Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Hills Have Spies. The first in the next Valdemar trilogy.

Which was fun, so I carried on with:

Eye Spy, Spy, Spy Again and Brightly Burning.

Which were, once again, all quick, fun reads.

Next up: The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman. Something I bought way back in 2008!

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

After reading hundreds of Regency romances in the last couple of years, I've decided to go back to the grande dame of the genre. Or, rather, the grande demoiselle. So far, I've only read two Austen, and the score is tied - loved P&P (clichéd I know), HATED Emma. That book has the rare distinction of being one of few that I actively hated, rather than passively disliked. I had to actually force myself to finish and unusually, I did make myself do so, rather than drop it. Emma remained, in my view, vile and contemptible to the very end. I'm hoping that my current attempt will break the tie and to the arguments in favor of Austen might add some Persuasion

Jane Austen on Emma “I'm going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.”

While I also rather dislike Emma I have enjoyed the rest of her books.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by ekbell

Jane Austen on Emma “I'm going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.”

While I also rather dislike Emma I have enjoyed the rest of her books.

Yes, I should have added that I dislike Emma as a reading experience precisely because Austen did such an excellent job of writing exactly what she intended.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

After reading hundreds of Regency romances in the last couple of years, I've decided to go back to the grande dame of the genre. Or, rather, the grande demoiselle. So far, I've only read two Austen, and the score is tied - loved P&P (clichéd I know), HATED Emma. That book has the rare distinction of being one of few that I actively hated, rather than passively disliked. I had to actually force myself to finish and unusually, I did make myself do so, rather than drop it. Emma remained, in my view, vile and contemptible to the very end. I'm hoping that my current attempt will break the tie and to the arguments in favor of Austen might add some Persuasion

Originally Posted by ekbell

Jane Austen on Emma “I'm going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.”

While I also rather dislike Emma I have enjoyed the rest of her books.

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Yes, I should have added that I dislike Emma as a reading experience precisely because Austen did such an excellent job of writing exactly what she intended.

Poor Emma! Marriage to the creepy and controlling Mr. Knightley is far worse punishment than she deserves. I’ve noticed that in all the film adaptations, he’s made younger than the original character, and there’s a reason!

Emma’s still my favorite.

[Bookpossum]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

After reading hundreds of Regency romances in the last couple of years, I've decided to go back to the grande dame of the genre. Or, rather, the grande demoiselle. So far, I've only read two Austen, and the score is tied - loved P&P (clichéd I know), HATED Emma. That book has the rare distinction of being one of few that I actively hated, rather than passively disliked. I had to actually force myself to finish and unusually, I did make myself do so, rather than drop it. Emma remained, in my view, vile and contemptible to the very end. I'm hoping that my current attempt will break the tie and to the arguments in favor of Austen might add some Persuasion

Like issybird, I think Emma is one of Austen's best, but I give a lot of love to Persuasion. I hope you do enjoy it, Uncle Robin.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

Like issybird, I think Emma is one of Austen's best, but I give a lot of love to Persuasion. I hope you do enjoy it, Uncle Robin.

I am so far, and of course, my reaction to the experience of reading Emma says nothing at all bout the quality of the writing. One of the few other books I had an even more visceral reaction to, Midnight's Children is widely esteemed as a masterpiece. It may be, but I still hated and was revolted by it.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman. Something I bought way back in 2008!

And a rather fun time travel story it is. Reminiscent of Heinlein's The Door Into Summer, IMO.


Next up: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. I've enjoyed her Brighton Mysteries. This is the start of a series set in North Norfolk.

[Uncle Robin]

One third through Persuasion and it's going to take A LOT for the book to end up in my disfavour after this viciously funny paragraph.

The real circumstances of this pathetic piece of family history were, that the Musgroves had had the ill fortune of a very troublesome, hopeless son; and the good fortune to lose him before he reached his twentieth year; that he had been sent to sea, because he was stupid and unmanageable on shore; that he had been very little cared for at any time by his family, though quite as much as he deserved; seldom heard of, and scarcely at all regretted, when the intelligence of his death abroad had worked its way to Uppercross, two years before

[Uncle Robin]

Just over halfway through Persuasion and I have Hamlet on the brain - the brutal murder of Mary "is a consummation devoutly to be wished".

[Uncle Robin]

4.75/5* for The Annotated Persuasion
SO pleased I finally got around to reading this one. Miss Austen's frightening skill at writing a utterly loathsome lead character made Emma an odious chore to finish, but here she put that prodigious talent to work writing a story that left me smiling. As sweet as the core romance was, it was her oh-so-understated savageries that really made me smile, delightful darts delivered demurely and deftly.

Also, I am particularly pleased that I read this annotated version by David Shapard. It was a HUGE help in getting much more out of the book than I would have otherwise.

* (it would have got 5/5 if some Power to Mary the gift had given to see herself as other saw her)

[Bookstooge]

Just read Groo the Wanderer #7. Sometimes a good comedic comic is what the doctor ordered.

[Bookpossum]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

4.75/5* for The Annotated Persuasion
SO pleased I finally got around to reading this one. Miss Austen's frightening skill at writing a utterly loathsome lead character made Emma an odious chore to finish, but here she put that prodigious talent to work writing a story that left me smiling. As sweet as the core romance was, it was her oh-so-understated savageries that really made me smile, delightful darts delivered demurely and deftly.

Also, I am particularly pleased that I read this annotated version by David Shapard. It was a HUGE help in getting much more out of the book than I would have otherwise.

* (it would have got 5/5 if some Power to Mary the gift had given to see herself as other saw her)

Good to know you enjoyed it so much. Just think what else she might have written if she had lived another 20 or 30 years.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

Good to know you enjoyed it so much. Just think what else she might have written if she had lived another 20 or 30 years.

Yes! An Emma/Persuasion mashup called Narcissism & Nagging.

[rainerm]

Just began James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room; it has been on my to-read list for a long time, but just got around to it. I recently read an essay by Garth Greenwell in which he writes that Giovanni's Room struck him as homophobic. He didn't go on to call the book a bad one though. Frankly so far it doesn't strike me as homophobic. I did pick up an edition with small print though, which is about the only complaint I have really.

Other than that, I'm doing some readings related to ecology, and I'm currently focusing on climax communities. Interestingly, many believe that we can no longer talk about climax communities without talking about plastic and AI, which is true. It is concerning that most people seem to have a grim outlook on what things might look like in the near and distant future--ecologically, I mean. Perhaps as Carlin joked, the planet is going to be fine, it's only humans who might suffer/go away.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. I've enjoyed her Brighton Mysteries. This is the start of a series set in North Norfolk.

Which was an enjoyable, quick read. I'd added the others in the series to my watchlist at ereaderiq.com.

Next up: In the Market for Murder by T. E. Kinsey. The second in the Lady Hardcastle series.