STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Sunshinegirl · Kate Spade

RE: Book poll

halleybird · Hermes

let me know how you liked 1,000 SS! One of the best I've read in a long time.

lynnie · Chanel

gah! I just finished reading Rebecca (as recommended to me) and i LOVED it. I read half of the book in the past 12 hours. It was written beautifully AND impossible to put down. I want to read Jane Eyre now too. Any other recommendations in this genre? I think I like these type of novels more than I realized.

Other books:
I read half of The unbearable lightness of being, liked it, but had to return it to the library. I think I'll check it out again to finish it.
I think the next book I"m going to start is Don Dellilo's White Noise. I'm about 100 pages into Moby Dick and think it is genius, but it is impossible for me to read quickly. I think its one of the more challenging books I've ever read. So I"ve set it aside for the time being.
ETA
I've also since read The Bell Jar (I really recommend it if you like The Catcher in the Rye) and The Myth of me and you (found in this thread- I liked it too, easy to read and relate to).

-- Edited by lynnie at 12:44, 2007-11-10

cc · Marc Jacobs

Just finished - The City of Falling Angels (gossipy, nonfiction book about Venice) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. JK Rowling's writing bothered me a LOT less than it usually does. I don't know if I'm just used to it or getting soft or if she improved.

Currently reading - The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco. I started reading this in Italy and was tearing through it but I've stalled a quarter of the way through it.

Next up - Either the Fagles translation of The Iliad or Jane Eyre. But I should maybe try to read my boyfriend's new book:
51AXAntCgXL._AA240_.jpg

Looks riveting!

lynnie - I recently decided that I might be into Gothic fiction. In h.s. we read Wuthering Heights, which I keep thinking about rereading, and my teacher tried to make me read Jane Eyre, which I refused to do because I thought she had me pegged all wrong. So after Jane Eyre maybe try WH. Possibly also The Turn of the Screw.

-- Edited by cc at 12:11, 2007-11-10

NCshopper · Hermes

Glad to see this thread was resurrected! I love seeing what people are reading. Here's what I've recently read:

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany (Vintage)

<--Really, really good insight into the professional cooking world.

The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones

<--Not Bourdain's best, but still good

<--Freaking hillarious. I was that girl in the airport reading and laughing out loud.

<--Really interesting look at what would happen to the planet if the human race just vanished tomorrow. I'm not done with it yet, but I like that (so far) being "green" hasn't been shoved down my throat. It does make me think twice about what I buy and its environmental impact, but it's well-balanced with a lot of historical, geographical, and anthropological facts.

halleybird · Hermes

lynnie wrote:

gah! I just finished reading Rebecca (as recommended to me) and i LOVED it. I read half of the book in the past 12 hours. It was written beautifully AND impossible to put down. I want to read Jane Eyre now too. Any other recommendations in this genre? I think I like these type of novels more than I realized.

I love Gothic Literature, esp. the female Gothic genre. I can give you tons of recs! I am taking a GL class right now, and I just finished Rebecca for the 2nd time. The book is great fun! Some to get you started:

-Jane Eyre! Rebecca was written as a sort of reinterpretation, so start there.

-The Woman in White. Long, but very interesting.
-The 13th Tale. Modern reinterpretation of Rebecca/JE/WIW.

Oh, and I agree with cc's suggestion of Wuthering Heights, if you haven't read that recently.

Supposedly, there is a sequel (not Du Maurier's) to Rebecca called Mrs. de Winter. Some people in my class have read it-- they said it isn't highbrow lit, but a fun read anyway. I will probably pick it up eventually.

LMK if you want more ideas. I am probably going to do my MA project in Gothic lit.

What I've read recently (all for class):
<--reading now, but I have read it before.

Also read since October (all re-reads too):

and these for the first time:

When I finally get to read for fun again, I am going to start this series, so I can see what has completely enthralled my students:

-- Edited by halleybird at 14:10, 2007-11-10

Elle · Hermes

I can't wait to read this, NCShopper:
51w%2B0RlecZL._AA240_.jpg

Glad to here it's a good one! I

SC!

