portnova's 2011 reading corner

Hi, everyone! I’m Elena and I’m simply taken with this group after having lurked around for the past few days! This is my first time participating and I don’t have a very clear picture of what I’d like to achieve at this point. I’m set to “meet” the group members, read good books and hopefully take part in a few challenges. I’ve been to a rather slow start this year, so encouragement is welcome and it doesn’t have to be subtle, I'm that slow.

Books read in 2011

January/ February

1. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
2. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
3. Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl series, book 1) by Eoin Colfer
4. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
5. 1984 by George Orwell
6. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
7. The Stranger by Max Frei

March

8. The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
9. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
10. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
11. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
12. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
13. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

April

14. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (TIOLI #10 Book to screen)
15. Blood-Red Rivers by Jean-Christophe Grange
16. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (TIOLI #11 2011 Orange prize longlist)
17. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (TIOLI #15 a book written by Diana Wynne Jones)
18. After Dark by Haruki Murakami (TIOLI #8 a book by a Japanese author or that takes place in Japan)
19. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen (TIOLI #3 a book which takes place in Paris)
20. Regeneration by Pat Barker (TIOLI #1 striking cover)
21. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (TIOLI #14 a book with a flower or a place you would find flowers in the title)
22. Spring Torrents by Ivan Turgenev (TIOLI #7 a book with the word "spring" in the title)

May - August

23. Jane Eyre by by Charlotte Bronte
24. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
25. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
26. City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer
27. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (re-read)

Reading now

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Welcome to the group, Elena!

Welcome, Elena! You've read one of my 2011 favorites so far, Alias Grace, and you've tackled Calvino, and *shudder* are reading 1984 (hated it way back when, and can't imagine being persuaded to give it another go, but if you love it, do try to change my mind!)....I don't see that you need a whole lot of encouragement. It's never really about the numbers here. Just good reading and good conversation---as I'm sure you've found out if you've been lurking a while. I started doing this just to keep track of what I was reading, and to get an idea of how many books I devour in a year's time. This is my fifth year at it, and now I can't live without it.

Linda

Hi Elena, and welcome to the group!
Linda is right, it's not at all about numbers. But if you want some extrinsic motivation you could for example join reading groups, or read-a-thons. It's not only a lot of fun, but you can really see the reading progress.

What did you think about Atwood? I haven't read anything by her yet, but I want to, and lately I bought The Handmaid's Tale.
Oh, and I've read 1984 several times and I always liked it, especially the claustrophobic atmosphere of the book. What about you, do you like it, so far?

Welcome!

Hello,

I like the Artemis Fowl books. The series gets better as you go, I think, too. Have fun with Pullman's icebears... :)

Welcome to the group! Alias Grace is the only Atwood I've read but I loved it. Looks like you have some other great reads going on and I'll probably pop in to see what else you pick up.

Hi, Elena!
You've read a nice selection of books so far. Which one did you like the best?
--BJ

Welcome, Elena. I'm a big fan of 1984. There's a short series running on BBC TV at the moment where Sebastian Faulks talks about various books, and in the first program he had a whole section about 1984, and what a great hero Winston Smith is - possibly the great literary hero, according to Faulks. I don't know what options you have for seeing BBC programs, but if you can, I would recommend this one.

>2 alcottacre:: Thank you, Stasia!

>3 laytonwoman3rd:: Thank you, Linda. I absolutely agree, while numbers and means to keep track are a very nice bonus, what tempted me to join was primarily the welcome and friendly atmosphere of the group. Not to mention the stack of reading suggestions I ended up with after just briefly browsing a few topics!
I thought Alias Grace was a great book; in my opinion, Margaret Atwood managed to stay respectful of the historical facts while being extraordinarily imaginative very gracefully (no pun intended) and with great skill. I’m about halfway through 1984 and I hope to be able to come up with a coherent opinion by the time I’m done with it. I’m looking forward to book discussions but also dread them a little, since no one else in my surroundings reads and it’s been quite a while.

