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Books on the Nightstand, Episode 42 (17:59)
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If last week’s podcast was about literary confessions, this week’s is about true confessions: I only read one book for the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge. I finished Moby Dick last week. Damn, that book nearly sent me down with the Pequod. I’m glad that I read it, and I know I wouldn’t have picked it up if it hadn’t been for the reading challenge. I guess that’s the whole point! Tanya posted on our Goodreads group that she read 4 books for the challenge. Way to go, Tanya! You can read her mini-reviews toward the bottom of this discussion thread.
Ann admits to not even cracking open War and Peace (not that she ever promised to…), and to only making it 8 segments into the DailyLit version of The Moonstone. However, she swears 2010 will be a War and Peace year! How did all of you do on the challenge? Leave your comments here, on our voicemail line or on Goodreads or Facebook. We’d love to know!
Mark Bertils, one of the earliest BOTNS fans and supporters sent us an audio message posing an interesting question: What do you recommend to someone who only reads one book a year – someone who likely hasn’t read a book since the last one you recommended to them? Ann and I broke our recommendations up into three categories: Literary Fiction (Bridge of Sighs, The Road, Any Human Heart), Fiction (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) and Non-Fiction (The Devil in the White City, anything by Jon Krakauer or Bill Bryson, The Lost City of Z, Born to Run). Mark was also kind enough to also send us an answer to his own question and he recommends The Black Swan, a book about dealing with the unpredictable events in life.
In a nice bit of serendipity, Ann and I both chose books about writers for the last segment’s Two Books We Can’t Wait to Read. They’re also both second books by authors whose first books we loved. Ann recommends Beg, Borrow, Steal, Michael Greenberg’s memoir about being a writer in New York, trying to make ends meet. I’m currently reading The Cry of the Sloth, by Sam Savage, an epistolary novel about Andrew Whittaker, put-upon literary journal editor, landlord and aspiring novelist.
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These all sound amazing. I am not much into literary fiction, since my interest falls into speculative fiction, but I always look for good books despite genre and these recommendations are fantastic. Too bad I live so far away from a decent library.
Wow. We’re in almost complete agreement on these books! All terrific. I would add to literary fiction for one-book reader The Highest Tide, by Jim Lynch. It’s a winner. Also — maybe not for one-bookers but for fans of The Devil in the White City, I’d recommend The Devil’s Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age, by Gary Pomerantz — intertwined telling of bridge (the game) and a murder.
Outliers, Gladwell. everyone must read it, double if they have kids or ever were one.
Wow. Great choices — I’m not sure what I would suggest. I love The Terror by Dan Simmons but the length may scare nonreaders. For those who like true crime, however, I would suggest The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago by Simon Baatz.
I had given potato peel to my Mom in print and finally ordered it for myself in audio. I also ordered girl with the dragon tatoo. Great pod cast and an interesting topic.
Carla
I’m just catching up on my podcasts, loved this one! Ann you made me giggle about not finishing.
Micheal well done on finishing Moby Dick.
I have to confess I failed too but I have the excuse that I had a baby in June so I think I did well to even read a book right?
Yes, Alexa… that is a VERY valid excuse… congratulations!
Our second bundle of joy arrives in two weeks, so I’m a little worried about my reading schedule!!
I tackled the audio book of Moby Dick earlier this year – what a challenge. I loved the beginning but then the rest … not so much.
As for a book to recommend, I’d go with The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I’ve been recommending it to everyone for years and I’ve yet to find someone who didn’t like it! If my friend had already read that one then I’d also recommend the Guernsey book. I loved it and my 86 yr old Gram is reading it now and loving it (she lived in England during WWII), plus it was a great hit with my book club.