Recent reads:

51BMTY45eSL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

So insightful and thoughtfully written.

5107ZDY0REL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

The guy that wrote this is a great investor. Unfortunately, not a great writer!

Next up, because my husband is almost finished with it and is insisting:

51JQFY2NNFL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

OMG, NCShopper. I have such a crush on Anthony Bourdain...

I'm reading various items from the books I already own. We finally unpacked them from when we moved over a year ago!

Discovering your Personality Type - Don Riso (enneagram)
Birthdays (astrology)

relrel · Marc Jacobs

pollyjean23 wrote:

OMG, NCShopper. I have such a crush on Anthony Bourdain...

Nyah, nyah...I'm going to see Bourdain speak in early December! I can't wait.

I'm currently beginning a new fantasy fiction series:
Stephen R. Donaldson, Thomas Covenant series. It was actually began about twenty years ago and has gone through two complete trilogies and is now on the third trilogy. I'm really excited for a nice long series of books to follow.

I've also got two non-fictions waiting for me:

Gynecologists Catherine and Reg Hamlin left Australia in 1959 on a short contract to establish a midwifery school in Ethiopia. Over 40 years later, Catherine is still there, running one of the most outstanding medical programs in the world. Through this work thousands of women have been able to resume a normal existence after living as outcasts.Obstructed labor-frequently lasting five days or longer-resulted in the death of a vast number of babies and caused incontinence in the mothers, who then became outcasts and beggars. In this chronicle of her work in Ethiopia, Hamlin tells of how she and Reg perfected the technique of surgically repairing this damage, operating on more than 25,000 women, most of whom were then able to lead normal lives.

Ann Fessler brings out into the open for the first time the astonishing untold history of the million and a half women who surrendered children for adoption due to enormous family and social pressure in the decades before Roe v. Wade.

NCshopper · Hermes

relrel wrote:

pollyjean23 wrote:

OMG, NCShopper. I have such a crush on Anthony Bourdain...

Nyah, nyah...I'm going to see Bourdain speak in early December! I can't wait.

I'm jealous!!! I think he's great. Although Nasty Bits wasn't his best--it was a compilation of short pieces that he'd written and I found that, while I normally love his snarkiness, the book had too much of it and not enough of the other great parts of his writing. I grew tired of it before I finished it. But Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour remain some of my favorite books ever. And if you both like Bourdain, you'll like Heat.

blubirde · Chanel

Would I completely lose an lit cred I have by admitting I've been seriously considering tracking down some Sweet Valley High books to re-read? Perhaps even SVU? I want to read the one where Jessica has sex for the first time. I'm appropriately shamed.

For all you gothic lovers, Jane Austen wrote Northanger Abbey as her homage to gothic novels. It was published after they went out of favor, so it was never very highly regarded but it's an interesting read in comparison to some of the other more famous gothic lit women (especially for you HB if you're considering a MA in the subject).

halleybird · Hermes

blubirde wrote:

Would I completely lose an lit cred I have by admitting I've been seriously considering tracking down some Sweet Valley High books to re-read? Perhaps even SVU? I want to read the one where Jessica has sex for the first time. I'm appropriately shamed.

For all you gothic lovers, Jane Austen wrote Northanger Abbey as her homage to gothic novels. It was published after they went out of favor, so it was never very highly regarded but it's an interesting read in comparison to some of the other more famous gothic lit women (especially for you HB if you're considering a MA in the subject).

LOL @ SVHigh. I had ALL the SV Twins books.

Blubirde, great minds! smile

I have Northanger Abbey and Villette downloaded onto my blackberry -- as soon as I finish the semester, I am reading those too!

Kelly · Hermes

blubirde wrote:

Would I completely lose an lit cred I have by admitting I've been seriously considering tracking down some Sweet Valley High books to re-read? Perhaps even SVU? I want to read the one where Jessica has sex for the first time. I'm appropriately shamed.

Let's make a pact. You won't be ashamed of that if I won't be ashamed that I'm in the middle of the "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe" - that's right, all 4/5 of the Hitchhiker books in one huge book that everyone thinks is a bible because it has gold-edged pages.