>4 PersephonesLibrary:: Thank you, Kathy! I’ve checked out a couple of read-a-thon threads and they do seem like a lot of fun and something I’d enjoy doing! I’ll definitely try to get involved.
I’ve only read two books by M. Atwood, and I absolutely intend to read more. The second book being The Handmaid’s Tale, which I can recommend, especially considering your interest in 1984. It’s a dystopian novel set in a futuristic highly controlling society, which stripped its women of all their rights and freedoms and downgraded them to serving as basic primitive functions in order to preserve what remained of the population. I found it a cautionary and rather disturbing but at the same time fast-paced and engaging read.
As for 1984 so far it’s having a great impact on me and I’ll try to share my thoughts on it once I finish reading.

>5 drneutron:: Thank you, Jim!

>6 jadebird:: Hello, Ren, and thanks! I enjoyed the 1st Artemis book and would like to read more of his adventures. Didn’t get to the bears yet and I can’t wait!

>7 MickyFine:: Thank you, Micky. I’m certainly not an expert on Atwood myself and I liked what I’ve read of hers a lot too. And my future pick-ups might contain some familiar names since I found my TBR list to grow rapidly since discovering the 75-ers.

>8 billiejean:: Hello, BJ and thank you! I have to say Alias Grace is the one I liked the most of the books read this year. But there have been way too few and I'm sure the list of favorites will grow.

>9 JanetinLondon:: Thank you, Janet! I'm an anglophile in the making and take great interest in BBC programming. And BBC special on books is something I would definitely like to watch. Thanks again for the welcome and the recommendation.

Finished reading 1984 today. There isn’t much to say about this book that hasn’t already been said, and it’s hard (for me) to speak about it and not sound overly pompous, but here it is anyway.

1984

I really wanted to read this book when I was in high school. It was a subject of international literature studies, and our teacher was very enthusiastic speaking of how Orwell, in order to create a timeline for his story, switched digits from 48 to 84, and ended up seeing into the future, for 1985 was a groundbreaking year for my country signified by the fall of the communist regime. I tried to find a copy of the novel back then but in post-Soviet Russia even in mid-nineties a book like that was still hard to come by, so I had no choice but to be content with rather detailed retelling our teacher provided. I still remember her talking about the speck of dust on the journal although it’s been years! However I felt that I owed it to myself to read the book, which I finally did.
1984 has been a dystopian classic for decades and it’s still relevant and powerful to this day. Even though I was familiar with the plot prior to reading, it still had a great impact on me. George Orwell’s concise, even dry at times manner of writing with every word at its designated place didn’t fail to stir emotion; on the contrary, I think it rather contributed to it in my case. Orwell speaks of the world completely void of the very concepts of freedom, individuality and privacy. World ruled by the government that tampers with the facts, alters reality, keeps people under constant scrutinized surveillance and controls minds through decrease of the language, all of which leads to absolute power. It is a terrifying world but somehow not unrealistic. Because it’s hard to resist and not draw parallels with the present day tendencies of the reality I live in, all the while wondering if the history is on the way to repeat itself yet again.

Nice review! I thought 1984 was a powerful book. I am hoping to reread it soon. Have a great weekend!
--BJ

#13: I still have not read 1984 although I did finally get to Animal Farm last year. Nice review!

Welcome to the group.

Atwood's Handmaid's Tale is an interesting read. There are several of us doing a group read of speculative fiction focusing on women this year, and we'll be reading Handmaid's Tale in Julyif you'd like to join us. (Our current discussion of Native Tongue is here.)

BJ, Stasia, thank you!

Thank you, Ardene. I read The Handmaid's Tale last October, but chances are I might be ready for a reread and a discussion by July. I'm certainly going
to keep an eye out for reads of speculative fiction on women and thanks for the link.

#13 Well, you have almost convinced me that I should give 1984 another look. Your review is the first I've read by someone reading the book from your perspective---having lived in the Soviet Union. I've just finished reading The Gates of November, by Chaim Potok, which would make an excellent companion read to the Orwell.

