ŷ������

Use this thread to share and discuss the books you are currently reading.

I've just started The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. I loved her book, The Secret Life of Bees and her new book, The Invention of Wings, is the next Oprah's Book Club read. I haven't read enough to say much yet, but so far it's an easy read.

Angie wrote: "I've just started The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. I loved her book, The Secret Life of Bees and her new book, The Invention of Wings, is t..."

Every time I went to my Amazon account last week I saw this book popping upp The Invention of Wings

It seems it's the latest by Sue Monk Kidd. I've not managed to lay my hands on a copy of the Secret Life of Bees yet, but the way my reserves are rolling in, it could be anytime! lol

I have 3 going at the moment. Genghis: Bones of the Hills I am switching between audiobook and paperback. I listened to the previous 2 books in the series, and this one has a different narrator who pronounces some of the names differently, which is driving me nuts. I'm also halfway through A Discovery of Witches which I'm enjoying well enough so far, and have not long started Last Chance to See: In the Footsteps of Douglas Adams.

I really enjoyed A Discovery of Witches. I kept on putting off starting it, but read it pretty quickly in the end. Must read the second one before I forget the storyline.

I have just started reading Jasper Jones by Australian author Craig Silvey. So far I'm really liking it! Very easy to read and well-written. Descriptions are clear and clever. So far I'd recommend it. And it seems to have good reviews so I'm sure it's still uphill from here :)

Erica wrote: "I have just started reading Jasper Jones by Australian author Craig Silvey. So far I'm really liking it! Very easy to read and well-written. Descriptions are clear and clever. So far..."

I rated that one really highly. An impressive read. Enjoy!

I'm about to begin Life After Life.

I'm reading The Winter of our discontent and The Luminaries. So far the stories are engaging and I like the writing style of both authors. John Steinbeck is definitely a favorite author of mine and Eleanor Catton might be one day too.

I'm currently reading "ink" by Amanda Sun which is really really interesting to learn about Japanese culture with the teenage girl viewpoint :)

I am about 100 pages into The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert. She wrote Eat, Pray, Love. TSoAT is a novel and it is absolutely terrific. Friends who have read it tell me that it just gets better... Already highly recommended.

I'm reading a novel set in Japan which is a country I seem to neglect reading-wise...for unknown reasons. It's called Out by Natsuo Kirino. It definitely keeps you hooked in.

About to begin What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman. I enjoyed her book, The Plum Tree, so am looking forward to this one.

I just started Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch last night. It's not my usual sort of book, so I'm going to give it 68 pages (100-32(my age)=68) and then decide. I have heard so many brilliant things about this book, so I'm willing to try it.

It's good to try new things Angie so I hope you're rewarded with an interesting read :) I'm reading Lolita and Little Exiles, and so far enjoying them both.

I am about to read 'When We Wake' by Karen Healey. I already have the second book in the series , so cross fingers it's good. Also have Mortal Fire , by Elizabeth Knox, sitting and waiting. I find her uneven. Sometimes I love what she writes and others -not so much, so will be interested to see...

Megan wrote: "I am about to read 'When We Wake'by Karen Healey. I already have the second book in the series , so cross fingers it's good. Also ..."

I just finished "When We Wake" and I liked it enough that I want to read the next one! So hopefully you will too.

I am currently read an eARC via Bookvetter. It's called "Scotland's Guardian" and it's not bad at all. Light Celtic fantasy for ages 10-14 at a guess.

Just started 'The Sunday Philosophy Club' as a comfort read.

I've just started Caleb's Crossing which I've had on my tbr shelf for a while now. So far I'm enjoying it.

I'm doing a re-read of Nalini Singh's Visions of Heat to remind me of where I left off years ago to continue this series. I'd forgotten just how good a writer she is. Great to be reading another Kiwi book again. Its been a while.

Doing research reading. Nehru's 'Discovery of India' and 'Nenthorn: gold and the gullible'.

I've just started reading Insurgent which is the second book in the Divergent trilogy

C wrote: "I've just started reading Insurgent which is the second book in the Divergent trilogy "

Yay! You made it! Welcome to our cool wee group, Casey. I'm waiting on that one from the library. Currently 26th in line!

I started reading The Snow Child this weekend and am almost done! It's really good.

Hello, back again after a bit of chaos.
Yep, research for the novel I'm writing. And there are some great diaries by English women in the Raj you all might enjoy.

When I get my head back in the 21stC I'll list some for you.

I've just started C.K. Stead's book My Name is Judas. I'm finding it really interesting so far and I like his style of writing.