Miss Mabel · Kenneth Cole

I last read:

Wodehouse's Right Ho Jeeves

I am reading:

Clarissa (unabridged) and A Writer's Coach: An Editor's Guide to Words that Work

When I finally finish Clarissa (it's 1400 pages and I'm only 400 in), I plan to pick up Nick Hornby's new novel, Slam. He's one of the few living writers I count amongst my favorites, and I went to one of his readings of this new one and of course love the concept. He has such a talent for tackling fresh subjects.

Re: I Capture the Castle: I agree it's worth reading, but I wouldn't expect a truly satisfying historic novel/romance. I actually found it a little disappointing. It's a library check out, IMO. (Or heck, I'll mail you my copy!

)

blubirde · Chanel

Miss Mabel wrote:

I last read:

Wodehouse's Right Ho Jeeves

I am reading:

Clarissa (unabridged) and A Writer's Coach: An Editor's Guide to Words that Work

When I finally finish Clarissa (it's 1400 pages and I'm only 400 in), I plan to pick up Nick Hornby's new novel, Slam. He's one of the few living writers I count amongst my favorites, and I went to one of his readings of this new one and of course love the concept. He has such a talent for tackling fresh subjects.

Re: I Capture the Castle: I agree it's worth reading, but I wouldn't expect a truly satisfying historic novel/romance. I actually found it a little disappointing. It's a library check out, IMO. (Or heck, I'll mail you my copy! )

Oh how I love Wodehouse! I laugh out loud everytime I read one of his novels. I think it's a specialized taste, though, don't you? A lot of people think it's too silly or too slow. But I don't. I think they're hilarious and smart and they remind me of an Altman movie, a funny Altman movie.

ttara123 - I'm a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book on tape kinda gal. Never leave for a long road trip without 'em.

Miss Mabel · Kenneth Cole

blubirde wrote:

Miss Mabel wrote:

Oh how I love Wodehouse! I laugh out loud everytime I read one of his novels. I think it's a specialized taste, though, don't you? A lot of people think it's too silly or too slow. But I don't. I think they're hilarious and smart and they remind me of an Altman movie, a funny Altman movie.

>

I do, I do! I have to be in the right frame of mind, but you're right - the repetition of the same hysterical problems is really like an Altman movie. I never made that connection at all. Plus, I just love the lingo and the "britishness." Too fun.

P.S. I'm sorry I missed you a few months ago when you were in town visiting Jeff.

blubirde · Chanel

Miss Mabel wrote:

blubirde wrote:

Miss Mabel wrote:

Oh how I love Wodehouse! I laugh out loud everytime I read one of his novels. I think it's a specialized taste, though, don't you? A lot of people think it's too silly or too slow. But I don't. I think they're hilarious and smart and they remind me of an Altman movie, a funny Altman movie.

>

I do, I do! I have to be in the right frame of mind, but you're right - the repetition of the same hysterical problems is really like an Altman movie. I never made that connection at all. Plus, I just love the lingo and the "britishness." Too fun.

P.S. I'm sorry I missed you a few months ago when you were in town visiting Jeff.

No prob. We were constantly busy although there was not nearly enough shopping for my taste. I did get to go to Nest and the Jonathon Adler store, so I was pretty happy. He has a gf now, can you believe it? He's such a douchebag. (In a good way.)

Metric · Gucci

My bf loves Hemmingway so I am trying to get through A Moveable Feast. I'm having a hard time with it, I find it a little slow.

Next up I am going to read John Grisham's Playing for Pizza. I need some brain candy after Hemmingway.

-- Edited by Metric at 14:15, 2007-11-21

Farrah · Marc Jacobs

Hooray for reading for fun again!!
Seeing as how I am now in grad school full time and working full time, there is no reading for pleasure. Other than the countless education texts I have read over the past two and a half months I have read Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (both in untranslated Middle English, GAH!!).

While I am on Winter Break I plan to read:

A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

I have a really interesting reading list for my Modern American Novel class next quarter so I am actually looking forward to some school work biggrin

.