>18 laytonwoman3rd:: To be honest, even though I did live in the Soviet Union, I was much too young to remember or realize a whole lot. On the other hand we were free to talk about past when I was growing up, so I learned a great deal of how things had been at the history classes, but there were no ideology of the party studies for me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that mine is in no way the first-hand experience, I’m ‘related’ to people for whom it was.
Off to your thread now to read about The Gates of November

Slow week reading-wise, but finished listening to The Golden Compass. What a delight! Narrated by Philip Pullman himself accompanied by a full cast of actors. A superb performance of a breathtaking adventure which I couldn't get enough of. Looking forward to the next installment.
Right now I'm reading The Stranger by Max Frei. I had this project under radar for a while and Fantasy February seemed like a good reason to give it a try. It's pretty lengthy but very light and entertaining, so there's a good chance I'll finish it by the end of the month.
Another book on my currently reading list is The Moviegoer by Walker Percy. It's very well written with slow developing plot and I'm taking my time with it going back and rereading parts, pausing to look up the references and soaking up the atmosphere.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Golden Compass. I really liked it too but I was disappointed by the second book and didn't bother to try the third. Hopefully you'll like them better.

Hey, Micky! Thanks for the warning :), I think I'll give a second book a try (well, some day anyway). Sorry you didn't like it, I'm sure though there's plenty of great books out there to make up for it.

While The Golden Compass is the most engaging, possibly because it's the first, I thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy as a whole, and would encourage you to continue when you have time. The last book does not end to everyone's liking, but it is consonant with the story - I can't think of how else Pullam could have ended it.

I think I've neglected my thread long enough, time for a long needed update.

>23 ffortsa:: Thank you and sorry it took me so long to respond, I'm very intrigued by all the controversy around what's supposed to be children book, I would very much like to finish the series.

And first March reads:



Book 8. The Moviegoer by Walker Percy (5 stars)

The novel is set in post-war New Orleans during Mardi Gras week, and follows a few days in the life of John “Binx” Bolling, a stockbroker and a Korean War veteran, on the verge of his thirtieth birthday. Binx spends his days working, having casual and short-lived affairs with his secretaries, associating with family that includes his strong-willed Aunt Emily and fragile-minded step-cousin Kate, and going to the movies. Moviegoing (not a real word, I know) is his way to overcome boredom and extract some excitement out of his life. It also seems to be his means to relate to his surroundings - he sees features of favorite actors in people’s faces and gestures and makes up screenplays that involve random strangers he encounters. Shortly after we are introduced to him, Binx finds himself at a loss - he refuses to succumb to mundane routine while being pressured by his aunt to define his purpose and prospects.
It took me some time to get into this book, but once I did, I found so much to like about it. Quiet, slow, with minimum of a plot, “The Moviegoer” nevertheless has a lot to offer. It is exquisitely written, thoughtful and insightful and filled with keen and humorous observations of the human character. Binx, an unlikely hero by anyone’s definition, appeared to me as very perceptive, ironic and overall sympathetic. The rest of the characters came to life as well thanks to Walker Percy’s craftsmanship and outstanding attention to detail. Considered a fine example of American existentialism, “The Moviegoer” doesn’t moralize or answer fundamental questions, it does however provide plenty of material to ponder and reflect on.



Book 9. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (4 stars)

“The Bluest Eye” is a tragic story rendered in beautiful, breathtaking at times prose. In the core of the novel is a story of Pecola, eleven year-old black girl who is compelled to wish for something she can’t have. Pecola, who is ultimately deprived of everything a child is usually entitled to, is convinced that having blue eyes and blond hair (societal beauty criteria) will make her beautiful and therefore loveable.
“The Bluest Eye” touches on a number of sensitive subjects – love, hate, race, identity, beauty, abuse, poverty, incest. It’s not an easy book to read but one that’s hard to put down. Complex structure of the novel might be slightly confusing – non-linear narration shifts from first to third person and is intertwined with excerpts from Dick and Jane story, strikingly contrasting to the narrative of the novel – but in my opinion is made up for by skillful writing. This is only the second book of Toni Morrison that I have read, but I find myself quickly becoming quite a fan of her literary style and vision.

