What Are We Currently Reading?

[Danny Franks]

Started on The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'm only thirty pages in, but it's quite interesting so far. And as someone usually loath to read translated fiction (a bad experience with the utterly cold and detached Alexander series by Manfredi), I've not picked up on any issues with the flow and rhythm of the prose.

[Haleth]

I've been reading a whole lot of nonfiction recently.  If you've never read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, do so.  It sheds a whole new light on the recent uproar over Planned Parenthood selling organs.  Clinics/hospitals/labs selling tissue has been going on forever.  As soon as it leaves your body, it's not yours anymore.  It's in the fine print of all those documents you have to sign when you check in.

 

Anyway, right now I'm in the middle of Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan which is about the thousands of woman brought to Tennessee to work at a facility built to enrich uranium for the Manhattan Project.  They were largely young (18-24), high school educated, and right off the farm.  They had no clue what they were working on, but were trained to watch dials and inspect equipment and do jobs that would typically go to the men off fighting the war.  The funny thing is that this demographic was thought to be best for doing the job without question.  They were admonished to neither speak nor think about what was transpiring at the facility, security was a priority.  Interspersed with this story are anecdotes about women physicists and engineers who were key to the lead up to the Project, yet were ignored because of their sex.  It's a fascinating look through the eyes of the actual women, interviewed decades after the fact.   

Edited August 1, 2015 by Haleth

[alias1]

Haleth, thanks for the recommendation on Girls of Atomic city.  I live about 20 miles from Oak Ridge, TN.   I'm not originally from this area but am fascinated by what I know of it's involvement in WW2.  I put the book on hold through my e-library.  I had not heard of it before.   

[GaT]

I've been reading a whole lot of nonfiction recently.  If you've never read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, do so.  It sheds a whole new light on the recent uproar over Planned Parenthood selling organs.  Clinics/hospitals/labs selling tissue has been going on forever.  As soon as it leaves your body, it's not yours anymore.  It's in the fine print of all those documents you have to sign when you check in.

 

I read this book a while ago, & enjoyed it book much more than I thought I would, it's not something I would normally read, but I found it very interesting.

 

Right now I'm reading Nightlife by Rob Thurman, it's the first book in the Cal Leandros series. Something unexpected happens, so I'm enjoying it. I have the next two books in the series & hopefully they'll be good enough for me to continue on with the rest of the series. I've lost count how many series I have started the past few months & found them to be a chore to get through the books I had. I can't even remember the names of them to warn people away from them. I just want a bunch of good books to read.

[Crs97]

I've been reading a whole lot of nonfiction recently. If you've never read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, do so. It sheds a whole new light on the recent uproar over Planned Parenthood selling organs. Clinics/hospitals/labs selling tissue has been going on forever. As soon as it leaves your body, it's not yours anymore. It's in the fine print of all those documents you have to sign when you check in.

I read this book a while ago, & enjoyed it book much more than I thought I would, it's not something I would normally read, but I found it very interesting.

Our book club read it last year (maybe two), and we all were really moved by it. I remember thinking I will never again complain about all the HIPPA notices I get from doctors. Her family's and her story broke my heart.

If you are looking for a quick summer read, Tasha Alexander has a Lady Emily mystery series. They are fun and easy and typically clever. I just finished the most recent one, which was a tad disappointing, but I can still recommend it and look forward to the next one. Start at the beginning (And Only to Deceive). Historical suspense genre.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Crs97

[EighteenTwelve]

I was working for a medical school when I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  I got to the part about how in the 1960s there was all this extra research money and not so many ethical restrictions, and snorted coffee out my nose.  Today the situation is exactly opposite: there's very little research money and MANY ethical restrictions.

[BatmanBeatles]

When I read about the cancer treatments Henrietta got back in the 50's I kept crossing my legs.

[AuntiePam]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K7CA6UA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o03_

 

Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield, 99 cents on Kindle.  Set in 1920, the "lady" lives in Devonshire, England.  She's a wife, mother, and writer -- magazine articles and at least one novel.  It's a fun read, but her social life is exhausting.  Maybe it was expected at that time, but she's constantly being wrangled to speak, perform, to be a hostess for people she barely knows.  And the drop-ins!  People constantly "calling", and she has to drop whatever she's doing to serve tea, or set another place for dinner. 

