Reading stories from this for a book discussion, but I'm reading all of it, which I've been meaning to do forever.

Basically, slice of life stories told or observed by the narrator (a landowner) when he's travelling around the countryside hunting. Beautiful descriptions of nature, vivid characters. My favorite so far is Bezhin Lay, which has several misdirections and a group of boys telling the Russian equivalent of ghost stories over a fireplace.

Reread this for a discussion. Still love it, although it was different in some respects than remembered.

Continued: The next part was on the books themselves, and the author managed to lose me some (I agree with her that the books are not nearly as bad as some would have it, but we don't seem to have the same taste at all). The next part, on the problems with the format of the club or some such look to potentially lose me even more (honestly, at a certain point I think she's drawing conclusions from this that it just doesn't support).

However, I guess I'll see.

This was written by a friend of a friend, which is how I heard of it, and, hey, it's about the Oprah book club, so how could it not be amusing? Or so I thought, when dealing with the embarassment (a little, I admit it) of buying it. And it went right into the Franzen thing and had some good things to say about it, even.

I'm listening to this as part of the experiment (part 2) in whether audio-books can work for me.

For the discussion at BookBalloon. Another reread, but of a book I love, so any excuse is a good one.

I was somewhat disappointed in this. I've liked the author in the past, and the plot sounded like it had potential, but it was more boring than a quick fun read (which I think was all it was aiming for).

Reread this for a book club discussion (this weekend). I've read it a few times, but will note if anything comes up at the discussion.

Someone posted a review of this at readerville, and partially because I've been trying to read more contemporary poetry lately, it looked interesting. I've only read the first chapter so far.

Madden is an author I'd read before and liked, but not really thought much about. I just happened on this book recently and decided to read it. It deals with a couple of Irish artists and a man who happens into the life of one of them. But then there are sections telling the past history of the characters too, and various reflections on art. I found it a slow but pleasant read.

Reading this in the Middle English version for my book club. I haven't bothered with Middle English since college, so was pleased to find it more approachable than I feared. In comparing it to some of my translations, I do think reading it this way is worth doing, although I'll report back as the reading continues.

Typical Dick Francis, even if written with his son rather than his wife. I enjoyed it for the same reasons I've enjoyed other Dick Francis novels, plus the plot involves a viola player, food, and the American midwest, so it was especially tailored to me.

Book club read.

(I don't recall exactly when I read it. I think it might have been the first book I finished in '09.)

I liked this book enough to finish it, but it didn't really live up to the premise.

The first collection of Hornby's Believer columns.

Fun collection of Hornby's Believer columns -- books he read in a month, books he bought in the month, and his reaction and way he got from one to another. Should appeal to many readervillians, for obvious reasons.

Like the other two, really fun. Too bad it is the last, at least unless Hornby goes back to his Believer column.

Reading these in conjunction with the O'Neill Festival at the Goodman.

Read this in advance of seeing the play.