Chicks On Lit discussion

Are there women over 50 here (or nearing 50)? What are you reading? What are you finding absorbs you and makes you ignore the world?

Right now I'm reading two spiritual growth type books. One is called Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser. It's a reread but it's one of those books you can learn something new from each time you read it. The other is a Buddhist book and is very hard for me to grasp. Every once in a while though, I will totally connect with one of the concepts and it fills me with joy. So right now, that's what I'm reading. Before that I was reading a couple of history books and before that some "green living" type books. I go through phases with all of them, depending on what my "needs" are at the time. I of course also love Novels, but for now they're on the nightstand waiting til I'm in the mood.

I'm 58.. I'm reading many novels, but I find myself being absorbed by novels where people need to overcome obstacles within themselves in order to resolve or come to terms with the obstacles surrounding their physical life. For example, I started The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and finished it today. It's an amazing tale about a high functioning autistic savant whose parents are behaving foolishly. Christopher is the narrator and his problems with living are astronomically complicated, but his parents are also suffering through difficulties which while not on the same scale as their son are also complicated. All three have to struggle with their own natures to actually solve anything, and the learning to quell their inner voices for better functioning does not mean they get want they wanted. It's a compromise with Reality, and Reality imposes the final terms and boundaries of their hopes. I would not have understood these books this way ten years ago.

I have Curious Incident on my never-ending wish list. I'm glad to hear more of it.

I'm reading The Blackwater Lightship, which appears to be a generational novel that takes place in Ireland. There is a lot of emotional baggage between the generations, and, as I'm not quite halfway through, I don't know whether or how it might be resolved.

Elizabeth, This is a very nice idea to see what "the mature set" is reading :)

Right now I have the following going:
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration. It is well written and interesting, but for me I can only read it in somewhat short spurts.
Pigeon English, a book that is on the Mann Booker short list. Only just started and it seems sort of school boy cutsie right now.
The Scarlet Pimpernel, a goodie that is good from page 1.
and
A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I am not enjoying as much as I thought I would. Could it be the extra teeny print I wonder?
Next up will be:
Exit the Actress, The Woman in White, and....perhaps Jamrach's Menagerie.

Marialyce, you found more Man Booker titles interesting than I did this time around. I usually drift toward the same sort of reads as do win that award - have even set up a shelf for them.

Exit the Actress looks intersting - is that Priya, our club member who is the author? Let us know what you think.

Marialyce wrote: "Elizabeth, This is a very nice idea to see what "the mature set" is reading :)..."

I love this group and don't want to try to find another as my main group. I knew there were some of us here that might have been more of the strong silent type than I am. ;-)

I forgot about a book I just finished that I've decided to keep because it's historical and also because it had a HUGE impact on the way I'm seeing this recession. It's called "The Worst Hard Time" and it's about people who lived through/during the Great American Dust Bowl which also coincided with The Great Depression. Talk about a hard life! I don't know how any one survived it. I know we are having a really bad time of it now, but if you read this--our troubles seem to be solvable. Theirs were insurmountable and I didn't realize that a great deal of that land still isn't useable for growing anything. It's one of those books you can only read portions of at a time because it's so overwhelming. But it's a very pertinent story and I think it should be required reading in high schools.

I find myself reading more non-fiction than I used to. Perhaps more serious topics? I have been reading Krista Tippet's Speaking of Faith. So much of what I have been loading on my Kindle have been books about spirituality, memoir/biography or history. I am also getting easily side tracked looking up events and people connected to what I'm reading. Teri - The Worst Hard Time has been on my shelves and getting closer to picking it up. I'm glad you mentioned that you could only take so much at a time. My tastes have definitely changed with age.

Coincidentally, Elizabeth, I just started a book you recommended a long time ago...Eugenie de Grandet. I need a quiet place to focus on it which hasn't happened yet so I'm not yet sure how I feel about it.

Marlis wrote: "Coincidentally, Elizabeth, I just started a book you recommended a long time ago...Eugenie de Grandet. I need a quiet place to focus on it which hasn't happened yet so I'm not yet sure how I feel ..."

I can only hope you like it nearly as much as I did.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Marialyce, you found more Man Booker titles interesting than I did this time around. I usually drift toward the same sort of reads as do win that award - have even set up a shelf for them.

Exit th..."

