Adult summer reading

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An oldie but goodie is A Thousand splendid suns. Should be on everyones must read list.

Shantaram is also great.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. Tells the story of Hemingway and his love story with his first wife while he was writing A Thousand Splendid Suns in Pais in 20's.

I had no idea Hemingway was Afghani.

- I think the OP meant to say A Moveable Feast and her brain is in the usual Monday fog.

Whoops....meant to write The Sun Also Rises...Monday fog indead. Those four-word titles with 'sun' in them can be confusing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Room-is such a nightmare. DH and I got into huge fight after he recommended to me and I downloaded and started to read it and it slowly dawned on me that it was about A YOUNG WOMAN WHO HAD BBEN KIDKNAPPED AND RAPED REPEATEDLY AND SHE WAS LOCKED IN A SMALL ROOM WITH THE SON (PRODUCT OF THE RAPE) WHO WOULD STAY IN THE CUPBOARD AND COUNT THE NUMBER OF STROKES THE RAPIST WOULD MAKE INTO HIS MOTHER---OMFG! I was like, "who are you that you would recommend this book to me?"

You know, any book can be reduced to this sort of disgust-level synopsis. We should start a thread doing this. Some All Caps mandatory, of course

The Help -- A woman simply stands by while her AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAID IS REPEATEDLY EXPLOITED AND ABUSED and then she DUMPS A TOILET ON SOMEONE'S LAWN??? I was like, who are you that you would recommend this book to me?"

Cutting for Stone -- Gynecological procedures ARE GRAPHICALLY DESCRIBED INCLUDING BLOOD AND GUTS and A NUN HAS SEX in this deeply sacreligious novel. OMFG!"

[Anonymous]

I second The Paris Wife as a suggestion. Very light, quick read.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An oldie but goodie is A Thousand splendid suns. Should be on everyones must read list.

Shantaram is also great.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. Tells the story of Hemingway and his love story with his first wife while he was writing A Thousand Splendid Suns in Pais in 20's.

I had no idea Hemingway was Afghani.

- I think the OP meant to say A Moveable Feast and her brain is in the usual Monday fog.

Whoops....meant to write The Sun Also Rises...Monday fog indead. Those four-word titles with 'sun' in them can be confusing

[Anonymous]

Currently reading Unbroken and cannot put it down!

I

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Room-is such a nightmare. DH and I got into huge fight after he recommended to me and I downloaded and started to read it and it slowly dawned on me that it was about A YOUNG WOMAN WHO HAD BBEN KIDKNAPPED AND RAPED REPEATEDLY AND SHE WAS LOCKED IN A SMALL ROOM WITH THE SON (PRODUCT OF THE RAPE) WHO WOULD STAY IN THE CUPBOARD AND COUNT THE NUMBER OF STROKES THE RAPIST WOULD MAKE INTO HIS MOTHER---OMFG! I was like, "who are you that you would recommend this book to me?"

You know, any book can be reduced to this sort of disgust-level synopsis. We should start a thread doing this. Some All Caps mandatory, of course

The Help -- A woman simply stands by while her AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAID IS REPEATEDLY EXPLOITED AND ABUSED and then she DUMPS A TOILET ON SOMEONE'S LAWN??? I was like, who are you that you would recommend this book to me?"

Cutting for Stone -- Gynecological procedures ARE GRAPHICALLY DESCRIBED INCLUDING BLOOD AND GUTS and A NUN HAS SEX in this deeply sacreligious novel. OMFG!"

I like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The chick lit comment? Self-hating, okay. Can women not attack each other (or if you're a man saying this, you're just an asshole) by assigning "female tastes" to someone's book preferences. Attack the the other person if the theme is not to your liking--and explain why. "Chick Lit" is a misogynistic term.

I think any self respecting woman is a feminist, and that includes myself. But can the "misogynistic" this, that and the other poster just stop? Just b/c you don't like a book that's written by a male author, or has a male narrator, doesn't make it necessarily "misogynistic." And just b/c you love Sophie Kinsella and Jennifer Weiner doesn't make your taste worse than other readers.

Actually, I was just saying that the term "chick lit" is misogynistic. But thanks for attacking me anyway.

[Anonymous]

The Space Between Us, Thrity Umrigar's poignant novel about a wealthy woman and her downtrodden servant, offers a revealing look at class and gender roles in modern day Bombay. Alternatively told through the eyes of Sera, a Parsi widow whose pregnant daughter and son-in-law share her elegant home, and Bhima, the elderly housekeeper who must support her orphaned granddaughter, Umrigar does an admirable job of creating two sympathetic characters whose bond goes far deeper than that of employer and employee.
Meh...

[Anonymous]

Speaking of Sophia Kinsella, I picked up Mini Shopaholic because I needed some trash after stress at work. But not trash as bad as this! As somebody who was a guilty enjoyer of the first Shopaholic book, I'm thinking that either (a) Kinsella has beaten this particular subject to death and beyond, or (b) the mom in me is appalled by the parenting, or (c) both. I won't finish it. Don't bother, is my recommendation.

[Anonymous]

The Paris Wife--I'm a huge Hemingway fan so I might give this a try. Sun Also Rises is on my top 10 list so--I'm going to be hard to please. Here's some synopsis:
In prose that reflects the style of the era, McLain illustrates a glittering world of élan expatriates and literati. Hadley and Ernest (and their baby, Bumby) lived in the (then) modest Latin Quarter, and soon became a vibrant part of the Left Bank artists, such as Gertrude Stein, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Ford Maddox Ford, Jean Rhys, and many others. Open marriage, and mistresses living in the same house with wives, were not unheard of in this set.

Blithe talk, bottomless glasses of whiskey, and bottle after bottle of wine was the norm in their active social lives. In the mornings, the hair of the dog was the cure for the night on the town. Jaunts to Pamplona to see the bullfights were illustrated by McClain in all their gory splendor.

During this time, Hemingway wrote copiously and tirelessly, jealous of some of his peers who were already established. The germination and completion of The Sun Also Rises is covered, as well as his ruthless parody of Sherwood Anderson's work, The TORRENTS OF SPRING. Hadley loved him utterly, propped him up buoyantly, and assured him of his inevitable success. Eventually, Ernest acquired more expansive needs, and Hadley needed less, but got more than she bargained for. McClain limns their marriage as more than just a cautionary tale.

[Anonymous]

I need to read something very well written, fairly upbeat and escapist. I know you guys can help me out here--keep em' coming...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I need to read something very well written, fairly upbeat and escapist. I know you guys can help me out here--keep em' coming...

Do you want it to be smutty? Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series fits the bill.

[Anonymous]

The Passage Justin Cronin
Under the Dome Steven King
Dirty Job Christopher Moore
American Gods Neil Gaiman
The Void Trilogy Peter F. Hamilton

Disclaimer: For entertainment purposes only.

[Anonymous]

Based on this list so far, I'm going to be playing Bioshock II on my IPad while my kids swim at Bethesda pool all summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I need to read something very well written, fairly upbeat and escapist. I know you guys can help me out here--keep em' coming...

Do you want it to be smutty? Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series fits the bill.

Oh yes, smutty would be fine.

[Anonymous]

Little Bee isn't exactly light reading, if that's what you're looking for. And for a more serious book, it's not well written, in my opinion. Very disappointing.