All About Books discussion

Greg, thanks for telling us about Gill. I believe we're all thinking of her often.

Leslie, while I liked Game of Mirrors, I think it's not among the best Montalbano books. It was 3.5 stars for me, but I rounded it up to 4 out of sheer love for Camilleri and Montalbano :) However, the real problem might be that I'd seen the TV series installment before reading the book and, although it was ages ago, I still remembered it very vividly, so I already knew what was going to happen. That has robbed me of most of the fun for sure.

Started, in the fwe free minutes of this buzy week end, Ian McEwan The Children Act.
Up to now interesting

LauraT wrote: "Started, in the fwe free minutes of this buzy week end, Ian McEwan The Children Act.
Up to now interesting"

I enjoyed this one, Laura. Very thought-provoking

I, too, often think of Gill and also hope her daughter who lives over here (AU) has been able to return to the UK to see her mum.

Greg wrote: "Diane S ☔ wrote: "Did either or both of you read her Autumn? I know Gill did? And speaking of Gill, has anyone heard from her?"

I talked to her briefly Diane - I get the impression she's hanging i..."

Belated thanks, Greg. I also think of Gill often.

I'm reading a science fiction book, Autonomous, a book of short stories, Five-Carat Soul, and also Forest Dark.

Leslie wrote: "I am reading Atonement. I have been putting off reading this, despite many of my friends here recommending it, because I didn't much like the only McEwan I had read ([book:The Child ..."

I liked that one Leslie!

Marina wrote: "Greg, thanks for telling us about Gill. I believe we're all thinking of her often.

Leslie, while I liked Game of Mirrors, I think it's not among the best Montalbano books. It was 3..."

Thanks for the feedback Marina. I will still read it but with lowered expectations.

Finished Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Simon Armitage and read by the late Bill Wallis.
Loved it! Listen to the audiobook - it will take you back to cold nights at summer camp when you gathered around the campfire and that special counselor mesmerized everyone with a ghost story.
It will be one of my favorites, up there with Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf translation.
Walllis was an exceptional narrator and recites the saga in both modern and archaic English.

Joan wrote: "Finished Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated & read by Simon Armitage.
Loved it! Listen to the audiobook - it will take you back to cold nights at summer cam..."

Wonderful Joan! I will read this soon!

Greg - I started with the book, then switched to the audiobook. Bill Wallis' narration enhanced the beauty of the language for me.

Joan wrote: "Greg - I started with the book, then switched to the audiobook. Armitage’s narration enhanced the beauty of the language for me."

Where did you get the audiobook Joan? I see Audible has the Armitage translation, but it's narrated by someone else.

Oops you are right, it is narrated by Bill Wallis. I will fix my postings shortly. I got it as an ebook from my library and the description was not clear.

Joan wrote: "Oops you are right, it is narrated by Bill Wallis. I will fix my postings shortly. I got it as an ebook from my library and the description was not clear."

That's good though Joan - it means if I get the Audible version, I'll be listening to the one you liked so much. :) I know where one of my Audible credits is going if my library system doesn't have it!

I read Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir. 3 stars. My review: /review/show...

Now, after my last book, I am looking for something lighter. Something that will make me laugh. I have chosen The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark. Immediately I start smiling. It is all in how she expresses herself. For example, I like the use of "your" in the following sentence rather than the word "the". Look: "You will have to find out more through your grapevine." Do you see the humor too?

I've started Miramar, but I don't have much time because I'm reading other books at the same time (non-fiction). I'm just at the beginning but it doesn't seem great so far. I'll go on reading, though, it's very short (less than 200 pages).

Reading Pride and Prejudice and marvelling. It's incredible how Austen develops the plot through conversations.

Raul wrote: "Reading Pride and Prejudice and marvelling. It's incredible how Austen develops the plot through conversations."

A wonderful book Raul! Austen's wit is sharp, and I love her commentary on the gender politics and drawing room society of her day.

Started reading The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee.
After several months doing my challenge, finally I'm again in India through a book. I was missing it!

I am unsure where to file my reading of The Enormous Room by E.E. Cummings, It is considered an "autobiographical novel". The content is based on his experiences in a concentration camp in France during WW1. For me it is best seen as non-fiction rather than fiction, though it clearly demonstrates his characteristic writing style.

dely wrote: "Started reading The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee.
After several months doing my challenge, finally I'm again in India through a book. I was missing it!"

I hope you'll like it as much as I did!

Marina wrote: "I hope you'll like it as much as I did!
"

Usually I like books set in India. I hope that also the story and the writing will be good.

Raul - I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Pride & Prejudice. Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen book, I hope you will try it.

Have started Black Rock White City.