 

It's almost 100 years ago but feels contemporary.  Delafield has a lot of wit, but I keep wanting to shake her.  "Say NO once in awhile!"

[Lovecat]

I've been reading a whole lot of nonfiction recently.  If you've never read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, do so.  It sheds a whole new light on the recent uproar over Planned Parenthood selling organs.  Clinics/hospitals/labs selling tissue has been going on forever.  As soon as it leaves your body, it's not yours anymore.  It's in the fine print of all those documents you have to sign when you check in.

 

Anyway, right now I'm in the middle of Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan which is about the thousands of woman brought to Tennessee to work at a facility built to enrich uranium for the Manhattan Project.  They were largely young (18-24), high school educated, and right off the farm.  They had no clue what they were working on, but were trained to watch dials and inspect equipment and do jobs that would typically go to the men off fighting the war.  The funny thing is that this demographic was thought to be best for doing the job without question.  They were admonished to neither speak nor think about what was transpiring at the facility, security was a priority.  Interspersed with this story are anecdotes about women physicists and engineers who were key to the lead up to the Project, yet were ignored because of their sex.  It's a fascinating look through the eyes of the actual women, interviewed decades after the fact.   

I'm a B.S. in a book club full of B.A.s, but every now and then I succeed in getting them to read a science-y book.  We've read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Poisoner's Handbook, and And The Band Played On.  I'll have to start lobbying for Girls of Atomic City!  They let me win about once a year, and it's been a year since our last one, so I'm due... :)  Thanks for the rec!

[OakGoblinFly]

Even though its been sitting in my Kindle for over six months, I finally started reading The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey;  now that I started it I wondered why it took me so long to start.  It's terrific - don't let the fact that it is YA scare you off - I really like Yancey's writing style and the premises of the plot (alien invasion) is quite intriguing. 

[Rosieroo]

My mother was clearing out recently and boxed up all the books I had at her house.  It was nice going through them  and seeing books I hadn't read in years. On my way out the door for a day of tests at the hospital, I rummaged around in one box and came up with a Martha Grimes "Richard Jury" book,  The Old Fox Deceiv'd.  It was the second in the series I think.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this series.  Now I'm going to have to start back at book one and work my way through again.  

[ExplainItAgain]

Just finished The Girl on A Train and yeah, I can definitely see why some were left underwhelmed. While I thought it was okay and like that it was a quick, fast-paced read, any mystery/who-dun-it that one solves barely a quarter of the way into the story, is not good. 

 

Definitely underwhelming for me. So many people recommended it to me but I didn't enjoy it that much.

 

I just finished Judy Blume's In the Unlikely Event.  I occasionally lost track of the colossal amount of characters but very much enjoyed a visit with an author dear to my heart.

 

I got this book in one of my lifestyle boxes last month and I haven't been able to start it yet. I love Summer Sisters so much I'm afraid to read this one.

 

I'm reading Pleasantville by Attica Locke.   I've read and enjoyed her other books, and didn't realize she's a writer and co-producer of the TV show "Empire." I don't watch that, but perhaps I should. 

 

The first season was so, so good. But I am pretty sure the second season will just up the crazy and the guest stars and won't be nearly as good.

 

I'm currently reading Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune. It started out a little slow but got better. But now the author is starting to veer off with some of his own opinions and snarky comments and I'm not quite sure I'm enjoying it as much. This lady led quite an interesting life. According to Wikipedia, Ryan Murphy supposedly has the film rights.

 

Has anyone here finished War and Peace? I am determined to read it but I have started 6 times and never made it more than a quarter of the way through. I don't know why I keep trying.

Edited August 8, 2015 by ExplainItAgain

[Athena]

I touched on this on another thread, but my white whale is War and Peace. For some reason I am determined to read it (maybe because I love Anna Karenina?), but I have started it 6 times and haven't made it very far. It was on my 2015 bucket list and time is running out...

