by Hortensia 18 Replies latest social entertainment
I LOVE MURAKAMI AND HATE 1Q84.
Sorry to yell.
That book wasted my short bit of precious vacation time, why, because I love that author and I trusted him, after having read nearly every one of his novels, that one was big letdown.
John Irving is always an engrossing, scandalizing read.
One hundred years of solitude is probably my favorite book of all time.
yes, John Irving is pretty good, too. I like to read (in translation of course) mysteries written by Japanese and Scandinavian authors. There's such a different point of view there. The other nice thing is that there are lots of them, plenty to read. I worry about running out of things to read that I actually like.
Ha ha, yes I have read that 1Q84 generates one of three reactions - they love it, or they hate it, or they don't 'get' it. I haven't read any other Murakami, but based on this book, I certainly will.
On the opposite end of the scale, the worst book I have ever read is called The Codex. Pure crap. One of the reviews I read on Amazon - which I read after completing reading it - said "I lost my copy of this book. I hope I never find it."
The Book Thief is another good one.
Two of my favorites are Exodus and Trinity by Leon Uris. The first is about the founding of the State of Israel and the second is about Ireland. These books helped me to better understand the political events/feelings between the Palestinians and Israelians, and the Protestants and Catholics in Ireland.
talesin, I have read some of Mario Vargas Llosa's novels in Spanish, notably, ¿Quién mató a Palomino Molero? / Who killed Palomino?It's a short and sad novel. I will put The Dream of the Celt on my list of must reads.
perfect1, I have One hundred years of solitude sitting on my bookshelf and have actually started it once. I have read most of Gabriel García Márquez's books. He is one of my favorite authors. I have almost finished Una vida, a biography of GGM's life by Gerald Martin. What quality about One hundred years made it your all time favorite? I read Cróníca de una muerte anunciada/ Chronical of an announced death. The book detais the events of the murder of one of Márquez's boyhood friends. It is a reviting read. Márquez's mother insisted he wait until the murdered boy's mother died before he wrote about the event. What I could not believe about the murder of this boy is that most of the people in the small town knew he was going to be killed and only one man tried to do something about it, but no one warned the young man; hence the title.
Hehe. I notice that your title got edited;)
S
Just got back from Barnes and Noble. Had a blueberry scone and a gingerbread latte. Bought three books: The Barbabous Years, The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675. I like history and it looked like a good book. Also bought a book of poems by Pablo Neruda:Veinte poemas de amor y una cancíon desesperada y Cien sonetos de amor. The cover is so nice: four rows of ponegranate seeds set against a white background on the front cover and a whole pomegranate on the back cover. Lastly, I bought a cookbook The Latin Road Home by Jose Garces, the recipes are of foods from Ecuador, Spain, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru. The pictures of the food looked so delicious, I just had to have it. I am going to cook some of this food.
Jose Garcas is a good cook -- I bet that's a wonderful cookbook. The history book sounds good, too. I'm not much of a poetry person, though.
I like Barbara Tuchman's books about history. Have you read any of them? I also have been reading Thomas Cahill's books. I like his writing although he gets a little hysterical sometimes.
Wait a minute.
GINGERBREAD LATTE?
What is this sorcery?
Jose Garcas is a good cook -- I bet that's a wonderful cookbook.
Hortensia, I don´t watch the Food Channel, so I had never heard of Jose Garcas, but from what I read about him, he must be good.He won an award from James Beard. I hope I do his recipes justice. I have never read anything written by Barbara Tuchman or Thomas Cahill, but I will look for their books next time I go to B&N. I like knowing what others are reading or have read. It expands my list of authors to read.
WinstonSmith, the GINGERBREAD LATTE sorcery was really quite good, especially topped with whipped cream. It´s nearing Thanksgiving time so I decided to try something new. It hit the spot on a cold, windy SE GA day.
PHG
