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Erika Kramer joined the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months ago -
Raksha posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoToday I re-read A Guide to Folktales in Fragile Dialects by Catherynne Valente (163 pages, although it’s all poetry I can’t remember if that only counts as 81. If so, I totally understand).
I had to run a bunch of errands today, so I decided to go with something short. I’m a massive Cat Valente fangirl, so I love…[Read more]
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I’ve never heard of Catherynne Valente but I’ll keep my eye for her poetry; it sounds liked it’d be interesting.
I’ve always kind of overlooked dollar store books, but I’ll have to pay closer attention next time.
And if you have a Goodwill outlet store in your area (or within an hour or two’s drive) it might be worth your while. They’ve got…[Read more]-
Ooh, Goodwill! I’d forgotten all about that. I’ve been living outside of a tiny ass town in Idaho for the last few years, and everyone there is a super-conservative Christian and a lot of people are proud of being literature haters (seriously. I worked at the public library for a while and had people brag to me all the time about how they never…[Read more]
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I’m definitely adding that book to my list. Her words are so pretty. I’ve been reading In The Night Garden for the last few days and I have Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in my “hurry up and read before the library starts charging” pile, so I think it’s safe to say your Cat Valente fangirling is contagious.
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Success!
You can also read a lot of her poetry and short stories online at her website for free.
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Caitlin posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months ago@internrachel @julia1
I recently finished The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (479 pgs) by David Mitchell, which, because it was awesome, I followed with Black Swan Green (294 pgs), also by David Mitchell, also awesome.
First, TTAoJdZ. The book is set in Japan, starting in the year 1799, in and around Dejima, which was the home of the Dutch…[Read more] -
Megan posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months ago@internrachel @julia1
My most recent finish is A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, 272 pages. The first half of this book was a huge drag to get through for me, but the second half really kept my interest when they actually started to describe what they were discovering. Being a zoologist myself, I couldn’t help but smile at all…[Read more] -
jessicav posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months ago@internrachel @julia1
Firstly, a few days ago I finished O, Pioneers by Willa Cather (309). I enjoyed this very much; I admit I didn’t think it was as good as My Antonia (although I’m going to re-read this soon) but I still think she writes beautifully. Her attention occasionally feels a little scattered, especially as she moves away from…[Read more] -
Raksha posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoToday I re-read Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan (389 pages). The second one in the series was just released and I’m rereading the first to get myself ready for when it arrives!
To be totally honest, I’m getting a little tired of the urban fantasy genre. It just feels so overdone these days. Thankfully, there are books…[Read more]
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malia joined the group
The Great Library of Autostraddle 12 years, 2 months ago -
scubast3v3 joined the group
The Great Library of Autostraddle 12 years, 2 months ago -
Jessica posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoRecently started Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. So good.
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Jessica joined the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months ago -
jessica posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoBest European Fiction 2010 (421 pages) is an anthology I just finished. I feel like if this was the best Europe had to offer, maybe I need to try another continent? Out of the thirty five stories in this book, only three were enjoyable: Stephan Enter’s “Resistance”, Michal Witkowski’s “Didi”, and an excerpt from Andrej Blatnik’s “You Do…[Read more]
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ohgee posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoThis is a weird request, but does anyone have any recommendations for self help-ish books? I don’t normally have much interest in this kind of thing, but I’m in a living situation where I don’t have a lot of people to talk to and could use a little general life guidance from the universe. Self Help Areas of Interest: Being More Zen, Surviving Your…[Read more]
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Eh, self-help really isn’t my thing, but my mom has been reading a book called Quiet Your Mind: An Easy-To-Use Guide to Stop Chronic Worry and Negative Thoughts and Start Living a Calmer Life by John Selby. My mom has been dealing with clinical anxiety and panic disorders for years now, along with borderline compulsive behavior, and she says this…[Read more]
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In terms of Being More Zen, I really liked Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig. It’s a memoir and a philosophical novel, and the author seeks the nature of truth especially as it relates to writing, as he takes a 17-day trip from MN to CA on his motorcycle.
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I’ve heard good things about this!
I don’t know if this is quite what you are looking for.. but I am currently reading Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self by Andoea Judith and like it so far!
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Hey everyone. Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely check out those books- knew I could count on AS for a few ideas. Honestly, I think what I’m looking for is some kind of made up, really extended version of the No Fucks to Give/How to Deal with Non-Traditional Life Courses posts. Katrina should write this book and I will buy it
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Raksha posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoToday I read The Golden Ball and Other Stories by Agatha Christie (279 pages).
I really don’t like Christie’s short storries. The elements I dislike about her writing in longer books aren’t so bad. Like, in ‘The Clocks’ that stupid subplot about Colin Lamb “falling in love” and proposing to a woman he admits several times…[Read more]
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clea joined the group
The Great Library of Autostraddle 12 years, 2 months ago -
clea joined the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months ago -
jessica posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoI had to read Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (JK Rowling, 759 pages) again, because I went to the last movie and was all like “What? I don’t remember that!”. I feel like I read it way to fast the first time, this time around I definitely enjoyed it more. And I may have teared up at the last chapter, even though I was…[Read more]
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bunbury joined the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months ago -
Chloe posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoI have, after a long emotional read, completed Possession by A. S. Byatt (555 pages). It’s about people who study Victorian poets (which is great because I like history/literature/academia), and the love letters they discover were written, and a race to find out what happened. I started out LOVING it, then I kept getting mad at it because it…[Read more]
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Katelyn posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months agoI finished this a little while ago, but this summer I read Sue Hubbell’s “A Book of Bees” (177 pgs). It was given to me by a professor as a graduation gift in May and I absolutely loved it.
I’m a beekeeper on an organic farm and Hubbell’s book is definitely among the best honey bee books that I’ve read. She writes about maintaining 300+ colonies…[Read more]
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dutchdyke posted an update in the group
Autostraddle Summer Book Club 2011 12 years, 2 months ago@internrachel @julia1
I finished Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, 415 pages. I had been meaning to read it for ages, really glad I finally got to it. It reminded me much of Kafka and Orwell (one of my favorite writers) and also of the craziness of war as depicted in Slaughterhouse Five, and yeah it was a great read.
Should I read Closing Time?-
I really like Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse 5. I don’t think Closing Time is meant to be all that great, but Something Happened is meant to be very good and some people think it’s even better than Catch 22. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jul/19/famous-wrong-book-vonnegut-waugh-ishiguro
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Thanks, adding that to my wish list :)
I have Sirens of Titan (Vonnegut) here, haven’t read it yet.
I’m trying to find a balance between reading as many ‘important’ writers as possible, and reading more from the ones I really liked, not just the classics..
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Catch-22 is one of my absolute favorite books of all time. Weirdly enough, I still haven’t read Something Happened, but it’s definitely on my list.
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Yeah I loved Catch-22. Other favorites include Homage to Catalonia (Orwell), For whom the bell tolls (Hemingway) and Slaughterhouse-five (Vonnegut). There seems to be a theme here.. Although my all-time absolute favorite is On the road (Kerouac). Oh I love that book so much.
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