 

I loved Anna Karenina as well and Tolstoy's "peace" scenes in W&P are just as good. However, I really glossed over during all the military and war. Half the book is basically a historical account so maybe it'll help if you think about it that way? In any case, I don't think you miss that many details if you don't read too deeply all that time Napoleon and his troops spend going through Europe and Russia.

[Snow Apple]

Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back.

 

The true story about Japanese girls sent to the US near the turn of the 20th century to learn modern western ways so they can come back home to educate other girls. The book focuses on three of the girls. They become beloved by their foster families and very accomplished and educated, but the adjustment is a difficult one after returning home to Japan after 10 years.

[alias1]

I read The Buried Giant (Kazuo Ishiguro).  It's a fantasy (or an allegory) where all memories are shrouded in a mist.  I thought the book rather tedious and a chore to finish.  I believe I understood all the symbolism but, ultimately, I found the book unsatisfying.

 

I also read The Last Policeman (Ben H. Winters), the first book in a trilogy.  I really enjoyed the authors quirky and unexpected style.  There's a murder (or is it a suicide) that needs to be solved before the world is hit by a meteor. I can't wait to read the next in the series.  I've read that each installment is a story in itself besides the ongoing plot of waiting for the impact of the meteor.

 

Then I read The Anchoress (Robyn Cadwallader) about an obscure religious practice in Britain in the middle ages.  Not compelling, but mildly interesting about something I knew nothing about.

[AuntiePam]

So pleased with Diary of a Provincial Lady that I downloaded two more by Delafield -- Consequences and The War Workers.  Both novels are heavy on characterization, light on plot.  The main character in Consequences is a young woman born into society.  She can't fit in, not even in her family -- she can't relate to people on anything but a superficial level -- the sad part is that she realizes this but can't do anything about it.  If she were born today, she'd probably be diagnosed and prescribed an anti-depressant, or in therapy.  Or on a reality TV show. 

 

The War Workers is about a group of women in WWI England, working under a domineering female boss in a supply depot -- one of those people who martyrs herself to her job and whom everyone else hates, except for the sycophant -- we've all been there.  Things get interesting when a woman of class comes to work for her and doesn't put up with her shit. 

[AltLivia]

I completely gave up on Serena as I found Pemberton insufferable, and realized immediately that 

Serena's family did not die naturally. She killed them in some fashion.

. Just the tone of the writing bugged me.

 

I'm about 100 pages from the end of Into Thin Air. Can't put it down. The circumstances, though horrific, are so interesting to me. Are there books written by other surviving members of Krakauer's climbing team? 

[Bunty]

There's Beck Weathers-- Left for Dead : My Journey Home from Everest.

 

Library Journal
When a blizzard trapped the author and dozens of other climbers near the summit of Mount Everest in 1996, much of the world closely followed the tragedy, in which nine died. Weathers, a Dallas-area pathologist who paid $65,000 to climb the mountain, was given up for dead only to amaze everyone, himself included, when he survived the seemingly impossible conditions. The author begins this work with the tragedy on Everest, chronicled in Jon Krakauer's best-selling Into Thin Air (LJ 4/1/97) as well as David Breashears's High Exposure (LJ 6/1/99). He then spends the majority of the book examining his reasons for pushing himself to climb tall mountains and explaining how the experience has changed him and his family. A deeply moving account of a person coming to terms with his shortcomings and his response when given a second chance, this book is highly recommended for all collections.

 

Also for a different viewpoint of the tragedy there is Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev another guide on the mountain.  He tragically died the next year (1997) in an avalanche in Nepal.

 

In looking for info for this post I saw where there is going to be a movie this September about the tragedy.

Everest (2015)

PG-13  |  121 min  |  Adventure, Drama, Thriller  |  25 September 2015 (USA)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2719848/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

 

Preview 

Edited August 11, 2015 by Bunty

[Haleth]

^  Looking forward to that.  Into Thin Air is my favorite non fiction book.  

[proserpina65]

I'm currently reading The Astronaut Wives Club and really enjoying it.  I've always been interested in space - my first solid childhood memory is of watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon - and have read a lot of things about the early space program and the men involved, but this is the first time I've read anything from the perspective of the women who were, for the most part, relegated to the background by NASA, and it is fascinating.