I'm reading House of Names by Colm Tóibín. This is a GR Giveaway win and I'm really glad I won a copy. It's wonderful.

Petra wrote: "I'm reading House of Names by Colm Tóibín. This is a GR Giveaway win and I'm really glad I won a copy. It's wonderful."

Congratulations of the giveaway Petra! I really want to read his The Master

Having just completed The Enormous Room, I have begun another autobiographical novel. This one being My Struggle: Book 1. The tension in the family grabs you right from the start. I sense that it will be introspective and philosophical.

Choosing how to classify these books, as fact or fiction, is difficult.

Chrissie,
it does seem that Memoirs should have their own category separate from fiction/non-fiction.
They may be the truth in the mind of the author but not quite true in point of fact.

Joan, I do agree, except if you get really picky, what is true is often debatable.

What is true is occasionally debatable- unfortunately today too many folks believe facts are often debatable. I guess the confusion among histories, memoirs and historical fiction contributes to the problem.

I'm with Joan, I'd class a memoir as separate from fiction and non-fiction.

But then, I suppose, you'd have to classify between a memoir and a autobiography!

But you can also, when you read a book, separate in your head what you consider opinion and what you consider fact. The question only came up b/c I was unsure in which thread to place my message in. For me personally, I take each book on its own merit and am less concerned with how to categorize them. No categorization is full proof.

Ah Chrissie that’s because you actually know the difference among opinion, analysis and fact. I do wish that G.R. had librarians to ensure that genre labels are accurate; crowd-sourcing seems to fail at that.

Joan wrote: "What is true is occasionally debatable- unfortunately today too many folks believe facts are often debatable. I guess the confusion among histories, memoirs and historical fiction contributes to th..."

This is such a good point Joan!

And I often notice very odd genre labels on goodreads books. I suppose it's almost too much for the librarians to keep up with, when people are constantly adding new ones!

I agree, Joan. I think the ability for members to add books and genres causes all sorts of dilemmas.

Oops I did mean that as criticism the volunteer librarians, I appreciate all they do.
I do wish that G.R. structured the site to increase accuracy - the mis-attribution of quotes is especially galling but these things happen because of faulty design by Good Reads.

At my library, and I am a cataloguer. Autobiographical fiction is put in fiction. Memoirs are not catalogued with biographies but are put in the dewey number of the subject they are covering.

Some of the novels classified as YA here, we would never put in YA.
Difficult and subjective I suppose. Every library is different, I guess.

Diane S ☔ wrote: "At my library, and I am a cataloguer. Autobiographical fiction is put in fiction. Memoirs are not catalogued with biographies but are put in the new novel of the subject they are covering.

Some o..."

Interesting - I can imagine there are differences of opinion. I read an article one time about the different views about defining historical fiction.
It seems like on 카지노싸이트 anyone can assign the genre, or are there gatekeepers?

Joan wrote: "I do wish that G.R. had librarians to ensure that genre labels are accurate; crowd-sourcing seems to fa..."

If I don't go wrong librarians can't change the genre labels on GR. They are set by the readers and those you see are the most used by the readers. There are so many and so different ones because everyone of us classifies them in a different way. For example, I classify following the country of the author. So if a book is set in India, but the author is Italian, that book goes on my Italy shelf. Others may add it in the India shelf because of the setting. Who looks at the different tags may be confused about it.

I started reading Uncle Silas. I have high expectations since I really enjoyed In a Glass Darkly.

Have started Sundays in August by Patrick Modiano

I am reading Blindness by Nobel Prize winner José Saramago. I wasn't much liking it but it has taken a turn & I am finding it more interesting now.

And since that is a pretty harsh book, I am listening to some Wodehouse for light relief -- The Luck of the Bodkins.

I listened to an audiobook of Blindness and really loved it. I think the second half is better

Heather wrote: "I listened to an audiobook of Blindness and really loved it. I think the second half is better"

Good to know Heather.

I've started Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.

I'm a bit outside of my comfort zone.

I was with this one too, Anne, and did not even get past page 100. Despite Atwood being a favourite author of mine.

B Oryx and Crake was a dnf for me too.

I love Margaret Atwood and I love post-apocalyptic fiction, but I thought Oryx and Crake lacked luster. I still gave it 3 stars, though, and want to read the second book in the series... sometime in the future.

I have begun My Michael. I am loving it from the start. A love affair. I like how the physical attraction is drawn and both the strength and the femininity of the female character. I have only read two chapters. Cross your fingers for me. I have read other books by the author and thought some were fabulous. Cross your fingers for me.

I read Oryx and Crake long before joining GR, so don't have a review or rating. I enjoyed it, though, and read the entire trilogy.
My favorite was the second book, The Year of the Flood.