The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!

[heids]

HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!  Time to snuggle up in bed with a good book and read the day away.

I'm in a mood for laughter right now, so here are some of my favourite funny ones.  Note, my taste in books tends to be pre-1930s (not least because they're public domain ).

• P.G. Wodehouse - Psmith series (unfortunately 'Leave it to Psmith' - a story mostly occupied with flowerpots - isn't in the public domain yet), school stories (Head of Kay's, Prefect's Uncle, White Feather, Gold Bat, Pothunters, Mike at Wrykyn).
• Stephen Leacock - start here, you just get to the end of each page in utter stitches.  Each story is a parody on a melodramatic genre of the 1800s - his ridiculous style takes a bit of getting used to, but once you've got it, hilarious.
• Dr Seuss - especially 'Those Pale Green Pants With Nobody Inside Them'.  An intellectual read, only for if you're not too exhausted by a hard term.
• Our Mutual Friend - okay, while there's a sly piece of humour tucked into every single paragraph, I suppose it's sad not funny.  This is far and away Dickens' masterpiece.  Bleak House, Great Expectations, all rubbish compared with this.

[HYPS]

Could someone recommend me a WW2 novel or something of that sort?

Cheers 

[geminii]

Could someone recommend me a WW2 novel or something of that sort?

Cheers 

Funny you should mention, on one of my other posts someone mentioned a book named 'Sadako and the thousand paper cranes' which is about a girl who has an illness, and is set in Japan during World War II. Seems interesting, I'm going to go check it out myself!!
Link to first three chapters (other chapters can be found on YouTube as well):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKZLyCck8Nk

[MonsieurHulot]

Could someone recommend me a WW2 novel or something of that sort?

Cheers 

Atonement. It's a great novel, one third set in about 1933, one third leading up to the evacuation of Dunkerque, and the other third the aftermath of the evacuation in a London hospital.

[Reus]

Theives of Baghdad by Matthew Bogdonas is a quality read.

[Coffee]

For all you YA fans out there...

The Flywheel by Erin Gough
"Is it possible to feel the loss of somebody you've never even been with?"

Let me start out by saying I'm not a huge fan of YA novels. I find myself cringing all the time and this was no exception. But nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed this one. So much so I couldn't put it down. The Flywheel is about two teens who fall hopelessly in love - but not with each other. Delilah and Charlie are best friends and while she's in love with the girl across the street, Rosa, Charlie's falling in love with every girl he meets. But there's more to this tale. Delilah's father has taken off overseas and she is left to run the family cafe, The Flywheel and balance school (Her HSCs - the most important year!). But she's bullied relentlessly, so how will she cope? And what about Charlie? Well he's facing school suspension and police charges over a love interest gone wrong.

This book deals with diverse characters, flawed characters, heartbreak, and friendship; and hopefully puts some misconceptions to rest (the good ol' "well how do you know if you've never tried?" ) I loved this book and it rang true in many aspects. Anyone who's been in love (reciprocated or not) will relate to this book which is why it's so good. Because it's relatable. Overall I'm going to rate this 5 out of 5 stars and while this book is for anyone, I'm going to put it in the 16-19 age bracket simply due to the trials and tribulations of Year 11/12 expressed in the novel.

[DisaFear]

Recently finished the Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie, featuring:

• Ancillary Justice
• Ancillary Sword
• Ancillary Mercy

The books are sci-fi/space opera style and are definitely within my top 3 sci-fi things read. Ancillary Justice needs no explanation, it won every major sci-fi award and was nominated for many others. The following books definitely lived up to the standard set by the first one. Loved the ending, will be keeping tabs on this author.

[Coffee]

I'm reviving this thread

Now that Year 12/exams are over, what are we reading?

A few books I've finished reading recently that I would recommend:
- The Girls by Emma Cline - I still don't know how much I liked this one or how I feel about it but I couldn't put it down either.
- Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz - A YA novel that I actually really enjoyed. Definitely an interesting read also what with the current immigration/refugee crisis we see in Australia.
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - What can I say? I love the Bronte sisters.
- Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey - Loved, loved, loved this novel! Good for those interested in exploring some more Australian literature too.
- Skylarking by Kate Mildenhall - Another Australian novel; this one is set in the 1880s. This one follows two girls, Kate and Harriet, and their friendship which is haunted by obsession, jealousy, and isolation. It was really captivating and definitely well worth a read; I finished this in one sitting!
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - It's Jane Austen. That's a good enough reason to read it, right?

What I'm reading at the moment:
- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
- A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
And I'm also re-reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

What about everyone else? Tell me what you're reading and any book recommendations you might have!

[clarke54321]

I'm reviving this thread

Now that Year 12/exams are over, what are we reading?