Very nice reviews!
--BJ

Thank you, BJ!

I am so excited! My technologically challenged mom got herself a laptop, is learning how to use it, signed up for Russian equivalent of Facebook and sent me a message! Not bad for someone who didn't know how to press "play" on a tape recorder. Very proud of my little mommy.

Back to books, I stayed up till 3 am last night to finish listening to Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Excellent book, turned out to be a lot more than just a cosy mystery I imagined.

yes, the Atkinson is quite a complex book, isn't it?

Congratulations to your mom for not being too scared of those button thingies to learn something new. It's not trivial to challenge yourself that way.

Thank you, Judy! My mom is a trooper, she has a quiet, non-flashy way of getting things done, even if they are extremely challenging for her, for instance, she first started driving when she was 47(!), got into an accident shortly after and still didn't give up.

And, yes, Atkinson is a wonderful discovery, must read more!

Glad you enjoyed the Atkinson book - the others in the series are good too, I hope you enjoy them. Have you read her earlier novels - Behind the Scenes at the Museum is her first, and very good too.

Genny, thanks for visiting! Case Histories is the first and only Atkinson I've read, and I'm definitely planning to read more now that I know. I keep reading wonderful things about Behind the Scenes at the Museum, on the wishlist it goes.

always thought about reading 1984, just never got around to it.... was it worth it? :)

Now I've found you, took me a bit of time..... I am finally learning the necessary shortcuts around here after a year. Wonderful review of The Moviegoer.
I am crazy about Kate Atkinson and keep threatening to start a Jackson Brodie fan club.

Oh, that review of The Moviegoer takes me back to when I had the pleasure of reading it, a long time ago. Maybe I'll persuade my book club to reread it.

I think I'd be rereading MG right this minute if it wasn't still packed up in a box in storage. (Big move 9 months ago).

Lucy, thank you for visiting and for resurrecting my thread, I didn't realize it's been this long. Jackson Brodie fan club - I'm in!

>32 Bridgey:: I'm sorry for the delayed reply, 1984 is an important book to me and was well worth it. But it's a hard one to recommend because I understand why not everyone would like it.

>34 ffortsa:: Judy, thank you and I fully support your campaign to promote the Moviegoer, I'll be reading it again, I'm sure I missed quite a lot the first time.

New month, new books! I wonder if this feeling of novelty wears off in time or is it always going to be this exciting? I read total of 6 books in March, which isn’t much, but better than I normally do and I thought they were all good books. I also participated in TIOLI challenge for the first time in March and enjoyed it very much, and I am planning to continue in April.

I still have a couple of books to finish from March, but I couldn't resist starting A Game of Thrones yesterday. I'm reading it now to beat the premiere of the TV-series, and it also conveniently falls into the Book to Screen challenge.

Just waving hello as I try and catch up with the threads! I hope you have a wonderful new reading month :)

I was juggling a lot of books when I started A Game of Thrones, but I soon put all the others aside until I could finish that book. It was a terrific read!
--BJ

You just made my day bj - I had no idea that HBO was doing the Martin -- and opening day is my husband's b-day -- what a treat!

>38 alcottacre:: Stasia, hello and thank you for stopping by!

>39 billiejean:: BJ, same story! I barely touched other books and sort of glad I don't have next book in the series yet just so I could finish them.

>40 sibylline:: Lucy, is your husband going to watch the series with you? I just realized that new season of Doctor Who starts on our anniversary, but I'm on my own there.