Maryalice, no, that's another Priya. My book is Middle Time which was released in India and on the net in bookshops like amazon , but is also a historical. I've been meaning to read that one too [ Exit the Actress].

Marialyce wrote: "Elizabeth, This is a very nice idea to see what "the mature set" is reading :)

Right now I have the following going:
[book:The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration|817..."
I mean to read Pigeon English and Prayer for Owen Meany. I haven't read Wolf hall, yet. I've always loved the Scarlet Pimpernel, especially where he has that disagreement with his wife. I read Woman in White many years ago and remember being quite excited, despite its fairly slow pace. Should read it again, as research for my next book.

April wrote: "I'm 58.. I'm reading many novels, but I find myself being absorbed by novels where people need to overcome obstacles within themselves in order to resolve or come to terms with the obstacles surrou..."

I have always loved that book, right from the time I read it when it first came out.

Priya wrote: "Marialyce wrote: "Elizabeth, This is a very nice idea to see what "the mature set" is reading :)

Right now I have the following going:
[book:The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's G..."

Pryia, I gave up on Pigeon English, which is something I rarely do. I read 150 pages decided this was a book that perhaps teenage boys would like (certainly the language seemed to be all the four letter word kids of the age relish using). I finished The Scarlet Pimpernel which was wonderful and have started both Uncle Silas and Jamrech's Menagerie. I am finding a need for the classics. Hope to finish The Warmth of Other Suns today.

I think as I get older, what I look for most in a book is that it be a bit more thought-provoking. I'm less interested in plot, more interested in characterization. I don't remember always being that way, and I don't remember at all when the transition began.

I've a tween and a ya but I'm afraid I still read my kids books, non-fiction, fiction and even romance novels-I never growed :(

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I think as I get older, what I look for most in a book is that it be a bit more thought-provoking. I'm less interested in plot, more interested in characterization. I don't remember always being th..."


That's how I feel to Elizabeth. The kind of book that feeds my soul or intellect. A book doesn't have to be serious to feed my soul either--I love books that make me laugh-out-loud. Course my husband always looks over at me and says "What?" When I try and explain it to him it loses something in the translation. :)

When I was young, I recall enjoying mysteries and coming of age novels. I loved a story that I could get lost in as I eagerly turned pages to see what happened.

I then went through a period when I rarely read fiction. It was as if I thought that fiction had nothing to teach me and I had so much to learn.

I am back to reading mostly fiction. I now know that fiction can teach a great deal. But, rather than looking for absorbing reads, I tend to like books that have me putting down the book saying "hmmmm" as thoughts float through my head. I also like older characters. And, I have no tollerance for fluff and implasibility.

I am definitely over 50 and I've got to say that I read a little of everything. Mostly fiction and tend toward historical fiction. One of my biggest beefs is that I can't read as much as I used to in younger years. I was always able to read while watching tv -- only during commercials or bad shows! Now with the number of channels on cable I channel surf during the slow bits. If I have a book with me (and when don't I have a book near by?) I rarely pick it up. Most of the reading I do is on weekends & at night, every night before bedtime. Usually half an hour but towards the end of the book, I'll end up staying up til I'm finished.

As to what I'm reading and have enjoyed most this year:
The Invisible Bridge

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Lord Perfect

Right now I'm reading The Enchanted April

and on the Kindle: Bleak House. I'm taking forever to get through the Dickens book. I comfort myself that it IS a large book!

I just made a deal with myself not to buy as many (notice I didn't say anymore) books as I have been buying. I want to get my to be read bookshelf to a manageable level in case we decide to move. I keep the books that are special to me on a different set of bookshelves but my to be read shelf is packed. With that being said, I picked Dancing for Degas off my shelf and am starting it today. I feel so virtuous! I also laugh at myself and wonder how long this resolution will last!

Good luck! I keep saying I have to read five books and pass them on before I can get another one...unfortunately the books I've been reading lately are keepers so that isn't helping my enormous book piles to go down. Sigh.

Terri wrote: "Good luck! I keep saying I have to read five books and pass them on before I can get another one...unfortunately the books I've been reading lately are keepers so that isn't helping my enormous bo..."

It's also easy to say things when I know I have three books ordered and on their way to me in the mail!

