Comments on: Harpy Book Club, August Edition

By: BeckySharper

BeckySharper — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:38:16 +0000

@whynotshesaid: I *just* finished that last night. Loved it. The murder mystery is good, the setting is great, and Lisbeth is a feminazi bonerkiller for the ages!

I also think the author got in some excellent social commentary–about the Swedish welfare state, about WWII-era Swedish white supremacy, about the problems of libel law–without ever seeming overly didactic, or agenda-y.

I also felt that in addition to Lisbeth’s awesomeness, his portrayals of women were wholly sympathetic and real. Each of the women was very different, but it was clear that the author liked them, did not judge them, and generally treated them with the same even-handedness as his male characters. It seemed to be to be in keeping with the Scandinavian vision of a gender-equal society. They are WAY ahead of the rest of the world in this respect, IMHO.

By: whynotshesaid

whynotshesaid — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:56:28 +0000

Oh yay, book discussions!

I just read THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson, and I think it is begging for some feminist literary analysis. (The book’s Swedish title is MEN WHO HATE WOMEN, if that tells you anything.) Anyways, I adored it. The female lead is quite possibly the most amazing feminazi bonerkiller heroine I have ever read in a book, anywhere, ever. All I can say is “Taser” and “tattoo gun.”

By: mischiefmanager

mischiefmanager — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:43:41 +0000

@SOALG: HP starts a little simply, so hang in with it. The books get more complex as the characters get older.

Sometimes I think the world is divided between LOTR lovers and HP lovers.

By: vickimae

vickimae — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:30:01 +0000

Post graduate school, I find myself with the delicious problem of leisurely reading multiple books at the same time an only finishing the ones I want to…instead of rush-reading a novel every week. Notable books from this summer: “Fraction of a Whole” by Steve Toltz and am starting on “Atmospheric Disturbances”,by Rivka Galchen, both seletctions from my book club, aka BookPub, since we meet in bars.

Also, I bought Heather “Dooce” Armstrong’s Memior “It Sucked and then I Cried”- read it straight through, sick on the couch, in less than 2 days. It was hilarious and touching.

By: sarah.of.a.lesser.god

sarah.of.a.lesser.god — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:26:31 +0000

@Stacey: I just bought a HP book for the first time and I'm gearing up to read it. I re-read Lord of the Rings every year, so I get the love someone can have for a book (or series) enough to read it again and again and again.

By: mischiefmanager

mischiefmanager — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:15:29 +0000

@Stacey: me too! I love it. Last year I gave a paper an HP con-it was the first paper I’d written in 25 years!

By: Stacey Stardust

Stacey Stardust — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:49:12 +0000

I spent this summer juggling work and my graduate thesis, so all I had the mental energy for was rereading the Harry Potter series (again). But I graduated on Wednesday and I fully intend to read more on my days off. I’m writing down some of the titles you all mentioned as we speak!

By: Endora

Endora — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:48:01 +0000

I just finished ‘Patterns of Childhood’ by Christa Wolf, which is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It’s a semi-autobiographical story about growing up under Nazism and re-visiting childhood from the standpoint of 1970s East Germany, and is great exploration of identity, memory, subjectivity and guilt, collective and personal.

I’m re-reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’ now and am loving it even more than I remembered…

By: mischiefmanager

mischiefmanager — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:50:52 +0000

I just finished “Little Bee” by Chris Cleave. It was a powerful story on a topic I know shamefully little about. Although the title character has moments of being almost too good to be true, she’s a memorable and compelling character. So is the other main female character. I liked this book so well that I immediately went to the library and got Cleave’s other book.

By: tallgirl-in-heels

tallgirl-in-heels — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:35:38 +0000

I just finished Three Cups of Tea, which is about a guy who starts a nonprofit that builds schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It wasn't the greatest thing I've ever read, but it is inspiring and perhaps an entertaining and accessible starting point for anyone interested in exploring the relationship between education and fanaticism. It also made me realize how little I actually know about those countries despite their constant presence in our news.