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Post by whitegold on Jul 7, 2009 22:26:04 GMT -5
We have a thread on what we are currently reading and one on what we just finished reading. I was thinking, why not make a thread about the in-between? We can talk about the progress we're making with the book (how many pages/chapters we've read) and what we think about it as we go. This applies to whatever book you're reading at the time.
Sound like a good idea? ;D iiiiif not, feel free to delete this! haha
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Isa
Administrator
Posts: 6,995
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Post by Isa on Jul 8, 2009 6:04:51 GMT -5
It does sound like a good idea I've had nothing to say in the book thread for a while because I'm currently reading "I am Charlotte Simmons" and it's a pretty long novel, but I'm really enjoying it. The characters were pretty black & white at first, but now there are some grey areas emerging, which I'm really enjoying. As anyone else read it?
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Michelle
First novel published
Posts: 2,563
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Post by Michelle on Jul 8, 2009 9:18:46 GMT -5
I like the idea, too. It seems to take me a long time to read books and I get discouraged at not being able to post anything. I'm still in the middle of War and Peace. I haven't picked it up in awhile, but my goal is to finish it by the end of the August. I'm a little more than 1/3 of the way through. I'm also about halfway through the second Mysterious Benedict Society. I'm enjoying it. Not quite as much as the first one, but I enjoy it more the more I read. Ben and I are also in the middle of reading The Importance of Being Ernest together (we started reading plays outloud). We just have the last act to go.
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Lu
Administrator
Posts: 5,469
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Post by Lu on Jul 8, 2009 11:57:18 GMT -5
I like the idea so I can post about Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov. I started it months ago and I'm nearly finished (about 30 pages of the last volume left). It reminds me of War and Peace in a way, and I'm enjoying it, although not as much as War and Peace. I really got into the story and I can't wait to see how it ends.
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Jul 8, 2009 14:43:31 GMT -5
I like this idea as well! I just started reading Jane and the Stillroom Maid by Stephanie Barron. I've only read the first chapter, but found it a little difficult to read. It reminded me of the difficulty I had reading Jane Austen for the first time. I guess Barron is attempting to write like JA, but I'm finding it difficult--perhaps this is because it's like JA, but not one of her stories? And I'm not used to it? Anyways, I think it'll get better, just as JA did.I'm also about halfway through the second Mysterious Benedict Society. I'm enjoying it. Not quite as much as the first one, but I enjoy it more the more I read. Ben and I are also in the middle of reading The Importance of Being Ernest together (we started reading plays outloud). We just have the last act to go. Michelle, I found the secon MBS book not as great as the first, but I agree with you--I liked it more and more as it went. About those books, do you mind how they always turn out all right? The cliche sort of stuff? I'm just curious. I find I liked the books despite that, especially because they're written for a younger audience.
And I think reading plays aloud would be really interesting! I'd never get Nick to do it--he doesn't like reading and would, probably, dislike plays even more. But I like the idea! Which of you came up with it?
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Michelle
First novel published
Posts: 2,563
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Post by Michelle on Jul 8, 2009 16:57:44 GMT -5
Michelle, I found the secon MBS book not as great as the first, but I agree with you--I liked it more and more as it went. About those books, do you mind how they always turn out all right? The cliche sort of stuff? I'm just curious. I find I liked the books despite that, especially because they're written for a younger audience.
And I think reading plays aloud would be really interesting! I'd never get Nick to do it--he doesn't like reading and would, probably, dislike plays even more. But I like the idea! Which of you came up with it? I think it's fine that they turn out alright - they are for kids. And sometimes you want a happy book. I'm not sure who came up with the idea. We started it last summer with MacBeth (although we didn't finish until recently and had to start over because I forgot everything). It makes it much more interesting.
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Jul 8, 2009 21:09:10 GMT -5
I'm not sure who came up with the idea. We started it last summer with MacBeth (although we didn't finish until recently and had to start over because I forgot everything). It makes it much more interesting. I think there would also be a problem with Nick wanting to read plays because he'd think they were all like Shakespeare. But I would love to read Pygmalion, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Peter Pan as plays.
All this talk of reading aloud has reminded me of The Reader and how reading aloud was really a sort of foreplay I'm not saying this is the case in anyone's reading aloud, but I think it'll be awhile before I get that thought--reading being foreplay--out of my head since I just read The Reader
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Post by Dominique on Jul 9, 2009 3:43:58 GMT -5
I've got about 200 pages left of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. It's about 500 pages long and it's taken me ages to get this far so I'm pretty impatient to finish it and move on to something else. It's been enjoyable, but I think I would have enjoyed it twice as much if I hadn't already seen the mini series, which was very well made and very faithful to the book. I'm often on the same book for ages too and have nothing new to post about for awhile so I think it's a good idea
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Post by whitegold on Jul 9, 2009 10:41:08 GMT -5
Im a little over halfway through Dead to the World and loooving it! It is just as addicting as the others. Im going through this book faster than any other book I've read this year, which is nice! I think my reading mojo is back in full force
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Post by Carma on Jul 9, 2009 17:09:57 GMT -5
ha, I just wrote my halfway through story in the other thread! Since I haven't said that I was actually reading war & peace.
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Jul 13, 2009 9:50:42 GMT -5
So, this Jane Austen mystery that I'm reading is really interesting. I can see characters that could have influenced JA's real characters if this mystery had been real. Like JA's cousin, Mr. Cooper is a clergyman. I am assuming this cousin was real, because many of the other characters have been based on real characters--like Jane is traveling with her mother and Cassandra after her father's death. Mr. Cooper reminds me, in ways, of P&P's Mr. Collins and a little of Emma's Mr. Elton.
I've also been interested in all of this action around Chatsworth. There is a lot going on at this estate, that of the Duke of Devonshire and the late Duchess--the same Duchess Georgiana that the movie "The Duchess" is based on. Aside from that movie, I've never really heard much about the Cavendish family or anything. What I'm reading is probably more true than the movie, which I like, and I'm becoming more interested in that family. I might read more about them at a later date.
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Post by whitegold on Jul 13, 2009 17:00:34 GMT -5
Im about 120 pages in to The Time Travelers Wife. Im not too sure how I feel about it yet. The idea is really interesting but the writing just isn't doing it for me. And the typos are driving me nuts! aghh. Im told it picks up near the middle/last section of the book so Im going to stick with it.
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Bina
First novel published
Posts: 2,472
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Post by Bina on Jul 15, 2009 10:23:25 GMT -5
Ugh, typos! Hope you´ll enjoy the second half better. I know I really liked the book .
I´m enjoying Memories of my Melancholy Whores, I´m finding it much easier to read than Marquez´ other works (though I still liked them).
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Post by whitegold on Jul 20, 2009 18:52:23 GMT -5
Read more of the Time Travelers wife. Its starting to pick up! Im really enjoying it now
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