Sorry on my phone so can't edit last comment. Book is actually My Name was Judas

'The Silversmith's Wife' I have to review. Promising so far.

That would've been fun Kathleen! I've almost finished the book and I've put several others by Stead on my tbr list :)

Was seduced away to some comfort reading and roared with laughter all through Pratchett's 'Wee Free Men'.

He does write great YA and give the reader some good things to think about.

I have been struggling with 'The Totem Hole' by Kiwi author Paul Shannon. His 1st novel 'Davey Darling' was short listed in the Commonwealth writers' best 1st novel section of their competition so Penguin snaffled him. He's going to be a great NZ novelist obviously.

I have given up trying to read such a depressing and miserable story. Threw the book out.

I know you are all going to scream in horror and tell me I'm a bad Kiwi not to support our writers but
BUT
BUT...
please why do we have to have this...rubbish...?

'Set in the raw hinterlands of Wanganui and the corrupted paradise of the Pacific...'
AND
rich and powerful...explores finding honour while navigating the complex ways of love...'

I am sick and tired of this stupid belief that to have NZ literature taken seriously we must present a 'deep dark underbelly' of nastiness.

The main characters in the novel -two dull young men - have wasted their lives. (my opinion). They work on the family farm and their recreation is then drinking themselves senseless and trying all sorts of drugs at the weekends. They never have the gumption to take up or seek out opportunities which life always offers.

Boring, dull and joyless characters with no redeeming features. Even their thoughts are spiteful, mean and petty. The mother moaning about her husband now afflicted badly by a stroke does not care about him. It's all self, self and spites.

The book could have been lightened with humour but oh no! We must make the great Kiwi statements which are deep and meaningful nothings.

The morning of the wedding the two brothers are duck shooting and Jesse pots an albatross. This is meant to be very symbolic and meaningful as we get the bird's thoughts every so often. Where is the honour? And where is the love? Lust, yes but not love. Aaron’s claim to love is really lust.

Dour, bleak, grim and so typical of so much of the NZ literature which is published and vaunted as a great Kiwi read.

Frankly I avoid NZ literary novels. I have found so many of them depressing and all to this pattern of 'deep, dark and nasty'. The characters are never more than whining, hopeless people, who live nasty little lives wasting all their opportunities and taking the easy road without making a serious decision or attempting to control what happens.

When a novel is without any hope readers are not going to enjoy it or want to read more.

Pdr, how can you possibly damn all New Zealand authors because of one crummy book? Extraordinary

I'm with you Pdr, and the overseas perception of NZ lit is that it is depressing and gloomy (this from my UK friends and family). There is a place for literature that explores that horrible dark underbelly of NZ, goodness knows we need to try and understand it better. But what we need is balance - publishers and reviewers need to stop focusing on the worthy at the expense of the entertaining - we need to keep people reading, not put them off! Same applies to children's/YA, let's give kids an entertaining read, it doesn't always have to help them understand where they fit in.

Hi I'm new to this group.

Inspired to join, as at the moment I'm reading The Luminaries. I'm enjoying so far.

I've also got Koestler's biography of Georgette Heyer on the go & Heyer's The Nonesuch.

But I'm already in the Heyer group on GR - I've joined here mainly to talk about NZ books.

Jane, would you like the long list of short stories and novels by Kiwi writers published under the literary banner which I have struggled to read.

Yes, we now have some Kiwi genre writers doing interesting things, but a lot of what goes out as literary NZ fiction has this 'deep dark underbelly of NZ' rubbish kind of theme.

I work in the town library once a week. I am often asked about books to read. I suggest the reader tries an NZ book and often I get the negative reaction of "NZ books are dull...boring and 'without a decent story.'"

Yes, it is a generalisation but, for example, I live in Owen Marshall's stomping ground, yet I cannot get people to read his stories. I think Owen has produced some gems but a lot are flat, plotless and without an emotional touch which readers like and enjoy.

I am also one of the few who will stand up and say that 'The Luminaries' is a great feat of writing but empty for a reader.

How many people actually finished 'The Bone People'?
Literary writing is held up as the creme de la creme of writing but it has to include more than a depressing theme and dull characters. A little passion and a touch of humanity in the characters would do a great deal for NZ literary writing.

Been a while, but I read & enjoyed (if that's the right word) The Bone People.

I may be starting to agree with PDR about The Luminaries. I'm still not feeling very attached to any of the characters. I'm just at page 180, but today it is starting to feel like a bit of a slog.

