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Post by ibot2much on Aug 24, 2021 22:06:57 GMT
I just finished HAMNET...the story of Shakespeare and his family. One of the most memorable books I have read in a very long time.
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Post by Kao on Oct 9, 2021 5:45:55 GMT
"The Travelling Cat Chronicles" tells the story about a cat moving great distances with his owner in a tale of love told from the viewpoint of the cat most of the time. It's really cute.
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Post by Critical on Jan 4, 2022 22:01:38 GMT
I just finished HAMNET...the story of Shakespeare and his family. One of the most memorable books I have read in a very long time. I LOVED Hamnet! I'm such a Shakespeare nerd, but I didn't know much about his family life beyond the basics.
For whatever reason, I've been reading a lot of non-fiction and memoirs, probably because they're less demanding, especially the memoirs.
I just finished Anderson Cooper's Vanderbilt and didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. That family history is so rich and interesting - and i heard him on Armchair Expert last month talking about it - but he spent too much time on things that I thought were a) less interesting or b) not about the actual family. For instance, there was almost an entire chapter about one of the Vanderbilts racing in the America's Cup race. Fine, he was in the AC, but I didn't need a blow-by-blow of every single race. It was tedious. Then, there was another chapter that focused largely on Truman Capote and the impact of his released chapters of Unanswered Prayers on NY society, including Gloria Vanderbilt. I LOOOVE Truman Capote's writing. I've read several books about him. I didn't really need to read about him in a book about the Vanderbilts. It was MANY pages just about him. I enjoyed a lot of the book, but it felt like AC and his co-writer were padding the book. It was only about 300 pages too, not including bibliographies, afterword, photos, etc. There are obviously many books about the Vanderbilt family, so maybe I should read one of those!
I'm about to dive back into Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow, which I started a few months ago, but didn't finish. When I'm super busy with my business, I think I find it hard to focus on fiction.
I didn't make my Goodreads reading goal for 2021, so I'm determined to make this years goal!
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Post by beerbelly on Jan 4, 2022 22:53:56 GMT
This reminds me of one of my favorite books that I read this past year, Genius In Disguise, about Harold Ross, the editor of the New Yorker (highly recommend!). I didn't realize that Truman Capote was an intern at the New Yorker. He was fired because he and was at a conference where Robert Frost read and Capote really was very vocal about his critique of Frost's work. Love it. (I have never been a fan of Robert Frost so it just made me so happy).
I heard Cooper's interview on the book and it turned me off of his book. It seemed like a great opportunity to navel-gaze and I also didn't like how he was so adamant about saying that he wasn't as rich as everyone thought he was. I mean, fine, but you sure didn't grow up in public housing.
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Post by Critical on Jan 5, 2022 2:19:31 GMT
This reminds me of one of my favorite books that I read this past year, Genius In Disguise, about Harold Ross, the editor of the New Yorker (highly recommend!). I didn't realize that Truman Capote was an intern at the New Yorker. He was fired because he and was at a conference where Robert Frost read and Capote really was very vocal about his critique of Frost's work. Love it. (I have never been a fan of Robert Frost so it just made me so happy). I heard Cooper's interview on the book and it turned me off of his book. It seemed like a great opportunity to navel-gaze and I also didn't like how he was so adamant about saying that he wasn't as rich as everyone thought he was. I mean, fine, but you sure didn't grow up in public housing. That's funny, because listening to him on Armchair Expert made me want to read the book!  He talked about how his mother just never thought about money. Never had any concept of what things cost OR how much she had. She just figured money would show up when she needed it...and it mostly did. He talked about how, from a young age, he felt like he had to be her caretaker because she sort of didn't dwell in the real world. I'm sure that only increased after his father died and his brother committed suicide. It seemed pretty clear to him that his mother would just keep spending the money until it was gone. He definitely knows he was raised in privilege, but I don't think he felt much of a connection to his Vanderbilt family, likely because of what his mother dealt with growing up. I think he felt more of a connection to his Cooper roots. I've always admired him because he struck out on his own to build his career in journalism - to the point of heading off to foreign countries to cover conflicts as a freelance journalist without an actual employer or network to air his stories.
There were stories he told on the podcast that weren't in the book. I was disappointed, because there's clearly a lot of family history that could have been told, but wasn't.
He also talks in the book about the assumption that he inherited a ton of money when his mother passed and he probably did get more than the vast majority of us would inherit. He also does point out how Gloria was betrayed both by her first husband, as well as (I think) an attorney and several others. They all stole from her. I think the real number is a good bit south of $200M (the number reported in the media), but more than "destitute."
I read The Rainbow Comes and Goes last year. It's a collection of letters Anderson and his mother wrote to each other in her later years. They discussed things they'd never spoken about before. It's really lovely.
ETA: Putting Genius in Disguise on my list!
I read a bunch of Capote's short stories when I was young and then In Cold Blood in high school. Capote's writing has always spoken to me. He's one of the people whose writing I read and marvel at how he had the same 26 letters that we all do. The same words in the same language and yet he created works that were so far above what most people could write. I'm making myself want to re-read some Capote now! |
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Post by beerbelly on Jan 5, 2022 13:20:40 GMT
You are making me want to re-read Capote too! Oh yes, Genius in Disguise was wonderful, I inherited a lot of books from my mother about The New Yorker and about different writers who worked there. So much so that I could do a New Yorker walking tour, although not sure there would be any interest.  But Ross lived in my neighborhood and Charles Adams died in a hospital (long gone) in my neighborhood. |
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Post by ibot2much on Jan 5, 2022 16:05:57 GMT
Loved the characterization of the young Capote in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
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Post by Navybelle on May 14, 2022 4:46:00 GMT
I'm really enjoying a book that was recommended to me, which I didn't think I'd really like. But it's made me laugh right out loud in parts! I thought it was going to be more on the frivolous dumb side, but I gave it a chance anyway because of the recommendation, and I'm really happy I did. It's very well written. I don't want it to end!
It's "Part of Your World" by Abby Jimenez. I've never read anything by her before, but now I might look into it!
From Amazon:
The New York Times best-selling author of Life's Too Short delivers a refreshingly modern fairy tale perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Emily Henry.
After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s 10 years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.
Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
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He talked about how his mother just never thought about money. Never had any concept of what things cost OR how much she had. She just figured money would show up when she needed it...and it mostly did. He talked about how, from a young age, he felt like he had to be her caretaker because she sort of didn't dwell in the real world. I'm sure that only increased after his father died and his brother committed suicide. It seemed pretty clear to him that his mother would just keep spending the money until it was gone. He definitely knows he was raised in privilege, but I don't think he felt much of a connection to his Vanderbilt family, likely because of what his mother dealt with growing up. I think he felt more of a connection to his Cooper roots. I've always admired him because he struck out on his own to build his career in journalism - to the point of heading off to foreign countries to cover conflicts as a freelance journalist without an actual employer or network to air his stories. 
But Ross lived in my neighborhood and Charles Adams died in a hospital (long gone) in my neighborhood. 