************
Book 14. I finished A Game of Thrones, which was another terrific discovery and I sense there will be many more to come. An epic fantasy tale featuring great story and characters I have grown so attached to, that I felt like hurling the book across the room on more than one occasion (which is not typical for me). The narration held strong throughout the entire book, and with every new chapter as the story unfolded through the eyes of a different character and I resisted the urge to turn pages over to keep with the previous one (I hope that makes sense), I was awarded with new twists and turns that held me engrossed. Multitude of intricate names and titles was a bit confusing at first, but not enough to prevent me from enjoying the book immensely. I am very anxious to find out how this tale continues and the promise of magic I was left with at the end of this tome is exhilarating.

Hi there, I'm just starting to snoop around other people's lists, and I liked your thread title...

>41 portnova:: About A Game of Thrones - I'm contemplating re-reading it (while I hold my breath waiting for the HBO series to come out on DVD, since I don't pay for HBO), having read it ages ago. I also felt like throwing it across the room and skipping ahead to the sections with my favorite characters... This is the main reason I haven't picked it back up again.

Have you ever read J.V. Jones' Sword of Shadows series? From what I remember of A Game of Thrones, it's similar, without so many characters, but with the epic feel. I liked hers much better, partly because it's not so frustrating to grow attached to the characters.

I've had A Game of Thrones reserved from the library for a while now but it is so popular that the waiting list is very long. I'm considering buying it now based on the great reviews I keep reading although that would mean buying the whole series..

I am wishing that I had bought the book instead of borrowing it from the library.

Nice review!
--BJ

We might have to rent a hotel room for the GoT HBO opener -- just kidding -- we'll probably wait for the DVD release too, which I imagine will be swift. We have no TV, no cable, rely totally on Netflix.

Yes, hubster is as big a fan of GoT as me. We both share a love of fantasy and SF - lots of stuff hared in the middle of our venn diagram.

>42 stayjay:: Hello, StayJay and thank you! I am relatively new myself and still at the snooping stage as well. Looks to me like it's the right time for a re-read if you resolve to do so, especially if you are waiting for DVD release. I noticed that I'm a lot less critical of screen version of the book if there's been some time. And thank you for the recommending Sword of Shadows, I'm adding it to the WL and will keep an eye out for it.

>43 KiwiNyx:: Kiwi, I agree, it will be hard to stop at just one. I hope the queue in your library moves along quickly and you'll have a chance to get your hands on the book.

>44 billiejean:: BJ, thank you! Are you planning to read the second book any time soon?

>45 sibylline:: Oh, Lucy, that's great! The two of you being book-lovers and having books in common, I mean. And kudos to you for not having TV, I rarely watch it and mostly just record movies and series, but it can be hard to avoid at times and very distracting! Netflix rules!

I don't know when I will read the next book. Maybe this summer.
--BJ

I'm way behind here! Finished few books in the past two weeks and will try to say a few words about them as I come up with it.
On non-reading news, husband and I celebrated our seventh anniversary Saturday (23rd), hard to believe it's been this long already!



Book 15. Blood-red Rivers by Jean-Christophe Grange (3.5 stars)

A renowned Parisian detective Pierre Niemans is sent to a secluded university town of Guernon in French Alps to investigate a murder of local librarian. 25 year-old Remy Caillois had been tortured, mutilated and his body was found wedged into the crevice of a rock. All signs point to workings of a psychopath. Meanwhile in the nearby town another policeman Karim Abdouf is looking into desecration of a child’s tomb and a break-in into a local school to find out that the two occurrences are connected somehow. Further investigation brings him to Guernon, where the two policemen will try to unravel the mystery and stop the murderer.

Blood-Red Rivers is one of the better known works of French crime fiction writer Jean-Christophe Grange. It was made into a movie back in 2000 - “The Crimson Rivers” with Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel, which I haven’t yet seen. I found the book engaging and able to hold my interest for the most part. I was interested to follow the storylines of two parallel investigations as they merged, the plot becoming more and more tangled with new turns and discoveries. I also liked how Grange managed to depict the worlds of crime and law diffusing into one another through his protagonists. Both are brilliant at their job but far from ideal representatives of the profession – Niemans gives in to fits of violent rage (the book starts with him beating a criminal so severely that he ends up in a coma), and Abdouf, an orphan who grew up on the streets, is a former gang member and a thief. The ending was a bit of a let down for me, but overall “Blood-Red Rivers” is a noteworthy thriller and I wouldn’t mind reading more of Grange.

