Monday, April 10, 2017

It's Monday, April 10th! What Are You Reading?: Been a While Edition!

Hosted by The Book Date!

I know time flies, but really? Looking back, I haven’t accounted for my reading since the beginning of March. 

Excuses:

I’ve been on vacation, which you’d think would translate into multiple books finished. Nope. 

I experienced a reading slump. First in a while. 

I wasted precious time I should have spent reading. Can’t get it back so onward…

What have I finished reading?

Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham. I really haven’t enjoyed a Grisham book since his first five and refused to read any since. Until now. This was a fun and carefree listen. I made excuses to wear my earbuds or drive in the car (which I don’t often do…drive, not make excuses). Yay!

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes. I am a Barnes fan through and through from years back when I read The Sense of an Ending. I LOVED that book (the movie was pretty good and true to the story, by the way)! This was not that. The feeling I got from my first Barnes experience has been elusive. I will not give up on him! I suppose part of the problem was the character names. Russian, and they sounded too similar with just a few consonants or vowels rearranged to form a new name. It caused me to do a lot of unnecessary reviewing. [Did you read Memories of My Melancholy Whores with all the similar Latino names? While I liked that book very much, the character names lead to some confusion here too.] While the subject matter, Russian composers of classical music in the early 1900’s, was somewhat fascinating, these 180 pages just took too long to read. ACK!

What am I currently reading?

I love absolutely everything about what I am currently reading!!! It feels so good and right. I feel at peace and one with myself and my books!

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (of Rules of Civility notoriety and a book I adored). Don’t you just love when a book hooks you from the very first words? [rhetorical question because who doesn’t?] I am one hundred pages in and shirking the days’ responsibilities just to pick it up. It goes everywhere I do.

“When, in 1922, the thirty-year-old Count is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by the Bolshevik tribunal, he is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin.” If he leaves, he will be shot. As his world narrows, he begins forging relationships with others living and working in the hotel while Russian history is being made outside his door. 

Tremendous so far, the writing and storytelling are fabulous!

Edgar and Lucy by Victor Lodato. Loving this book! The author is doing an outstanding job narrating his story. It’s a big book, in theme and size. Check it out on Goodreads for a quick description of it. It's complex. Talk about making excuses to drive! 

I am in the sweet spot right now. If heaven meant books, I’m Cloud Nine.

What will I read next?

A Gentleman in Moscow is for Book Club #2. This time Book Club #1 meets after BC#2, so I have about a week between them to read Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich (I loved LaRose). From what I understand, Love Medicine is an experience akin to Olive Kitteridge in that characters thread through separate short stories only in Erdrich style.

But I really need to make some headway on Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett because I have a date with him during the Chicago Humanities Festival on April 30th. 


That’s me! What about you? Tell me what you are reading! I love recommendations!

8 comments:

pussreboots said...

I don't read much when traveling, so I get that you haven't had much to blog about. No big. I'm currently traveling and doubt I'll have much if anything to talk about next week.

I'm posting while on my road trip, thanks to my trusty smart phone. It's Monday! What are your reading?

Lindsey said...

I've heard great things about A Gentlemen in Moscow. If I'm new to Towles, which books should I read first?

Gina said...

I've learned, because I'm spending time with actual people and not as many book characters while in vacation, short story collections or novellas work best for me.

Gina said...

It's really good. I loved Rules of Civility! Try that!

Elizabeth said...

A Gentleman in Moscow should be good.

Have a great week.

Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My It's Monday, What Are You Reading

Gina said...

Loving it so far! Reading right now!

Jamie Miles said...

Had wine with my teacher friends on Friday. A Gentleman in Moscow was one that was going with one to the beach for Spring Break. Your quote was on the book right? It sounds familiar and made me want to read it then. Good to hear that it is a good one.

I'm almost through listening to Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo. It took me a while to get into it. Nobody was in the least bit likable. But I'm glad I stuck with it because I've gotten into the flow of this story and at times meandering tale. The writing is first rate as is the narrator. I'll have to check out the prequel, Nobody's Fool, written in 1993.

On my bedside is What She Knew. My sister handed it do me. I haven't read many of all these new thrillers but to me, this is the best I've read since Girl on a Train.

Gina said...

Happy Easter, Jamie! Yes, the quote is from the book jacket. I started describing myself then thought why? Still very good. Have two hundred pages to read before Wednesday night!

I've read Empire Falls and Straight Man by Russo but not Nobody's or Everybody's. Heard one was better than the other but can't remember which! I experience a similar thing when beginning a new audio book. Takes me a while to adjust to the narrator, pacing, writing style. Although, Edgar and Lucy has been seamless.

Let me know about What She Knew. I haven't read a great thriller in far too long!