A few books I've finished reading recently that I would recommend:
- The Girls by Emma Cline - I still don't know how much I liked this one or how I feel about it but I couldn't put it down either.
- Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz - A YA novel that I actually really enjoyed. Definitely an interesting read also what with the current immigration/refugee crisis we see in Australia.
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - What can I say? I love the Bronte sisters.
- Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey - Loved, loved, loved this novel! Good for those interested in exploring some more Australian literature too.
- Skylarking by Kate Mildenhall - Another Australian novel; this one is set in the 1880s. This one follows two girls, Kate and Harriet, and their friendship which is haunted by obsession, jealousy, and isolation. It was really captivating and definitely well worth a read; I finished this in one sitting!
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - It's Jane Austen. That's a good enough reason to read it, right?

What I'm reading at the moment:
- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
- A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
And I'm also re-reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

What about everyone else? Tell me what you're reading and any book recommendations you might have!

Are you enjoying North and South thus far? This is my year 12 Lit book next year! 

[Coffee]

Are you enjoying North and South thus far? This is my year 12 Lit book next year! 

YES! I'm loving it! Hoping I might get the chance to study this one at uni because it definitely has a lot of opportunity for discussion about religion and classism/class disparity.

I hope you enjoy it!

[Paulrus]

I've bought so many books recently that I haven't had a chance to get through but over the holidays I'm looking to make a dent in the list. 

Some stuff I've read recently:
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: Really depressing, really good. It felt a lot more contemporary than I expected given its status as a 'classic', but that's sort of a testament to her writing. Her background in poetry definitely comes through in the way she writes cos some of her descriptions and metaphors are pretty breathtaking, and she sorta drags you down along with the main character as she starts to spiral. Would recommend.
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami: His writing is fucking beautiful but the stuff he writes about is boring. All about quirky damaged girls he used to know with a bunch of awkward sex scenes interspersed. If you've read one Murakami you've pretty much read them all, which is a shame, cos like I said, his prose is really really nice.
- Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane: Pretty solid, about a girl who gets married off to a baron who's 20 years older than her and takes a place in high society, before shit goes massively pear-shaped. I read this in German though so I dunno what the English translation would be like.
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne: Legit do not even bother lol. Save yourself the trouble.

I have a terrible attention span so I sorta suck at sticking to a single book but atm I'm actively reading:
- Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell: A memoir reflecting on his own experiences living in poverty in Paris and London. I'm not that far into it but it's bleak in a good way, if that makes sense. I like his writing style anyway though so I'd probably enjoy most things he writes lol.
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks: Really interesting stuff - written by a neurologist who details a bunch of bizarre cases he's faced over the years like the titular one, where a man lost the ability to recognise other people, thought his wife was a hatrack, and went to lift her head off.

[sweetiepi]

I'm going to jump in and say I recently finished A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas.

However I recently bought its sequel and Stephanie Meyer's new book (which I hope isn't as sucky as Twilight, haha) and I realised that my to read list is growing at a too-fast rate, as I didn't read as much as I intended too this year!

I'm currently reading The One by Kiera Cass.

[geminii]

One that I absolutely adore is Sophie Hardcastle's book, Breathing Under Water. It's about two twins, Ben and Grace, who go through a pretty massive tragedy, which I won't spoil, but the book made me cry, laugh, and everything in between. Definitely in my top five books that I've read throughout my life.

Here's the blurb I found online.

"Nineteen minutes and eleven seconds separated us at birth. On the official documentation, he is older . . . Although it really has nothing to do with age. What it really means is that I am, and have always been, second.
Ben and Grace Walker are twins. Growing up in a sleepy coastal town it was inevitable they'd surf. Always close, they hung out more than most brothers and sisters, surfing together for hours as the sun melted into the sea. At seventeen, Ben is a rising surf star, the golden son and the boy all the girls fall in love with. Beside him, Grace feels like she is a mere reflection of his light. In their last year of school, the world beckons, full of possibility. For Grace, finishing exams and kissing Harley Matthews is just the beginning.
Then, one day, the unthinkable. The sun sets at noon and suddenly everything that was safe and predictable is lost. And everything unravels."

10/10 recommend this book! An absolute gem.

[Coffee]

I have a terrible attention span so I sorta suck at sticking to a single book but atm I'm actively reading:
- Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell: A memoir reflecting on his own experiences living in poverty in Paris and London. I'm not that far into it but it's bleak in a good way, if that makes sense. I like his writing style anyway though so I'd probably enjoy most things he writes lol.
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks: Really interesting stuff - written by a neurologist who details a bunch of bizarre cases he's faced over the years like the titular one, where a man lost the ability to recognise other people, thought his wife was a hatrack, and went to lift her head off.

I love George Orwell but I haven't picked up this one yet- do you recommend it? I keep seeing it around the bookstores I frequent so I'm wondering if it's worth picking up.

[Joseph41]

I love George Orwell but I haven't picked up this one yet- do you recommend it? I keep seeing it around the bookstores I frequent so I'm wondering if it's worth picking up.

I recommend it. It's a little different but I still enjoyed it. What other Orwell have you read?