DECISIONS, DECISIONS??

OK, fellow booklovers. I have a conundrum I've been pondering and need some advice. Finish or not to finish... that is the question. I am reading 2 different books right now and am debating on a third. I want to finish what I started but I just watched the movie Wives and Daughters and I desperately want to read the book now!!! Is it faux pas to start a book and put it aside for another? Am I just being fickle??

I am reading The Wheel of Time series and am on book 5. I am also reading Les Mis and just got the part where Val Jean decides to steal from the priest!!! I am in agony!! What should I do? Any thoughts?

I may be the wrong person to ask...sometimes I have multiple books going at once, and I've been known to stop one and begin another in situations similar to your own. I think it's okay to be fickle, though it may make it harder to return to the interrupted book later on.

Les Mis is among my favorites, so I'm inclined to encourage you to continue in it. But on the other hand, you're still near the beginning, so pausing to read a different book and then coming back to it should be pretty easy.

This rambling response probably isn't too helpful...

Thanks Stargazer! Your response proves that I am not unique in my dilemma I had a doctor's appointment tonight and got to read a little more Les Mis and I am marveling at the description of Jean ValJean stealing the coin from the little boy and the transformation that ensues!! This is obviously my first read so I am fascinated by the human dilemma playing out on the pages. I have been recouping the last couple weeks and watched Wives and Daughters and now I can't get it out of my mind. The father, Squire Hambly (sp), has caught my attention by some of his dialogue in the film and I am SO curious about him now. Gonna have to find some extra time to read Thanks for the advice!

yeah, i would keep them all going. thats whay i do.

Personally I have to keep only one book going at a time. I made the mistake of starting one and leaving it for awhile. When I came back to it I had a hard time getting into it again and in fact didn't. For me I have to start and finish without stopping or it just doesn't go well, if you know what I mean.

*harks back to page 26*

I like your new bookshelf, GtG! But that's the thing about bookshelves... they are never quite big enough.

The Thief (Yes...the Attolia one. Is that the first in the series? If not, I shan't read it until I get the other ones)

Yep, that's the first one! Have you started it yet? I wonder how you will feel about Gen. He is the sort of character who is lovable but not always... endorsable. Hmm.

Also--am I the only person who has read anything by H. Ryder Haggard (King Solomon's Mines)?

Nope, you're not! I've read that one, and liked it well enough to look for more of his work. I didn't think it was amazing writing, but the plot was fast-paced and kept me reading. It's terribly politically incorrect, of course.

Has anyone read Around The World In Eighty Days? Is is a good book but the whole sense of it is like a machine, almost not realistic.

I recently listened to it on audiobook and absolutely loved it. Even though I knew what was going to happen (I read an abridged version of the book years ago), it was still very suspenseful. I recommend the new reading by Jim Dale (who is the guy who does the Harry Potter audiobooks as well). Dale's voice for Passpartout is priceless . They had nice music at the beginning of each chapter that reflected the country Fogg was in at the time.

I think I must apologize in judging P&P and Jane Austen's work too quickly.

Oh, no need to apologize! I'm so glad that you started to enjoy it more as the story went on . Now you need to watch the film/TV adaptations! My favorite is the famous 1995 miniseries starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle

I just started Right Ho, Jeeves today and I must say I'm enjoying it very much. I love the British style of humour

I love that brand of British humor too! I don't think Wodehouse can be beaten for it. Have you finished it?

I am in an online course where we read and discuss modern classics. One of the books that I will have to read next is Emma by Jane Austen. I am looking forward to it despite the fact that I'm a guy. I would like to know what is others peoples opinion about the book and why so?

I've only read it once. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the other Austen books. In fact, it's probably my least favorite of her works (though I still like it and being a least-favorite Austen is kind of like being a least-favorite Chronicle of Narnia; it's still pretty high on the list compared to other books!).

*feels a little bad for all the peeps who don't like Austen, as she does seem to come up an awful lot in this thread*

I was looking for this, and was hoping it would be covered a bit more in the book, though the indoor planetarium sounds like something I'd like to have in my house.

Good thoughts on Yonwood, gazer. But did you think

I've also made my conclusions about McKinley's writing style.

Hmm. I don't agree, but I have always respected you for sticking to your opinion on her work in the midst of a bunch of McKinley fans like us!

I have recently read The Historian and, although I have seen quite negative reviews in other forums, I found it a wonderful, gripping novel.

