters were nasty but I have to congratulate Gillian for engaging me for so long. Some of the scenes in post GFC USA are worrying; have the homeless really taken over shopping malls?

I am removing Possession by AY Byatts from my to read list. I took it on holidays, read about a third, bought the movie for $5, watched it and now just can't go on with the book. Sorry to anyone who loves this book and I know some do. Perhaps later in life for me.

I have taken Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke off the shelf.

>3 kesbooks:

I have taken xxx off the shelf.

Oh, I've done that so many times; usually, to put them on a side table, or another pile, somewhere.

It took me 200 pages to begin to enjoy Possession and I'm glad I stuck with it, but I can hardly fault you for setting it gently aside. It is not an easy book.

Ok, well yes, Johnathon Strange and Mr Norrell went back on the shelf and I downloaded The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Wow, I really enjoyed this, I loved the characters and so much of what was going on was feasible and related to my own life: the problem with elderly parents, trust in marriage and family life. The final sentence seemed where Enid says she is going to make some chance now after nearly living 50 years under the influence of Alfred was extremely poignant.

Good to hear about The Corrections. I've developed an interest in it recently, and hope to read it.

I am only 10% the way through Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon and really struggling with that. I switched and just finished another book not on my list to read this year; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson. This was fantastic, I laughed out loud and really enjoyed this. Yes it is twisted and totally wrong but it was extremely funny. So next read will be The Rum Diary also by Thompson. Then back to Gravity's Rainbow.

Hi kesbooks - One of the rare times I have heard my husband laugh out loud while reading involved Hunter S. Thompson. Sounds like I'm missing out.

Another change of reading plans; I was invited into a book club. The book they are reading is The Dinner by Herman Koch. I have finished this (could not stop reading it) and I think there will be loads to talk about. I got so upset by the characters, similar to my reaction to The Slap and Gone Girl. However after calming down I realise it is a satire. I really must learn not to over react when author try their best to make their characters so horrible.

I wish there Koch's other works were translated into English.

I have now read another book not on my reading plan: The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman and am currently reading The House of Rumour by Jake Arnott.

Followed by Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk, which was a very imaginative story with a secret ending.

I have joined a live book club but as I don't meet again for 7 weeks and I have finished the books I thought I would write about them and share to LT:

Comparison between The House of Rumour by Jake Arnott and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk.

Most obvious difference is their imagination and originality. Jake virtually gathers the facts and threads them together whereas Chuck starts just about from scratch and goes wild.
Jakes book is still interesting if you are not familiar with Rudolf Hess and Jack Parson. I guess if you know both of their histories it would not have been as engaging. For me there is a there is a bit of follow up reading to be done from The House of Rumour: The Astronaut Wifes by Lily Koppel, the story of Rudolf Hess, maybe, some early SF maybe Issac Asimov and Ian Fleming. A friend recommended John Wyndham, the Day of the Triffads, also back to the Tarot Cards as well.

I really was engaged in Survivor though I had some dark moments with it. I found it a bit bleak at points and then humorous at times. I had a really feel of American Psycho satirical comedy when Adam is lying in the porn waste with the statue sticking out is eye,WTF, that’s was gold. That is an A+++ imagination. Some of the religious leader bit I got tired of and yes, I got a sense of bloody hell Tender really have no mind of your own. Do we really develop our imaginations, creativity, individuality when we are young and can it never be repaired in older life if damaged when young?
Interestingly I found that Chuck said the book was about the education system teaching kids to be part of the corporate clog rather than think for themselves to run their own businesses or create for themselves – jury is out for me on this and have had this conversation before, I don’t quite agree with this. The education system in SA is about learning how to learn, setting students up for life- long learning.
Did you find out about the hidden ending?

Good luck with the live book club, some of them can be surreal