My mother was clearing out recently and boxed up all the books I had at her house.  It was nice going through them  and seeing books I hadn't read in years. On my way out the door for a day of tests at the hospital, I rummaged around in one box and came up with a Martha Grimes "Richard Jury" book,  The Old Fox Deceiv'd.  It was the second in the series I think.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this series.  Now I'm going to have to start back at book one and work my way through again.  

I just started the most recent book in the series.  I don't have high hopes for it since the last few ranged from mediocre to out-and-out bad, but we'll see.  I do occasionally go back and read favorites from earlier in the series since I love seeing how Melrose Plant's character evolves over time.

[AltLivia]

 

Left for Dead : My Journey Home from Everest

Bunty, you're my hero! I'd totally read Weathers' book - where I'm reading, he'd 

gone blind or near to it and deliriously plunged over the side of one of the mountain faces. "I've got this figured out," was the last thing he said.

It gave me the chills. I also don't know if I should spoiler tag real events, but there you go. I was amazed so many of the group's health issues/gradual fatigue hadn't been noted by the guide(s). I'm sitting here angry that Hansen wasn't told to turn around. Essentially, "But he wants to go so badly! And he was so close last time," is not an excuse to leave people in peril. I know that death is a risk when tackling Everest, but I figured that you (as either a guide or a hiker) try to minimize that risk.. Of course, Hall could have been delirious himself at that point.

 

 

Also for a different viewpoint of the tragedy there is Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev another guide on the mountain.  He tragically died the next year (1997) in an avalanche in Nepal.

I would be really curious to read this. Krakauer paints him as having really questionable guide ethics, so Boukreev's perspective would be nice. And I am so in for that Everest film. 

Edited August 11, 2015 by AltLivia

[Bunty]

I'm sitting here angry that Hansen wasn't told to turn around. Essentially, "But he wants to go so badly! And he was so close last time," is not an excuse to leave people in peril. I know that death is a risk when tackling Everest, but I figured that you (as either a guide or a hiker) try to minimize that risk..

 

 

I've always liked Ed Viesturs and his philosophy on climbing.  "It's a round trip. Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory." Ed Viesturs, No Shortcuts To The Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks.

[Crs97]

Periodically there is some debate whether Mallory died on the way up or down the mountain. A reporter in the 80's asked Sir Edmund Hillary if Mallory should be named as the first to reach the top of Everest, and I loved his answer:

“If you climb a mountain for the first time and die on the descent, is it really a complete first ascent of the mountain? I’m rather inclined to think, personally, that maybe it’s quite important, the getting down. And the complete climb of a mountain is reaching the summit and getting safely to the bottom again.”

[Danny Franks]

Just started Dark Run by Mike Brooks. So far, so Firefly ripoff. I'm serious, it feels like some passages are lifted almost verbatim from the show. Not sure if it's worth finishing, because I haven't yet been able to read it without instantly comparing everything to the show that the writer has clearly watched too often.

[SherriAnt]

So on another thread, (I think) I read a recommendation for the Grimnoir series by Larry Correia, and I wish I had the patience to look for the post, because I need to thank whoever said it!! Amazing stories, kinda like if Captain America and the Howling Commandoes used magic, and WWII was only against the Japanese. Awesome books, just love them!

[Jodithgrace]

I just finished two wonderful books. The first is The Little Paris Boookshop, by Nina George, about a man who has a bookshop on a barge in the Seine. He dispenses books as though they were prescriptions for emotional ailments, though he is unable to cure his own heartbreak. Something changes and he finds himself on a Huckleberry Finn type trip down the canals of France into Province. It has food, gorgeous scenery and wonderful writing. There are even recipes and book "prescriptions" at the end.

 

The second book is called Kitchens of The Great Midwest, by J. Ryan Stradel. This book is about a young talented chef named Eva. Each chapter is almost a stand alone short story, except that each features Eve..either as the main ingredient or just the vanilla extract, so to speak. It is charming and quirky..also with recipes. 