Book 16. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (4 stars)

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan is an experimental and inventive jigsaw puzzle of a novel which I enjoyed very much. It is composed of interconnected stories out of chronological order each written in a different style and seldom focusing on the same character. And much like with a puzzle as last fragment falls into place the seemingly scattered pieces make up a complete picture. I discovered it worked better for me if I paused after each story to let it settle and let go in a way, before turning to a new point of view at a completely different angle. Passing of time is the main theme that runs through every part of this clever and well-written book. It made me think of changes and losses that we deal with as time goes by and reminded me that things tend to work themselves out in the end, even if it’s not the way that was originally intended.

>49 portnova: Just finished that one tonight myself and quite enjoyed it. Which chapter was your favourite?

>50 MickyFine:: I was blown away by Great Rock and Roll Pauses (PowerPoint) chapter, not only by its unique form, I thought the content was brilliant as well.

Just popping up to say hello. I've been seeing your name around the TIOLI challenges (and found myself exploring your library for the Tag Mirror challenge this month). We seem to read many similar books.

I love your description of A Visit From the Goon Squad, which I read earlier this year and really enjoyed--but your comments remind me of exactly what I liked about it. Did you know you can go to the author's website and see the Power Point as an actual slide show? (I think one of my favorite chapters was the Safari one. But it is hard to pick.)

#48 Happy Anniversary! Seven years...seems like a long time, huh? It's just the beginning, if you're lucky. (Coming up on 39 years here...and I can't believe it either!)

>51 portnova: My favourite chapter as well, just for using the format so creatively and actually making a narrative happen within the constrains of the medium.

>52 AnneDC:: Hello, Anne, nice to meet you! Thank you for finding time to stop by and for your kind words. I do see your name quite often too and your library usually comes up as one of the top similar to mine. And thanks for the tip-off about the website and the slide show, so cool!

>53 laytonwoman3rd:: Thank you, Linda! 39 years... tipping my hat to you and your spouse.

>54 MickyFine:: Micky, I was thinking same exact thing when I was reading this chapter, and you put it in much more articulate way than I would have.

>55 portnova: *blushes* Aw shucks. Hope you're enjoying your current read!

It's been ages since last update and I feel bad about not being around for such a long time. To be honest I hardly read at all in the last few months mostly due to not having very much time to myself. Summer was busy (moving to a new place being the biggest and perhaps most stressful "event"), and I am glad to have things slow down a bit and try to bring this reading slump to an end.

What I am reading now - on the last hundred pages of The Blind Assassin, which I've been reading on and off since June and hope to finish it this time. And also just started The Hunger Games (seems like I am the only person who hasn't read it yet), the book I wanted to get to for a while.

Hope you're nicely settled into your new place and looks like you have some really good reads to keep you busy. :)

I haven't read The Hunger Games yet either, but I have been wanting to read it. I think our copy might be with my daughter in Houston. But she has promised to bring it to me.

I thought The Blind Assassin was a pretty interesting read.

That makes three who haven't read The Hunger Games. I am in possession of the book, but others keep getting in the way.

Hi Micky, BJ and Judy! Thank you for visiting. It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who hasn't read The Hunger Games yet. I noticed that I often leave books I'm almost certain I would enjoy and zip through for last/ bad day/ book funk/ etc., which is silly because there are so many books I haven't read yet and a lot of those are exactly the type. But I can't help it. Anyway I am halfway done with the HG and it sure is a quick and engaging, although not light read that is hard to put down. I also finished The Blind Assassin and am still mulling over it trying to define how I feel about it.

Delurking to say I still haven't read The Hunger Games so just adding my voice there but am interested in what you thought of the Blind Assasin.

I've read all but the last one in the Hunger series, I think it is even somewhere up in my daughter's room. Not sure why I haven't.