Literary in other countries can mean humour and passion. Why do the NZ literarti insist on this bleak stuff? Post-modern has been over elsewhere (thank God) for a decade!

Loved Georgette Heyer myself but hate what happened to her created genre of Regency once she died and the rabble got hold of the genre.

I've pretty much always been disappointed by Austen/Heyer imitators.

Yes, fan fiction at its worst. That's the polite view - the cynic in me thinks that writers with little skill know that jumping onto a popular, long dead author and copying their work will sell!

Have you seen Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?

The best Jane Austen rework (it's not that but I can't come up with a better description) is Longbourn. It's a rewrite of Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of the servants. The author focuses on the servants' lives, but they naturally intersect with the Bennett family, so anyone familiar with PnP will recognise some scenes. The author also provides a terrific back story for Mr Bennett and goes some way to explain why Mrs Bennett suffers from "nerves". I think the author is Jo Field. It's one of my best books of this year... Read it in my book group and loved it so much, I bought my own copy.

Jane wrote: "The best Jane Austen rework (it's not that but I can't come up with a better description) is Longbourn. It's a rewrite of Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of the servants. The author focu..."

I had that on my to read list, but took it off after reading some negative reviews. I'll put it back on & see if my local library has a copy.

pdr I've heard of P &P & zombies, but I'm not big on zombies, vampires or the paranormal.

Negative reviews, really? I've only seen positive reviews and everyone in my book group really enjoyed it. I've read other PnP sequels/ripoffs: this is definitely superior

Jane wrote: "Negative reviews, really? I've only seen positive reviews and everyone in my book group really enjoyed it. I've read other PnP sequels/ripoffs: this is definitely superior"

From memory, the negative reviews were the GR ones!

& as I'm taking a break from The Luminaries, the NZ book I'm reading is Quake Dogs. Beautiful pictures & moving reading about the rescue dogs. What's interesting is how a couple of the dogs seemed fine after the quakes, but then developed conditions that were almost certainly stress related.

I've just finished the final book in The Midwife Series Farewell to the East End by Jennifer Worth. I have really enjoyed the three books and am looking forward to sitting down and watching the BBC tv series soon. It just amazes me how people lived back in those days in the poor area of East London.
I'm about to pick up The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I agree with Jane's description of Longbourn. The author isn't trying to imitate Austen but using the PnP setting and characters to tell a parallel story. She does it very we'll too.

So it's not fanfiction? More like Rosencrantz and Guilderstern are Dead?

The author is Jo Baker. Personally, I'm very careful with GR reviews... Unless they've given ratings similar to mine on other books, it feels too random to take their word for it. Longbourn appears to polarise GR readers, I'll give you that. But don't take my word for it! Give it a go, and as you plan to get it from the library, it won't cost you anything.

Jane wrote: Longbourn appears to polarise GR readers, I'll give you that. But don't take my word for it! Give it a go, and as you plan to get it from the library, it won't cost you anything."

I live in the TCDC - they charge $2 for new fiction books. I'm actually going to query why they are charging for The Luminaries when it was published in 2013.

When I began reviewing fiction for the NZ Listener, I decided I needed more criteria to judge by than just my personal taste. In John Updike's rules for reviewers he says (I'm summarising here): Understand what the writer was aiming to achieve with the book, and if you feel he or she fell short, explain why, give good reasons. In really simplistic terms, literary fiction emphasises theme, style and form, whereas commercial fiction emphasises narrative drive, plot and character development. Literary writers will experiment with language, the structure of the novel, the exploration of thematic elements, etc, which puts demands on the reader - the 'mechanics', the 'workings' are an integral part of the reading experience and require concentration and analysis. Reading literary fiction is a more conscious experience - you know you're doing it - whereas with good commercial fiction, the reader should be carried along, fully immersed in the story and characters. Some literary writers experiment more than others and are much more demanding to read as a result: James Joyce, David Foster Wallace, Will Self and Eleanor Catton fall into that category. Others, like Donna Tartt, have the ability to more seamlessly combine literary and commercial styles. So what I'm saying is: when it comes to literary fiction, whether or not you 'like' a novel is only one criterion for judging it - you can also be considering what the writer was aiming to do, did they pull it off and if not, why not? I'm definitely NOT saying that you should persist with books you truly despise, but I do believe that you can have richer reading experience if you make the effort to move beyond personal taste. I highly recommend How to Read Literature by Terry Eagleton, and Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose (yes, that's her real name :) I learned heaps from both and I am a much better reader and reviewer as a result. (By the way, I don't agree that all NZ literature is bleak. Some, yes. All, no.)