ILoveLA – Tears ran down my face continuously through the last third of the book, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way!
Shout out to SDonCC
** Coincidentally, I recently read Stephen King’s memoir about writing, which I think is called “On Writing.” It was fabulous!! The first half is memoir relating to how he became a writer – he is funny and down-to-earth. His humor reminded me of one of my all time favorite books – “The Life and Times of the THunderbold Kid” by Bill Bryson.**
Finished 11-22-63 for the upcoming CC book discussion starting Feb 1st ( you avid readers can knock off this 849 page book by then)
And, saw your post SDonCC about Stephen King’s book “On Writing”- reading that one now. When you compared it to Bill Bryson’s- ** The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid**’ - you had me hooked.
What was the Stephen King novel & movie that was about a writer who has a car accident and is sort of kidnapped by a fan who is “taking care” of him but she’s completely loony? Kathy Bates played the woman in the movie.
mommusic: The movie was “Misery”.
With Kathy Bates, a favorite of mine.
This is a weird coincidence…just read The Battle of the Crater, which featured a (real) character named Garland White. The next book I picked up, The Actor Who Jumped off the Screen, had a US president named…Garland White. How strange is that? 
I would recommend the former book but not the latter. In fact, I cared so little that I didn’t finish the book. I’ve been to the site of the Battle of the Crater many times, and it was neat to imagine the landscape as the drama unfolded.
The Actor Who Jumped off the Screen was unbelievable, in the worst sense of the word. Main character in a horrible accident and the doctors put him back together so he looked BETTER than before, with movie-actor potential? What is this, a Marvel Comic?
“Rules of Civility” by Amor Towles. I loved, loved, loved this book. I’m going to read it again immediately. It’s a debut novel (and wow, this guy can write) about a remarkable young woman, born without a silver spoon but with exceptional smarts and pluck, in 1938 Manhattan, and how she navigates her way to success. Wonderfully in period, terrifically drawn characters, and the writing is a delight. Please read it.
“Not far enough into it to recommend or not but far enough to ask:
Has anyone read Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey?
Really, really unlike anything I’ve ever read … though I admit I don’t usually read fantasy.”
@ignatius have you finished this book yet, I think this is one of the best books I have every ready, a great book with all the elements for a great story! I’d love to hear what you think of it as I read this years ago and still think of this when people ask about good books to read.
NJTheatreMom I loved that book and the sequel. DH just read the Stephen King but I’m not sure I’m up for that many pages right now. My book club just read an older book, The Grand Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio. It was very light reading but I enjoyed it.
Aha, ebeeeee, thanks. I didn’t know there was a sequel to “The Crimson Petal and the White!” Now I see that there is, and that it’s called “The Apple.” Hooray!!
Really want to read The Fault in our Stars.
Just finished The Magic Mountain and it was magnificent. The translation I used was by John Woods.
These are not in my ‘best books’ category but having read them both in the past couple of weeks, I’m glad that I did. Both were given to me as gifts.
The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys. This is a beautiful, small book about the 40 times that the Thames has frozen. It is written as small chapters, more like vignettes about the effects of the ice on different people, with an abundance of period detail that was so fascinating. A very interesting read.
Then Again by Diane Keaton. This was not the typical autobiography. It’s a particularly moving memoir about her life and her mother’s, and their relationship. It includes a lot of her mother’s journal entries (she kept 85 journals through her lifetime). An interesting look at the life of a talented, quirky woman who had her dream of being a movie star come true but who truly had little interest in being a part of that Hollywood scene.
Alwaysamom, I think that “interesting books I’ve read recently” is valuable information too.
My son is currently doing a semester abroad in Italy (studying commedia dell’arte and physical theatre near Arezzo, in Tuscany), and in connection with that, I read “The Dark Heart of Italy” by Tobias Jones, and “Italian Neighbors” by Tim Parks. Just finished the latter last night.
Both are written by guys from the UK who lived in Italy for years, are fluent in the language, and have Italian significant others. Both of them examine aspects of Italian society that might seem somewhat bizarre to outsiders, but both also express great affection for the country and its people.
On my “to read” shelf is “Tilt: A Skewed History of the Tower of Pisa,” by Nicholas Shrady.
Thanks, njtheatremom. I think so, too. 
This thread has provided me with hours of reading enjoyment of books I probably would never have found otherwise.
I hope your son’s time in Italy goes well. What a wonderful opportunity! A friend of my actor D did a semester in Tuscany as well, many years ago.
Yea! A response! Yes, I finished. I had little time to read due to other commitments, so worked my way slowly through the book. I am so glad I read the book slowly because it allowed me time to savor the plot twists and turns and the multitude of characters. I literally hated putting the book down and would catch myself at odd times during the day trying to puzzle out what would happen next. Looks like I’m going to be spending some time in this fantasy world. Kushiel’s Dart is the first of nine books now in the Kushiel’s Legacy series - most with strong reviews, I think. Regardless, I’m hooked at the moment: Kushiel’s Chosen up next.
I do want to attach a warning label of sorts. So … Kirkus gave Kushiel’s Dart a starred review but finished with a cautionary note:
Lol… that is such a true caveat for those novels! But I have been reading them for years (since the first one came out), and really like them a lot.
A word of warning, I did NOT like her fantasy novels outside the Kushiel and Naamah series (at least, I found the Sundering series pretty much unreadable).
I just finished “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”, by Muriel Barbery. I loved it, but must say… this is the second book I have read in a few months where the author gets you to the point where you adore a character, then kills them near the end of the book (don’t think I am giving much away, as there are a few very likable characters in the book). I HATE that.
Also just re-read “The Hot Zone”, by Richard Preston. It still scares the bejeebers out of me, but is a fascinating (true) book about an Ebola scare in the US. Just don’t read at bedtime…
^^^
Thanks for the input re the Kushiel’s Legacy series. (Yea!) Good to know that you like the other books in the series. No worries about me dipping into Carey’s other fantasy novels. I’ve got eight more books to read in this series. If they’re as lengthy and intricately detailed as Kushiel’s Dart, well, I have plenty to keep me entertained.
Re The Elegance of the Hedgehog: I thought you might be interested in glancing over the CC Book Club discussion of it.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/921062-elegance-hedgehog-june-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/921062-elegance-hedgehog-june-cc-book-club-selection.html</a>
Thanks, ignatius! I thought it had been a CC book club item in the past, but hadn’t read the thread.
As an aside, I see a mention in the Hedgehog thread to this book:
“Dreamers of the Day” by Mary Doria Russell
Has anyone read this book, and was it good? Her book “The Sparrow” is one of the most amazing books I have ever read (Jesuits in space – who knew??). Just curious if this one is worth picking up as well.
^^^
Reviews of Dreamers of the Day:
[Book</a> Reviews - Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell](<a href=“http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/dreamers_of_the_day/]Book”>http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/dreamers_of_the_day/)
<em>I didn’t read Dreamers of the Day but it was an early CC Book Club choice. Here’s the thread but you may need to approach it with caution in case of spoilers.</em>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/739173-dreamers-day-july-cc-summer-book-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/739173-dreamers-day-july-cc-summer-book-selection.html</a>
Russell’s latest book Doc has good reviews also.
Intparent- I remember Dreamers of the Day as very enjoyable (and, educational) book- highly recommend.