I'm really trying to read the books on my shelf. But it seems that "trying" is a bit different than "doing." And I'm in a terrible quandry. The annual library book sale is this coming weekend. I haven't managed to read all that I bought last year, having bought a Kindle in February and loaded it up. And I have 6 credits at paperback, and ...

Sigh

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I'm really trying to read the books on my shelf. But it seems that "trying" is a bit different than "doing." And I'm in a terrible quandry. The annual library book sale is this coming weekend. I ha..."

elizabeth, library book sales don't count because it's for a good cause!

Rosemary wrote: "Terri wrote: "Good luck! I keep saying I have to read five books and pass them on before I can get another one...unfortunately the books I've been reading lately are keepers so that isn't helping ..."

Tell me about it...I have 18 credits on Paperback Swap and am about to get two more. Sounds good right? I should be way ahead of the game? Uhm...no because I have about 200 on my wish list and there's always something getting mailed to me. Ha!

Rosemary wrote: "elizabeth, library book sales don't count because it's for a good cause! "

Thank you! I'd just about decided to go anyway, and this tips the balance! (I'd started a list, trying to help myself keep my head.)

In keeping with the original question - what are we reading, those of us who know what an iron is and have used one!

I have scheduled for myself in the next couple of months, other than group reads:

As I Lay Dying
The Night Country : A Novel (should be a good Halloween read)
The Lottery and Other Stories
The Riddle of the Sands
The Jungle
The Good Soldier

We'll see if I get to them; I've already had to cut out some I'd hoped to get to.

I just finished The Time Machine and Jamrach's Menagerie. Both were good solid reads and I am heavily into The Woman in White and Exit the Actress. These two so far are wonderful and exciting to read.

Marialyce wrote: "I just finished The Time Machine and Jamrach's Menagerie. Both were good solid reads and I am heavily into The Woman in White and [book:Exit the Actress|8582..."

How was Jamrach's Menagerie?

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Marialyce wrote: "I just finished The Time Machine and Jamrach's Menagerie. Both were good solid reads and I am heavily into The Woman in White and [book:Exi..."

I thought it was a very fine book. It reminded me of the writing of so many authors. It had touches of Dickens and Melville but with a very distinctive style and a visceral sense of things belonging to the sea. It even made me queezy to read the parts where she wrote of sea sickness. All in all, it was a worthwhile read. It was deep and moving and in a way a kind of explanation of why men go to sea.

I have tons of books to start and I'm trying to narrow it down to one spiritual, one historic and one novel. The spiritual and historic are easy to pick, the novel, not so much.

My 53rd birthday is rolling around and it will be my first one without my mother-in-law. So I am trying to pick something uplifting but deep. I have Little Bee, Cutting for Stone, Saving Ceecee Honeycut, The Blessings of the Animals and The Book of Lost Things just to name a few that are waiting on my shelves.

Has anyone read any of these? If so, would you recommend one in particular? Or any other novel that springs to mind?

Thanks!

Saving CeeCee honeycut would be my first choice. I loved that book. Sorry for your loss, Terri, it's hard the first year.

Terri, I have read Little Bee and Cutting For Stone. I really enjoyed Cutting for Stone, beautiful writing and unique setting. I really disliked Little Bee. The characters were not plausible for me, not in their reactions or voice or movement through the plot. This is one of those books that I would have thrown had I not read it as part of a group discussion because it came across as so far fetched. But, I have seen many people comment very favorably about it, so you may enjoy it. Little Bee is a quick read where as Cutting For Stone is much longer.

Terri, I too loved Cutting for Stone. Irene and I had a buddy read on this - it's a very interesting book with much food for thought. I see you have A Tree Grows in Brooklyn on your 2011 TBR shelf. I think this would also be a good one for your birthday read. Not because it's about a birthday, though.

I'm finishing up Slow Burn by Julie Garwood. I am loving this series and can't wait to read the rest!!

Thanks ladies! I appreciate the feedback. So that gives me three good books to pick up--CeeCee Honeycut, Cutting for Stone and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I forgot all about ATGIB being in my "stash". That's a short little read.

Rosemary: Thanks. The first year is turning out to be quite hard. Especially with the upcoming Holidays. She loved cooking for everyone, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She was a treasure. Now how many daughter-in-laws can say that about their MIL?

Terri wrote: "Thanks ladies! I appreciate the feedback. So that gives me three good books to pick up--CeeCee Honeycut, Cutting for Stone and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I forgot all about ATGIB being in my "sta..."

