Emily T’s last login was 2 days ago. « hide recent activity
Emily T rated The Wild Things (Hardcover) 2 days ago.
Emily T finished reading The Wild Things (Hardcover) 2 days ago.
Emily T finished reading A Tale of Two Cities 10 days ago.
Emily T rated A Tale of Two Cities 10 days ago.
Emily T is planning to read The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century.
Emily T added A Tale of Two Cities.
Emily T has read The Elegance of the Hedgehog.
Emily T rated The Elegance of the Hedgehog 1 month ago.
Emily T reviewed Willful Blindness: Memoir of the Jihad 2 months ago.
“ Who can possibly know every facet of the story, but I was riveted by Federal Prosecutor McCarthy's account of his experiences... ”
Emily T has read Willful Blindness: Memoir of the Jihad.
Emily T’s last login was 2 days ago. show recent activity »
Hi there! Hope you had a fabulous Holiday. Mine was a bit scaled back. I had surgery at the beginning of the month. I'm much better now but was still recovering. We had the famlly here and I did get to cook. I love cooking. My oldest daughter and her husband were in for four days. That was a lot of fun. So, what did you think of A Tale of Two Cities? I've never read it. Take care.
I read it aa long tome ago and loved it. I was telling a friend about it and realized it wasn;t on my shelf. What did you think of the Elegance of the Hedgehog?
Just dropped by to say hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Take care.
It appears a good Madison book is hard to come by. I administer the Chronological Read of American history group. Members nominate books and then we vote on which one to read. There was a lot of discussion about the lack of a book on Madison that received good reviews. We probably ended up with the best one out there. I gave it a three. It doesn't cover Madison's personal life (his relationship with Dolley is barely mentioned) and even his presidency lacks detail with the exception of the War of 1812. Rakove does, however, do a good job of showing how he formed his political philosophy and why there seems to be inconsistencies in his early writings and his later beliefs. What are you currently reading?
OK. I know you said you aren't a history buff, but I FINALLY finished Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. It is by far the best biography of the early American figures I have read to date. It is not only a comprehensive look at Hamilton's life, but provides a good understanding of the development of American capitalism. I have moved on to The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh. Beautiful read thus far set in Burma.
So, tell me about the Benjamin Franklin book. I'm SLOWLY working my way through Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton. It is a FASCINATING read. Such a complex man and probably the most powerful founding father that didn't become president. The only problem is there is so much detail that it is taking me a while to read and digest. I'm learning lots though, particularly about the establishment of our financial system and the beginning of political parties. Highly recommend it if you are interested in early American History
Sorry for the delayed response. I went out of town for the long weekend.I thought The Lovely Bones was a solid read. I thought Sebold was creative in the voice she used for the protagonist and that probably bumped it up a notch or two for me. I didn't have a problem with the opening chapter, which is what I see most people focus on in the negative comments. You had to go there to connect with Susie. My issue was with the ending. It felt like Sebold felt she needed to hurry up and finish the book. It just felt so thrown together and disjointed. All in all, I'm glad I read it.On another note: I just finihsed Molokai by Alan Brennert. Excellent read! I'm moving onto Thomas Jefferson by RB Bernstein. What are you reading?
Hi Emily, I have asked Darra if she would lead the group again. I'll wait for her response and then perhaps we can select a book. I'll let you know ASASP. All the best, Silvana
Hi Emily, I'll let you know, Silvana
Hi Emily, Welcome and thank you for joining our Bibliophile Club Group. We hope that you will find our discussions interesting and stimulating. You may want to participate in our discussions or start a new one of your choice. Darra, one of our co-admins is leading The Book of Month group. The book selected for August is Edith Wharton's `Age of Innocence' .you may want to join us for our next book of the month in September. Next month book has not been announced yet. Please feel free to ask me or my co - admin any questions you have re: your new group. Have a nice day and enjoy your reading, Silvana
Hi Emily,
Willful Blindness: Memoir of the Jehid sounds great. I need to make it Plan to Read. Am reading a light book now - At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon. I have heard about it but never read it. It is a delightful, folksy book. Benny Franklin's bio sounds good, too.
I saw the trailer for Lovely Bones and was intrigued. I was thinking about reading but in one of my discussion groups there is a thread "Worst Books Ever". Lovely Bones is getting listed my many. I see you rated it high. Do you know why it would generate such adverse reactions? What did you enjoy about it. I'm really thinking about reading it. Having the story told from the dead girl's perspective seems fascinating. Thanks!