Same here! I couldn't put it down when I read it a year or two ago. I loved Kostova's writing. She has another book coming out soonish, I think... The Swan Thieves. I don't know what it's about, but I definitely want to read it.

And I have just finished reading the Attolia books. I am still suffering the post-Attolia effect, so I don't think I am going to be very objective, but I absolutely loved them.

Amira, I think you are my literary twin . Except QoA is my favorite, with KoA a close second. I'm so glad you loved them! Aren't they brilliant? And just wait till you reread. They don't get stale, and rereading with knowledge of the twists is really fun because you see all the nuances you missed the first time. *contented sigh* Welcome to the conspiracy!

malkah, you and kotwcs should get together. She adores The Idiot too!

OoTP is great overall but it does have a serious amount of padding to wade through in the first 3rd of the book. Rowling wasn't up to her usual writing standards there.

Oh, you guys think so? That one's my favorite, not least because it was such a wild ride the first time I read it! I love how the political side of things really gets into swing with this book, and how firm lines are drawn for the coming conflict. I have never found it wordier than any of the other HP books, but maybe I just didn't notice that.

Welcome to the Books thread, KJane and lovemylife! It's great to see you both here.

I have a conundrum I've been pondering and need some advice. Finish or not to finish... that is the question.

That is always a hard decision! And between three such books, oh man! I LOVE Wives & Daughters, both the miniseries and the book. Maybe you should read it now since you are already drawn into the movie, and pick up the others after that? Some people do manage to read more than one book at a time, but I find that unless they are two different kinds of books (audiobook versus regular printed book, for example) I will always neglect one and then have little motivation to pick it back up later, since it "lost out" to the other book I was reading.

Since I last posted here I have read Villette (review here) and M. M. Kaye's Death in Berlin (review here). I'm now in Patricia McKillip's Harrowing the Dragon, which is written in her signature lyrical prose. But I'm in the middle where she starts telling unrelated stories in each chapter, and I am wondering how it's all going to connect. Not sure if this will be a favorite or not... though I can forgive almost anything for the quote that is now my signature below.

Has anyone read Around The World In Eighty Days? Is is a good book but the whole sense of it is like a machine, almost not realistic.

I recently listened to it on audiobook and absolutely loved it. Even though I knew what was going to happen (I read an abridged version of the book years ago), it was still very suspenseful. I recommend the new reading by Jim Dale (who is the guy who does the Harry Potter audiobooks as well). Dale's voice for Passpartout is priceless . They had nice music at the beginning of each chapter that reflected the country Fogg was in at the time.

I have the reading by Jim Dale and in fact I haven't read Around The World in Eighty days but have only listened to that reading. I agree with what you said. He is a fabulous narrator.

I prefer Trixie Belden to Nancy Drew. Trixie has a family and they're all involved in the story to some extent, rather than Trixie simply hanging around with friends all the time. The plots usually have a less sensational feel to them too, which is a nice change.

I suppose that is true, and I've never thought of that specifc aspect before, but I must counter that and say that while she does have a family, I wasn't particularly impressed with (at least) the last book I read where she and her friends left the house at night- while her parents were sleeping- to solve a mystery. Oh, perhaps that is just a small thing, but I have trouble accepting children running around solving mysteries- even in the Boxcar Children. Especially their attitudes (more so in The Boxcar Children) of "Let's not tell Grandfather about that scary man who threatened us (or so forth) because he'll be worried about us". Okay, hmm. He's the childrens' guardian, should he not be concerned about the welfare of his grandchildren? At least Nancy Drew (and the Hardy Boys, for that matter) were either adults or older teens, not quite children. But, er, yes. I suppose there is some merit to the Trixie Belden series, I just love Nancy better.

Pogginfan: I too had trouble with the first few chapters of Persuasion on my re-read. I can't recall how I felt about the book on my first read, but I must of liked it somewhat at least. But on my re-read the first few chapters took a bit too- I think for me it was getting reacquainted to her writing style. Funny though, I'm re-reading Emma and the feel of it is different then Persuasion, I wonder why....

Fanny: Thanks for the response about Nicholas Nickleby. I liked his character in the adaptation I saw, so I was interested to know your impression of him.

No problem!

I felt so betrayed when I found out that many of the Nancy Drew series were revised. I picked up Password to Larkspur Lane and realised that the plot was different. I can't remember at all which I liked better. I only read the unrevised once and the revised I may have read 3 times or so.

