I've just finished The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo (he wrote the Snowman, currently on the bestsellers list). I've also just finished She Got Up Off the Couch and Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana which does feature heroic acts although that may seem improbable. Yes, I admit, I found the title irresistible.
I'm currently reading Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner. I've just finished the chapter called Roy and I'm sorry that Roy departs at the end of the chapter -- it's hard to believe that subsequent chapters can top that one.
And, before I forget -- before finishing The Devil's Star I read A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me about Love, Friendship, and the Things Really Matter, by William Deresiewicz. I can't say enough about this book - I loved it!
I've read all six of Austen's novels and Persuasion, my favorite, twice. Reading this book, I learned so many things about the novels and about their appeal.
Loosely speaking, it's a memoir. Deresiewicz tells the story of his youth, using it as a frame to discuss the novels. This permits him to give real-life examples of ideas and themes presented in Austen's novels and to show Austen's genius lies in using her skill as a storyteller to answer: how should we live? An example is his discussion of Anne's situation in Persuasion; her family does not value her but she eventually finds a sense of family in a circle of friends that includes Navy friends of the man she was once persuaded not to marry, Captain Wentworth.
And, I almost forgot, I read Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists. That's a book that has earned its popularity - it's very well written, entertaining, and a fast and easy read. And - it's set in Rome. I'd forgotten how attractive I find a novel set in Rome, and I'm happy to report that this novel deserves its own post as well.
I'm currently reading Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner. I've just finished the chapter called Roy and I'm sorry that Roy departs at the end of the chapter -- it's hard to believe that subsequent chapters can top that one.
And, before I forget -- before finishing The Devil's Star I read A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me about Love, Friendship, and the Things Really Matter, by William Deresiewicz. I can't say enough about this book - I loved it!
I've read all six of Austen's novels and Persuasion, my favorite, twice. Reading this book, I learned so many things about the novels and about their appeal.
Loosely speaking, it's a memoir. Deresiewicz tells the story of his youth, using it as a frame to discuss the novels. This permits him to give real-life examples of ideas and themes presented in Austen's novels and to show Austen's genius lies in using her skill as a storyteller to answer: how should we live? An example is his discussion of Anne's situation in Persuasion; her family does not value her but she eventually finds a sense of family in a circle of friends that includes Navy friends of the man she was once persuaded not to marry, Captain Wentworth.
And, I almost forgot, I read Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists. That's a book that has earned its popularity - it's very well written, entertaining, and a fast and easy read. And - it's set in Rome. I'd forgotten how attractive I find a novel set in Rome, and I'm happy to report that this novel deserves its own post as well.
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