Member: islandgalcal

Hey there... Sorry it's taken me a while to respond back to you. Where in Utah do you live? I'm in Salt Lake City, well just outside.

I've read all of the winners and most of the shortlisted and longlisted Booker Prize books, and every year try to predict the outcome of the prize on my web site (www.turbobooksnob.com). I'm pretty obsessed with the Booker. If you are ever interested in being part of my predictions, let me know. I have a group called "Wisdom of Crowds" that helps me predict the shortlist and winner every year.

Favorites would have to be Midnight's Children by Rushdie, Possession by A.S. Byatt, Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth, The Ghost Road by Pat Barker, and Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey, to name a few.

Take care,
- Wendy

posted by TurboBookSnob at 5:01 pm (EST) on Jun 17, 2008

Actually, _The Great Fire_ has been on my shelf for about a year, unread--I feel like I tried to start it once, but it didn't suit my mood, and I abandoned it. Thanks for the recommendation--I'll have to pick it back up! If you're hungry for lovely British lit, another thing I've done since (nearly) finishing the list is look at the short and long lists from recent Booker years. I've found Nicola Barker's _Darkmans_ that way, and _Mister Pip_ (Lloyd Jones), _The Night Watch_ (Sarah Waters), and _Carry Me Down_ (M.J. Hyland) have been recent favorites of mine--and I KNOW that I wouldn't have found those authors any other way. There's a "crib sheet" at this address, as I'm sure you've already discovered: http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/archive
Again, thanks so much! It's good to hear from someone with such similar taste.

posted by lasomnambule at 4:59 pm (EST) on Apr 14, 2008

I also started with _The Sea, The Sea_ in winter '06! Penelope Lively was actually one of my favorite finds. I was also really pleased to discover Anita Brookner, and I think that _Hotel du Lac_ is one of my favorite books of the whole "Booker project," which I think I'm pretty much done with. I'm missing three: I can't face the Golding, I haven't yet spent $20 on Middleton's _Holiday_, and I can't manage to get my hands on the Newby. Other favorites: _The Bone People_, _Saville_, and _The Elected Member_. Good luck--I'm pleased I did it, and I'm sure you will be as well!

posted by lasomnambule at 9:53 am (EST) on Mar 31, 2008

Dear islandgalcal,

I have not read Infidel. I will put it on my reading list.
Thanks for the recommendation.

I agree with you, what I have read does define me rather than what I own. I think you made a good decision including what you have read.

dara85

posted by dara85 at 8:24 pm (EST) on Mar 23, 2008

Dear islandgalcal,

I have read Reading Lolita in Tehran also. I was appalled at the treatment of women in the book. Although, I thought A Thousand Splendid Suns was worse.

My library is mostly books I have read, the ones I own I haven't read. I am a big library user and I enjoy sharing my books so when I finish them they usually go to a book sale.

I was getting to a point where I was picking up the same books to read and reading about 50 pages before I realized, "I have read this." That's why I think Library Thing is so great. I know there are some who think it should be only for books you own. I think Library Thing should be whatever that person wants it to be.

Have a great weekend and Happy Easter!

dara85

posted by dara85 at 2:22 pm (EST) on Mar 22, 2008

Dear Islandgal,

I am glad you wrote. I love to reccommend books and talk about them also. I work in a library. I have read many more books that deal with childhood abuse.
Some good ones: The Glass Castle and A Child Called It (hard to read, but hard to put down at the same time). I use a lot of tags if you look up disfunctional family, abuse, domestic violence etc.

My childhood was ideal. I think I am drawn to that type of book because it is so different from my own life.

The only other book dealing with spousal abuse that I can think of is The Burning Bed by Faith McNulty. This is an old one published in 1980. I am going to date myself, there was a movie made of it with Farrah Fawcett.

I just read Shattered Dreams this year and loved it. Check out her web page linked to Library Thing if you haven't already done so.

Oh, I forgot A Thousand Splendid Suns has spousal abuse and more than one wife married to the same man, it takes place in Afganistan, however. I read that just this year also. It is a great book!

If you decide to read either of these, let me know what you think.

dara85

posted by dara85 at 10:13 pm (EST) on Mar 20, 2008

I just heard about this site on NPR. I am an NPR junkie and a bibliophile and they keep me sane and my brain from becoming mush as I am also a stay at home mom with two small children. I will add more books as I get more time and would love to hear from anyone who has read some of the same. I love to discuss books almost as much as reading them.

posted by islandgalcal at 8:00 pm (EST) on Mar 20, 2008