I'm going to be interested in your thoughts on Willful Blindness and Moment of Truth. I'll be watching. I plan to read Potato Peel Pie Society as well but need to give WWII a break for awhile. I can get so wrapped up in that subject. I don't know if you like museums but I saw a fascinating exhibit at the Houston Holocaust Museum recently. It is a photography exhibit entitled, "Muslims Who Saved Jews During the Holocaust." It focuses on the ancient Albanian tradition of Besa, which means "keep the promise". Once the promise is given it must be kept no matter the consequence even as one father advised his son "if a knock on the door come (Nazi) take responsibility". The Albanian government refused to cooperate with Nazis and would not turn over names of Jewish families. The Prime Minister sent an edict "Jewish children will sleep with you children, eat your food, and be your family." Although the majority of Albania is Muslim, Albania is the only European country that had more Jews after war than they did before. It was truly a fascinating exhibit. I want to eventually find a book on that topic.
Interesting views on JA. I read this as a result of my Chronological Read of American History group. JA has had a presence in the first three reads. My respect for him has grown with each read. Prior to this exercise I knew much more about Abigail than I did about him. I have always LOVED her. I always wonder what she would have done were she here today.You do see the huge ego and vanity that plagues Adams. However, I really respect his ability to put differences aside and really feel an affinity towards those with differing views. Of course, that sometimes hurts him in that he thinks his "friends" view him in the same manner. He seems to have a core set of philosophical values that he was determined to adhere to even if it hurt him politically (which I admire immensely). He also seems to have an incredible ability to see how events will play out and what consequences will follow actions. I loved the way McCullough wrote about the reconcilliation and deaths of Jefferson. That is such a great story anyway, but DM really shows his talent during this period. My only criticism of the book was the McCullough didn't go into details about some of the poor decisions Adams made such as The Aliens and Sedition Act. When I read these biographies I really want to know the totality of the man. This was rushed so forgive any bad grammar or punctuation :) Running to a meeting. BTWRegina L saysInteresting views on JA. I read this as a result of my Chronological Read of American History group. JA has had a presence in the first three reads. My respect for him has grown with each read. Prior to this exercise I knew much more about Abigail than I did about him. I have always LOVED her. I always wonder what she would have done were she here today.You do see the huge ego and vanity that plagues Adams. However, I really respect his ability to put differences aside and really feel an affinity towards those with differing views. Of course, that sometimes hurts him in that he thinks his "friends" view him in the same manner. He seems to have a core set of philosophical values that he was determined to adhere to even if it hurt him politically (which I admire immensely). He also seems to have an incredible ability to see how events will play out and what consequences will follow actions. I loved the way McCullough wrote about the reconcilliation and deaths of Jefferson. That is such a great story anyway, but DM really shows his talent during this period. My only criticism of the book was the McCullough didn't go into details about some of the poor decisions Adams made such as The Aliens and Sedition Act. When I read these biographies I really want to know the totality of the man. This was rushed so forgive any bad grammar or punctuation :) Running to a meeting. BTW: I really enjoy our chats. Thanks!
Just dropped in to say hi! Well I loved John Adams. McCullough is such a wonderful writer! I'm interested to know what you think of White Tiger.
I wouldn't call that cheating. You will have to tell me how you enjoyed it. If you read the book let me know if it is different. I keep hearing people say watch and read. I'm excited about the book. I'm interested to know if my respect continues to grow or will it dampen once reading a book dedicated completely to him?TBR: It is amazing....I read one and the list grows by three...how will I ever clear the list?
I just posted by review of Unaccustomed Earth. I enjoyed this one much more than Namesake. Many of the themes are universal but Lahiri shows the complexity two generations of Indian immigrants face when dealing with these instances. It is one I would recommend.
Read both Disgrace and Looking for the Barbarians and while I admire Coatzee, his control of tone and vision, I find his work humorless and painful to read. Not a ringing endorsement!
That is funny because I've not run across anyone else who has read it. It coincides nicely with the chronological read I'm doing on American presidents. Unfortuantely I haven't had much time to read this week. I'm hoping to really delve into it this weekend. You know I've never read anything else by Wilde.....I don't know why, especially since I too enjoyed his style as much as the story......What are you reading next?