Edited August 15, 2015 by Jodithgrace

[alias1]

I just finished two wonderful books. The first is The Little Paris Boookshop, by Nina George, about a man who has a bookshop on a barge in the Seine. He dispenses books as though they were prescriptions for emotional ailments, though he is unable to cure his own heartbreak. Something changes and he finds himself an a Huckleberry Finn type trip down the canals of France into Province. It has food, gorgeous scenery and wonderful writing. There are even recipes and book "prescriptions" at the end.

 

The second book is called Kitchens of The Great Midwest, by J. Ryan Stradel. This book is about a young talented chef named Eve. Each chapter is almost a stand alone short story, except that each features Eve..either as the main ingredient or just the vanilla extract, so to speak. It is charming and quirky..also with recipes. 

I have The Little Paris Bookshop on hold at the library.  I'm glad to hear it's enjoyable.  Thanks for the review.

[Haleth]

^ I made a note of both of those.  Sounds like they are something I'd enjoy.

 

I finished Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott last night.  It's the story of four very damaged individuals living in an apartment building in NYC who are faced with a dilemma after their landlady rapidly succumbs to Alzheimers.  The disease brings her callous son to town and he plans on putting mom in a home and evicting all the tenants.  I was loving how the tenants were finding strength in spite of their disabilities... until the end.  It did not end the way I'd hoped.  In fact after turning the last page I was shocked that there was nothing more.  It ended kind of abruptly and on a not very satisfying note.  Too bad.

[EllieH]

I've been listening to The Martian and I highly recommend it, very suspenseful!  The movie is coming out in October, I'm hopeful it'll be good, as its got some great material to work with.

[Rick Kitchen]

I hope the movie continues the humor that the book has.

[OakGoblinFly]

I've been listening to The Martian and I highly recommend it, very suspenseful!  The movie is coming out in October, I'm hopeful it'll be good, as its got some great material to work with.

 

 

That is next in my reading queue; I've heard great things about the book and I'm looking forward to it.

[alias1]

I've been listening to The Martian and I highly recommend it, very suspenseful!  The movie is coming out in October, I'm hopeful it'll be good, as its got some great material to work with.

I liked the book a lot, even though the technical stuff went right over my head.  I didn't know there was going to be a movie, but the plot seems perfect for a movie.

[alias1]

I'm trying to read Seveneves, which is not really my type of book and it's over 800 pages long.  I've only read 30% of the book so far and it's due to expire on my Kindle in 2 days.  I can't renew it because it has holds on it.  In the past, I've turned off the WiFi on my Kindle to get a few more days of reading on something about to expire, but I'm just not sure this book is worth it.  Does anyone have any opinions on this book?

[GaT]

I'm trying to read Seveneves, which is not really my type of book and it's over 800 pages long.  I've only read 30% of the book so far and it's due to expire on my Kindle in 2 days.  I can't renew it because it has holds on it.  In the past, I've turned off the WiFi on my Kindle to get a few more days of reading on something about to expire, but I'm just not sure this book is worth it.  Does anyone have any opinions on this book?

I'm sorry, I've never even heard of this book, so I can't help you with it, but I'm interested with what you said about Kindle because I don't have one. I thought when you bought a Kindle book it was yours, are you really only renting it? And why wouldn't you be able to renew it then? It's digital, there should be enough for everyone. I occasionally read books on my iPhone, & they never expire or go away, I thought Kindle was the same way.

Edited August 17, 2015 by GaT

[Athena]

I'm sorry, I've never even heard of this book, so I can't help you with it, but I'm interested with what you said about Kindle because I don't have one. I thought when you bought a Kindle book it was yours, are you really only renting it? And why wouldn't you be able to renew it then? It's digital, there should be enough for everyone. I occasionally read books on my iPhone, & they never expire or go away, I thought Kindle was the same way.

 

I think SierraMist may have borrowed it from her library through the OverDrive service.

[Skyline]

I'm sorry, I've never even heard of this book, so I can't help you with it, but I'm interested with what you said about Kindle because I don't have one. I thought when you bought a Kindle book it was yours, are you really only renting it? And why wouldn't you be able to renew it then? It's digital, there should be enough for everyone. I occasionally read books on my iPhone, & they never expire or go away, I thought Kindle was the same way.

