i love big books and i cannot lie

[rainsinger]

For someone who loves reading and stockpiles books and shoes in the house in quantities that make my husband cry, I was a pretty late starter at the whole reading-independently business (as I explained to my mother whenever she asked, "but why should I learn to read when you read to me so well?"). I did love books though, and would be happily

Comments

[guihong]

I'm currently reading Boccacio's Decameron. The setting is Italy, about 1350, when the plague was busy wiping out most of Europe's population. Ten friends decide to get out of town and go to a villa to wait it out. There isn't much to do there, so for ten days each takes a turn at being the "ruler", and each friend tells a story.

Last summer I finally read Anna Karenina. I strongly recommend it. I have quite a few big huge Russian novels ahead for me.

gui

[rainsinger]

Agh, not Anna Karenina! I have bad memories of that book. My brother had to read it as part of his literature assignment over summer which meant that I got blackmailed into reading most of it for him and I have to say the highlight for me was when she finally killed herself.

BUT! I did like the movie. And well done for finishing the whole thing.

[rainsinger]

A Scanner Darkly sounds familiar - I think I was debating about seeing the film.

The James Meek novel I haven't come across before but look forward to exploring.

[prophetessamy]

recently? uh ... read recently?
You mean like in Mountain Astrologer? Or Astrolocality something or other by Martin Davis?

Ha. As my progressed moon moves into Sagittarius I am becoming very aware that hibernating is done, intensive study needs to relax, and I need to LIVE a little just to have anything to talk about! I need to do more living and less studying to learn, these days. I have formed these habits though ... working on that.

However, a favorite of mine, may have mentioned it before, is Jeanette Winterson. Every word in the book Written on the Body practically moves me to tears. Have you read her?

Now, please remind me, what place does writing your own stuff hold in your life?

By the way - I was updating my client database the other night and came across your name and thought I would remind you that you still have a reading from me left on the books! :) You should schedule you a treat; you've already paid for it. Or schedule a friend a treat. Whatever!

[dubaiyan]

Re: Henry James: The Turn of the Screw

[smallblakflower]

It's a wonderful book. I wrote an essay on it which got a terrible mark because I was so involved in the book I wasn't analytical enough, it's not often that happens to me.

[dubaiyan]

[smallblakflower]

I'm midway through The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall which isn't really a novel as much as piece of gay propoganda at a time it was incredibly dangerous to be writing anything sympathetic to homosexuality. But I am in the mood for pieces of social history rather than stories at the minute.

The last good story I read was...Pratchett's Thud, not life changing, but a damned good romp all the same :-)

[meepettemu]

i'd like to read that. I've read her 'unlit lamp' which i liked. recently i am reading paul coehlo, which i love.