I can, too, aren't we blessed? My mother-in-law is a gem, we couldn't be more different but she loves me and I know it.

Rosemary: Lucky you! And yes, I've always felt blessed to have such great in-laws. When we were going over my MIL's memorial service with the minister, he commented on what a gift it was to see a DIL be so affected by her MIL's passing. She and I were a lot alike except I hate cooking! Dang! I used to love it before I had kids. They kind of zapped the chef-in-me. I've got to channel that from her and get it back. Ha!

Terri wrote: "Thanks ladies! I appreciate the feedback. So that gives me three good books to pick up--CeeCee Honeycut, Cutting for Stone and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I forgot all about ATGIB being in my "sta..."

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is my favorite book ever!

Elizabeth - thanks for starting this thread.

I'm soon to be 57, and finding that my reading is getting more diverse. I'm reading classics, books on leadership, modern books, and more non-fiction. I've also replaced listening to NPR with audiobooks during my commute. I am reading more than ever, and find my TBR list is increasing at a horrifying pace - go figure.

I am pickier with my reading. It's rare I go for light and fluffy, unless I need a break.

Some books that have "stayed" with me this year were - Their Eyes Were Watching God (could also have been the fabulous narrative by Ruby Dee), The Wapshot Chronicle, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, A Tale of Two Cities.

Terri - I'm sorry for your loss. The first year definitely the worse. CeeCee is light, and I also read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn recently and loved it. I liked Little Bee but some of the images were violent and difficult.

I picked up Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress yesterday when my husband and I were at Costco. Has anyone read it?

Elizabeth: Thanks. I read On The Corner of Bitter and Sweet and loved it. I had never read a book before from the Japanese American's perspective during that time period. I was devastated to read how they were rounded up and shipped out, it sounded very similar to the rounding up of Jews in Europe (without all the horror of death camps and abuse). It made me very sad to think that happened in our country. It was a beautiful story.

Another vote for ATGIB - Yay!

If you liked Hotel, you might like Snow Falling on Cedars. Another set in the Pacific Northwest, but I felt this was a more realistic story set in the same time period.

Becky, Their Eyes were Watching God and The Wapshot Chronicle are both on my wish list. Your comment about the narrative brings up another question:

Do many of you use audio books regularly? I tried them years ago, but not lately. However, when I hear of one with a "fabulous" narrator, I become slightly curious.

I'll be 50 in a few months, so I think that's close enough to count! I finished reading an excellent literary mystery recently called . This was an excellent mystery and a moving story about a brilliant surgeon who has been devastated by Alzheimer's and truly can't remember whether she murdered her best friend.

In nonfiction, I just picked up . It claims to be full of good advice on coping with menopause from Chinese medical traditions.

I also love audiobooks. They're great to keep me company while out walking. I really enjoyed . It's a collection of tales about what the afterlife might be like, and the audiobook is read by some great narrators like Stephen Fry, Jack Davenport and Noel Fielding.

Terri wrote: "Elizabeth: Thanks. I read On The Corner of Bitter and Sweet and loved it. I had never read a book before from the Japanese American's perspective during that time period. I was devastated to re..."

Sorry...that note should have been addressed to Becky.

Lynn wrote: "I'll be 50 in a few months, so I think that's close enough to count! I finished reading an excellent literary mystery recently called . This was an excellent mystery..."

I just picked up a copy of Turn of Mind yesterday at the library book sale. My MIL also wants to read it, so it will get a workout!

Rosemary wrote: "I picked up Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstressyesterday when my husband and I were at Costco. Has anyone read it?"

Rosemary, I can't wait to hear what you think of this book. I've had it for several years, keep picking it up to try occasionally, but I've just not been able to get into it. Maybe hearing about your reading experience will be enough to launch me into it!

Rosemary and Diana - Loved that little book! Its been quite a while, but I remember being both amused and moved.

Elizabeth - back to the audio books. I tried a few years ago and it just didn't work for me. I kept realizing I hadn't paid attention and had to go back. But about 2 years ago, I joined audible, and I'm really loving it. I listened to Anna Karenina, Gone With the Wind recently and really enjoyed. I also am just now wrapping up Middlemarch and really enjoying that.

A lot of them are books that have been on my classics list, and its really fun. I also have been reading lots of non-fiction and history this way, and enjoying it too.