I'm pretty sure SierraMist has the book on loan from the library. 

[GaT]

I think SierraMist may have borrowed it from her library through the OverDrive service.

 

 

I'm pretty sure SierraMist has the book on loan from the library. 

Ahh, I didn't know you could do that either, thanks

[alias1]

I'm pretty sure SierraMist has the book on loan from the library. 

Yes, that's exactly right.  When your time is up (if your WiFi is turned on) the library just snatches the book back from you.  LOL.  Sorry I didn't make that part clear.  I borrow almost all the books I read from the library.  My kindle makes it so easy to do that.  I very seldom buy a book.

[Haleth]

I liked Seveneves a lot, the first 2/3 dealing with the disaster and aftermath anyway.  Adjusting to life on the ISS in such a claustrophobic and perilous setting was suspenseful and I was really rooting for the characters.  The last 1/3, set 5000 in the future was kind of a standard sci fi story of clashing cultures, nothing we haven't seen before.

[alias1]

I liked Seveneves a lot, the first 2/3 dealing with the disaster and aftermath anyway.  Adjusting to life on the ISS in such a claustrophobic and perilous setting was suspenseful and I was really rooting for the characters.  The last 1/3, set 5000 in the future was kind of a standard sci fi story of clashing cultures, nothing we haven't seen before.

Thanks, Haleth.  Your review is similar to some others I read on Amazon.  It has become more interesting to me now that the disaster has happened and they're trying to adjust to their new life.  I'm about 50% into it.  If I don't finish at least 2/3 of it I'll probably put it on hold again.

[OakGoblinFly]

ELLIEH, ON 16 AUG 2015 - 10:25 PM, SAID:

I've been listening to The Martian and I highly recommend it, very suspenseful!  The movie is coming out in October, I'm hopeful it'll be good, as its got some great material to work with.

 

 

That is next in my reading queue; I've heard great things about the book and I'm looking forward to it.

 

 

I just finished The Maritain and I loved it; I haven't enjoyed a book that much in a long time.  I hope the movie does it justice.

[glowlights]

Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks. He is one of my favorite American authors, but this one is so bleak I almost bailed after the first two chapters. The fantastic storytelling keeps pulling me along. (Warning to animal lovers: you might cry.)

 

Also Black Dahlia & White Rose by Joyce Carol Oates. Maybe not my favorite by her, but still a strong collection.

[hendersonrocks]

I started reading Ana of California last night and love it already. An updated Anne of Green Gables, it seems like it's going to be a perfect late summer read.

[Jodithgrace]

I got The Martian, but have to finish A Manual for Cleaning Women first. I'm of mixed opinions about "..Cleaning Women." It got terrific reviews and the writer's life was certainly interesting, but it's not really grabbing me. The best part about it is that since it's short stories, I can put it down and pick it back up. But the stories are really all over the place, as was her life, apparently.

[cherrypj]

Little Women. Yes, I know. I haven't ever read it before, but after reading this Guardian interview with Anne Tyler (my author crush), where she said she read it 22 times, I had to check it out.

 

It's ... OK. Pretty preachy.

[NewDigs]

Oh. And I love Anne Tyler.

Thanks for linking the interview. She is not often interviewed.

And I sometimes wonder about those kinds of interviews. NYTimes Book Review does something similar and I often think, Hmm, poseur? Studied reaction? Or real?

[JohnFB]

Cuckoo's calling by JK Rowling

[Danny Franks]

Nemesis Games, the fifth in The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey. A massive cut above the fourth book, and really enjoyable because it's getting back to the core strengths of the series. Got me even more impatient for the TV show to start, though.

[bmasters9]

George Orwell's 1949 literary classic Nineteen Eighty-Four: I had heard of it before, but I had never read it. I thought, as such, there's no time like the present!

 

 

[scatteroflight]

Light in August by William Faulkner. It's early going but I have to admit, I'm struggling. And I've heard this is one of the most accessible of Faulkner's works. I hope it picks up soon.