I must say that when I first read Password, the revised version, I really did not like it at all, and thought it was actually rather boring. I've read the revised version once more, then the full version too, and the story has greatly improved in my eyes. I can't recall what my first impressions where when I found out about the revised and original versions, but I remember feeling horribly betrayed (okay, maybe not horribly, but shocked) when I found out that

ww: I finished The Thief yesterday, and have still to sort out my thoughts on it.

I love that brand of British humor too! I don't think Wodehouse can be beaten for it. Have you finished it?

Hear hear! Although I can't say I'm entirely up on other British humourists, although at times I did think of Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, although the plots were entirely different.

But yes, I finished Right Ho Jeeves the other day. Definitely not heavy reading, and for the most part quite enjoyable. I posted some thoughts here, on it.

Bella: I would also heartily recommend the 1980s version of Pride and Prejudice as well. I liked it better then the '95 one. Just so you know there's other options for good adaptations out there as well.

As for my own reading, I finished that Get Smart TV show tie-in, and found it absolutely funny. If it wasn't a Get Smart, I would probably saw the plot would soon get tedious, but because it was a Get Smart, well, if anyone is familiar with the show you'll probably know why.

Oh yes, and I got around to re-arranging several of my bookshelves last Friday, which is nice because now one is not hit with a load of yellow books when you walk into my room. (Trust me, the yellow is a real eye catcher and it really makes ones shelves look rather messy...always.)

And that sums up this post.

I've seen the 1980s version of Sense and Sensibility and it was, to say the least, horrible. The actors was really stiff and costumes were not good at all. So I'd probably be a little skeptical of P&P being any good.

ForeverFan: About the gods in The Thief

I just finished reading, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle. It was so good to read them again. Makes me remember how much love I have for the books, and Lewis' writing. I can't wait to read VDT again next year before I go see the movie!

the last book I read where she and her friends left the house at night- while her parents were sleeping- to solve a mystery

That reminds me of Mystery Off Telegraph Road and maybe other mid-twenties... MOTR is definitely not one of my favourites either. I also know I didn't enjoy the last one written, despite having been to the location of the mystery. But I re-read one of the early ones recently, and was struck by just how amusing the dialogue is, and how much the Bob-Whites reference great literature.

*whistles loudly to cover Glenstorm's statement here* You're entitled to your opinion of course, but the BBC P&P is quite good, and the BBC S&S is not horrible.

What were we discussing again? Oh, books? Well, a friend recently introduced our family to the Bunnicula series. Very different than what we would normally pick up, but we thoroughly enjoyed the three we listened to, especially Howliday Inn. The narration was absolutely spot on, and the renditions of the characters hilarious.

I also picked up the Louis L'Amour novel Radigan which I'm pretty sure I've read before. It's a nice solid example of his style, and includes wintery escapes and wandering through the mountains. Good stuff.

Ooh, The Idiot is heavily psychological? I might have to try reading it sometime.

I'm not sure it's psychological in the modern sense of the word (i.e. thriller-type novel) but it is certainly a very inwardly-focused book. I hope you get the chance to read it sometime!

ForeverFan, I'm glad you enjoyed The Thief! It reminded me of Till We Have Faces quite a bit as well.
Still not sure whether it beats out The Thief for my favorite so far; I might have to do a reread of both.

Hearkening back to page 26 ....

lys, I have the same issue.... except you're farther along than I am. (I just barely got into Lothlorien.) I forgot about the description of Kheled-Zaram. So pretty!

What's Kheled-Zaram? It sounds dwarfish. Oh, is it Durin's Pool on the far side of Moria? I don't remember the actual description much, but the poem about it stuck in my memory even from the first reading. And the Lorien chapters have always made for one of my favorite passages in the book. 'Here is the heart of Elvendom on earth, he said, 'and here my heart dwells ever, unless there be a light beyond the dark roads that we still must tread, you and I. Come with me!' And taking Frodo's hand in his, he left the hill of Cerin Amroth and came there never again as living man....

And don't worry; we're going to make it! I thought I would have finished it months ago, but right now December seems good. That would leave me one month to read eight books, if I still want to make it to fifty this year. Hmmm....

*salivates at the pictures of Glenstorm's shelves, especially the last* All those lovely old hardcovers....

My reaction to Malory is pretty much "meh." I know he's the most historically important Arthurian author, and I know that scholars favor him, but I just can't warm to him. Every plotline and character has been better handled either before or sense. And the Tristan section is ridiculously long, with long passages of sheer pointlessness. Of course, I see that my library has a free audiobook version posted online and read by the great British actor Sir Derek Jacobi. It's abridged, unfortunately, but if anyone could make me fall in love with Malory, it'd be Jacobi.

