Arrwa reads for fun

Hello

I consider myself a new reader even though i'm 33 years old. I've always read books: in grade-school cause you have to, in university cause i'm there to learn, but very rarely just for fun.

So here I am, armed with a shelf full of books i havn't read, nearly done my Master's degree, and I can't wait to jump into these worlds and experience all that is in them.

I'm not setting any particular goals (I hope that's ok), but would love to chat about the books i'm reading, and hear from anyone else who's read the books i'm reading, or any suggestions for other books.

I think the avid reader topic is wonderful and hope to be able to post responses to the questions often.

Books read this year:
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
Love, and the Art of War by Dinah Lee Kung
The Complete Sherlock Holmes vol. 2 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Leaving Ardglass by William King
How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired by Dany Laferriere

The book i'm reading right now is Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. I think it is important to read the classics in order to know how writing has evolved. The book is only 172 pages but i'm finding it very difficult.

It is interesting to read the reviews on LT as people seem to really love it or hate it. I figure that's a good indicator it's a good book. I will wait until i'm finished for a final thought about it, but so far, I think I like it.

Welcome and happy reading :)

Welcome! I can relate to your background - unlike some of my friends (and now my own children) who've been reading for enjoyment their whole life, I didn't get very serious about it until I was done with college. It was very slow going at first, but well worth it. I also prefer classics and have barely scratched the surface.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Hi, arrwa! I read Mrs. Dalloway a few years ago, and enjoyed it, although it can be quite difficult reading at times.

Finished Mrs. Dalloway. I found this book enjoyable to read. I don't think I"ll review it in the traditional sense since it has been done time and time again.

I enjoyed this book because of the way in which the story was told. The interactions of the characters between each other and in their lives lent perspective into Clarissa's world even when they weren't interacting with her.

The part of the book that I thought about the most was the character of Septimus. Their paths cross a few times in the book but yet they never really meet. (although i'm tempted to go back and re-read it to make sure i didn't miss something). Underneath it all Clarissa lives a similarly unhappy and shell-shocked life to Septimus. He really acts as a mirror to Clarissa except in the end when they each choose a different path.

It took me a while to find the cadence in her choppy/run-on style of writing. But once I did I found it quite easy and comfortable to read. I will certainly try reading more Woolf.

As for Mrs. Dalloway I would have to give it 4/5 stars.

Last night I started reading The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. I started this book a while ago and for some reason ground to a stop and shelved it. I read Heart of Darkness in school and really enjoyed it, which is rare for me to enjoy a book forced to read in school. So I'll try again, and hope for more luck this time.

Welcome arrwa, Yes it is good to read the classics, I also have got many to catch up on. I have Mrs Dalloway on my to read pile this year and I will be reading it along with The Hours by Michael Cunningham which is a homage to Virginia Woolf and Mrs Dalloway

I somehow have never gotten around to reading any Virginia Woolf yet but plan to do it sometime this year. Was Mrs. Dalloway your first book by Woolf? Do you think it would be a good intro to her work?

@japaul yes it was my first of her work. And because it was my first i'm not sure if it was the best choice. The back of the book mentions that it is her fourth book, "and marked an important stage in her development as a writer". In my uneducated opinion I think it is as good a place as any to start.

Well I just wasted a month of my life trying to read The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. This is the second time that I started it, and got almost 3/4 of the way through but I'm giving up. Honestly I just don't care what happens. I really enjoyed Heart of Darkness which made me so disappointed in Conrad for taking a topic that over one hundred years later is still relevant and make it so boring and void of feeling. And I'm a little disappointed in myself for not persevering, but it just ain't gonna happen this time. I gave it two honest tries.

Reading disappointing books is not a waste of time. It helps to appreciate other books more.

Thanks edwinbcn. It's true. Now that a few days have gone by, I am glad that I gave it a try.

monanikhil - Wow. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.

I picked No Logo off my shelf, i've been wanting to read it since it came out in 2000, and am now just getting around to it.

I just finished my thesis and treated myself to a kobo touch. I downloaded a few free classics and started with Dracula, which is so far a page turner.

16 - Congrats!

I finished Dracula and really loved it. Although after all the build up it was quite an anti-climatic ending. Dracula didn't even get a fight.

I have also finished Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel. This was a wonderful book. Very well written with a story that continued to grow the whole way through.

In case anyone hasn't read it:

The story is about three characters who's life has been drastically affected by Lilia. Lilia was abducted by her father when she was 7, and he stole across the border to the US, and they spent her childhood always travelling. Finally her father found a place to settle, but for Lilia it was not comforting, she needed to travel. She ends up in New York where she meets Eli. Eli, like many people, loves Lilia. The private investigator hired by Lilia's mother to bring her home also feels a sense of love for her. And, the daughter of the private investigator who's life was destroyed by Lilia's abduction in many respects hates Lilia, but holds her captive for fear of being alone.

... believe it or not, I havn't given anything away.. If you like stories about people and their lives you will enjoy this book.

Hi arrwa - just now stopping by for the first time and noticing your first post - which I can relate to quite closely. I was in a very similar place not too long ago. Enjoyed reading through your thread.

Just finished Love and the Art of War by Dinah Lee Kung. This was a little gem of a novel. I won this book from the member giveaway program. Here's the scoop:

Jane, a librarian with her marriage on the rocks, decides to take a class to help fix her situation. Instead, she by mistake ends up sitting in a class about Sun Zu's The Art of War. At the break, she approaches her teacher to admit the mistake and switch classes but he end up convincing her that he can help her marriage with Sun Zu's 36 stratagems.

Dinah Lee Kung takes the reader along with Jane on her journey to repair her marriage and learn how best to fight your enemy without direct attack. Jane learns a lot about the other people in her life and her class, but mostly about herself.

I loved this book because the character of Jane is so richly developed that I feel like I know her. She is well spoken, well read, and quirky in all the ways a librarian should be. I also enjoyed how Kung did not shy away from incorporating the political current affairs of this age.

Sounds fun, making a mental note of this one.

Just finished the second volume of the Complete Sherlock Holmes. I very much enjoy these stories, however, I found it tedious to read from cover to cover.

I've begun reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It's been on my shelf for almost exactly a year. After reading Les Miserable and The Count of Monte Cristo, I took a break from big books, but now I think i"m ready.

Just found your thread. I loved Les Miserables when I read it years ago & finished Dracula recently. Dracula was a great read but I found the ending a bit of a disappointment too.

Finished Leaving Ardglass by William King. A book seemingly not read by many on Library Thing. I found this book to relatively well written but a little uninteresting and predictable with a few sections that stood out. Mainly the book is about the Galvin brothers from Ireland. One of them made his fortune in construction in England, while the other one ended up joining the priesthood. They deal with the struggles of politics, relationships, and family. I only gave this book 2.5 stars.

Finished How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired by Dany Laferriere.

About the Black and White dichotomy... I guess... about the difference between black men and white women... maybe?

I wasn't really enjoying this book until the last 20 pages. I felt like if this had come at the beginning I would have been in a better frame of mind. I understand his point - and I'm always interested in esoteric points of view. Maybe I need to read it again.