Monday, July 18, 2011

Book orientation

by Susan

I never did this particular meme when it was so popular back in the spring. Figured now was the time for it. . .

The book I'm currently reading William Styron's Lie Down in Darkness. With Wendy. Summer is the perfect time for a Southern tale of family dysfunction. Will the second-person narrator that opened the book make a reappearance? Only I would hope so.

The last book I finished Mary Doria Russell's Dreamers of the Day. I loved, loved, loved The Sparrow, but hated its sequel with an equal passion (don't ask why; I don't remember). Refused to even look at another Russell until Doc came along, which I couldn't pass up because it was a western. I loved, loved, loved it. Now Russell is officially off my ignore list.

The next book I want to read Two books, actually. Glen Duncan's The Last Werewolf and Peter Carey's Parrot and Olivier in America. The Carey is for book club and the Duncan, waiting for me at the library, has a long waiting list so I won't be able to renew it.

The last book I bought Nuances here. Last book purchased was Stephane Audeguy's The Theory of Clouds. Last book downloaded to the Kindle was Vladimir Sorokin's Ice Trilogy. The last book bought that has shown up in my mailbox is Tim Pears's Disputed Land. Still waiting for Jane Harris's Gillespie and I. I bought the Harris before the Audeguy and the Pears. Such is life when you buy books through the Book Depository.

The last book I was given C. gave me a copy of Buck Brannaman's The Faraway Horses. (All horses seem very faraway right about now.)

The last book I checked out from the library From the public library, Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light. From the university library, Bonnie Jo Campbell's Once Upon a River.

What was inside the last package a publisher/publicist sent me Five galleys from Random House. The one I'm most likely to read is Aravind Adiga's Last Man in Tower. I doubt I'll have it read by its September pub date, though.

4 comments:

  1. Ooo! I hadn't heard of The Sparrow, till last week -- a coworker was raving about it and promised to bring it in for me. Glad to know you regard it well. But I guess I won't read anything else of hers.

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  2. I'll look forward to seeing what you think of it, Isabella.

    I'm over my sequel snit, though, and think I'll filling in the gaps with the rest of the Russells that I've missed.

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  3. I love William Styron, but am a little afraid to read more of his work after Sophie's Choice. Can anything possibly equal it? And I liked the first Andrea Doria Russell book, too, though never read the sequel. Loaned the Sparrow to someone and never got it back. That pretty much ended my book loaning days!

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  4. I'm so pleased you hated the sequel. So did I. I read Thread of Grace and didn't think it stood up to The Sparrow in quality, but I do plan to read Doc.

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