I'm interested to see how Morris would be able to tie off his series as well, although I didn't get past the first five or so books, and the only one I really liked was The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf. (I've always had a slight "thing" for Lynette; I suppose it's because she's so snarky! ) Once he finishes the series, I may continue it.

Ly: Reading Dracula? I had quite an urge to read that after I finished I Am Legend last spring, but I never did. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.

Hmmm, I can't remember where I mentioned Dracula previously. Perhaps in connection with The Historian? I'm not reading it at the moment, but I'd like to get to it at least by next semester. Meanwhile, I just finished another Victorian 'horror' novel, though it has heavy touches of science fiction as well— H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man. I wasn't incredibly impressed: the prose was unremarkable and (in some places) awkward, the characters one-sided and unsympathetic, and the air of mystery ineffectual (why title the novel The Invisible Man when the success of the opening chapters lie in the reader not knowing the fellow's invisible? ). A friend of mine did sort of explain the first two by saying that he always thought of Wells as an author who was interested in the darkest side of man and society, and when you open one of his books you're stepping into a work that's dark and ugly, right down to the way it's written. I suppose so, but it's not my cup of tea. More thoughts in my review.

Thanks, by the way, for your detailed analysis of McKinley's prose. I may not agree with you, but at least I can see where you're coming from now. Even in the long, dreamy descriptions one finds, for instance, in portions of Beauty, there is a narrative directness to her "voice" that I have noticed and actually think quite fitting for the YA genre. I have also found her punctuation odd at times, but then, I've though the same of Austen and Eliot in the past as well.

*whimpers* Why does everyone like QoA and KoA best? It seems at times like I'm the only one who prefers The Thief.

malkah: Yay! I love The Bell at Sealey Head. I hope you get to read it soon. But oh dear, are you in the Peeta camp? It annoyed me so much when he (The Hunger Games spoiler)

Spoiler

said that he loved Katniss on national television! I know it was good for their survival in the end, but it was so. dang. insensitive. Going out of The Hunger Games, I was really rooting for Katniss and Gale. But since reading Catching Fire, I'm generally fed up with all of them.

I just watched the movie Wives and Daughters and I desperately want to read the book now ... [but] I am [already] reading The Wheel of Time series and am on book 5. I am also reading Les Mis and just got the part where Val Jean decides to steal from the priest!!!

Oh dear, you would pick some of the longest books around to be debating about finishing. If I was going to just continue one in order to pick Wives and Daughters up, but that's also because it's a favorite of mine, and The Wheel of Time is not. On the other hand, Wheel would probably make a better companion for either of the books than they would for each other, just because it's so different. Even though it's long, it probably reads faster (for you; it certainly did for me) because it's a modern novel.

I do wonder if I should give Wheel another try some time, especially once Sanderson release the final two volumes. But the more I think about it the less I want to.

Does one of the stories in Harrowing the Dragon work as a frame story, then, Amy? Because I thought it was completely a collection of unrelated stories.

I finally made it to the library yesterday and picked up The Queen of Attolia ( ), The Moonstone, Brideshead Revisited, The Wind in the Willows (which I never read as a child), and Ombria in Shadow by Patricia McKillip. No Bell at Sealey Head, though; someone got to it before I did.

Oh well, Ombria in Shadow is pretty great. Not as good as The Bell at Sealey Head, but like most of the McKillips I've read, I very much enjoyed it.

Dear, all this talk of McKillip is making me want to pick up one of her other novels! Unfortunately I've read all the ones I own, don't have access to anymore here, and it looks like my library back home just got rid of half their collection of her novels. Hmmm, I'll have to tell my mother and ask her to keep her eyes open at their booksales....

Amira, I think you are my literary twin

Same here ! By the way, I liked your review of Death in Berlin. Like you, I also felt that one of the strongest points was her description of post-war Berlin; it was as if I could see it. Kaye is exceptionally good at describing and creating atmosphere.

About the gods in The Thief

I must confess I have reread some passages, I just couldn't help it, and am already planning my next complete reread, maybe for Christmas or perhaps when I get the fourth one.
Right now, I am reading The Scarlet Pimpernel. It is very entertaining to read, and I love Sir Percy - I think that is the intention , but so far I can't stand Marguerite