======================
August

68. The Accidental, Ali Smith
67. Quite a Year For Plums, Bailey White
66. The Things That Matter: What Seven Classic Novels Have to Say About the Stages of Life, Edward Mendelson
65. Kingdom Coming: the Rise of Christian Nationalism, Michelle Goldberg
64. Brixton Beach, Roma Tearne
63. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
62. Green Grass, Running Water, Thomas King
61. Half-Breed, Maria Campbell
60. Any Four Women Could Rob the Bank of Italy, Ann Cornilisen
59. The Child in Time, Ian McEwan

July

58. Five Quarters of an Orange, Joanne Harris
57. Paula, Isabel Allende
56. Unformed Landscape, Peter Stomm
55. Divided Minds, Shapiro & Shapiro
54. Death in Venice, Thomas Mann
53. The End of the Alphabet, CS Robertson
52. The Immaculate Deception, Iain Pears
51. Short Stories in Italian, Nick Roberts, editor
50. The Enchanted April, Elizabeth von Arnim
49. Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

June

48. The London Scene, Virginia Woolf
47. Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamine, Nic Sheff
46. The Numerati, Stephan Baker
45. The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole
44. The Robber Bride, Margaret Atwood
43. Oranges are not the Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson
42. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris
41. Portrait of a Lady, Henry James

May

40. The Graduate, Charles Webb
39. The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx
38. Late Nights on Air, Elizabeth Hay
37. The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women, Jessica Valenti
36. Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam, Peter Goldsworthy
35. Leonardo's Swans, Karen Essex
34. M is for Magic, Neil Gaiman
33. Where Angels Fear to Tread, EM Forster
32. Beautiful Boy: a Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, David Sheff

April

31. 100 Ways America is Screwing Up the World, John Tirman
30. Travelers' Tales Tuscany, James O'Reilly, ed
29. Mister Pip, Lloyd Jones
28. Mutiny on the Bounty, John Boyne
27. The Lost Painting, Jonathan Harr
26. Veronika Decides to Die, Paulo Coelho
25. Generation X, Douglas Coupland
24. The Frozen Thames, Helen Humphreys
23. Jacob's Room, Virginia Woolf (reread)

March

22. Parade's End, Ford Maddox Ford
21. The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
20. Vile Bodies, Evelyn Waugh (reread)
19. Edwardian Life & Leisure, Ronald Pearsall
18. Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West (reread 2X)
17. A Critical Commentary on Dickens's 'Great Expectations', John Barnes
16. Great Expectations, Charles Darwin

February

15. Vile Bodies, Evelyn Waugh
14. The Great War and Modern Memory, Paul Fussell
13. Speaking of Sex, Meg Hickling
12. Jacob's Room, Virginia Woolf
11. Chaucer, Peter Ackroyd

January

10. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World, Eric Weiner
9. A Fine Brush on Ivory: an appreciation of Jane Austen, Richard Jenkyns
8. Terry Jones' Medieval Lives, Terry Jones
7. Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West
6. Parliament of Fowls, Legend of Good Women, & The Book of the Duchess, Geoffrey Chaucer
5. after the quake, Haruki Murikami
4. The General, CS Forester
3. Larry's Party, Carol Shields
2. Helen of Troy, Margaret George
1. Fruit: a Novel about a Boy and His Nipples, Brian Francis

Hello. I tracked my 2008 reading over at the 50 Book Challenge thread, but I'm moving over here for 2009. See you January 1st! Here's the link to my 2008 reading:
Books Read in 2008

Message edited by its author, Aug 30, 2009, 7:08pm.

Nice to see you here! I've starred your thread just as I did in 2008.

Welcome to 75! It will make it easier for me to keep track of your reading. See you in 3 days.

Welcome Nickelini!

I love your name...It sounds so Italian!
Having been raised near Roseto, PA, a community of 99.9999% Italian population. I assimilated much of the culture....

I look forward to reading your posts in 2009. You will find this group friendly, well-read, kind and curious.

Linda

Welcome to the group!

Hi Joyce - have starred you also. I am glad to see you in this group. I have signed up also - look forward to reading your posts!!

I jumped over from the 50 book thread too. Look forward to following your 2009 posts! =)

*waves* just making sure I book mark this in my talk thread so I can keep track of your reviews.

1. Fruit: a Novel About a Boy and His Nipples, Brian Francis

Contemporary literature, 2004

When I'm out in public and I see a group of young teenage boys, I try my best to avoid them or ignore them. If I don't, I'll be subjected to fart humour, really dumb attempts at jokes, and foul language (apologies to any articulate, polite young teen boys for making this stereotype, but it's based on my experience). Despite this aversion, I enjoyed reading Fruit, a novel that takes you deep into the mind of a thirteen year old boy. Peter lives in 1980s Sarnia, Ontario, and is friendless, obese and gay. The story is very funny in parts, amusing throughout, and a little sad too. The author, Brian Francis, absolutely nails the details of Canadian life, so if you're looking for a novel that captures typical middle class Canadian culture, this is a good one. Rating: 4/5 stars.

Why I read this now: 1. It's one of the five contenders for the upcoming CBC Canada Reads competition, and 2. the library had it available to read from their website without me having to leave the comfort of home, so I read this off the laptop (which is a nice lap-warmer on a winter's evening). I'm not sure WHAT exactly Canada Reads is supposed to be. Does it mean that everyone in Canada should read these books, or at least the winner? If so, I'm not sure if this is the right book for the competition. For one thing, humour is subjective, so while many people will find it hilarious, I know a bunch of people who wouldn't. Also, there is some pretty bad language and very personal and lewd details, so I know some people out there would find this book offensive. Definitely not a book for every reader.

Recommended for: people who want a funny, unusual read.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 9:05pm.

I was curious about the Canada Reads competition, so I looked it up: http://www.cbc.ca/canadareads/. I am going to try and find some of these titles (although probably not Fruit - does not sound like me cup of tea). Thanks for the mention Nickelini!

Thanks for posting the link, Joyce. I have three on my TBR - The Book of Negros, The Outlander and Mercy Among the Children.

From your excellent review above, I will perhaps miss the nipples book!!!

Keep warm .....*tee hee*

Ah, come on you two . . . The Nipples Book was good!

I like your idea of describing why you chose this particular book at this particular time. I tend to choose books like a drunken butterfly--flitting from flower to flower, as fancy catches me. Sometimes I stay in the rosebush a while, sometimes in the cactus, and sometimes all over the place. I'm going to try to pay attention this year to why I choose each book I read.

Hi arubabookwoman..
If I could get some of the students, who write for the yearbook and newspaper at the university where I supervise publications, to write as well as you with such great images, my job would be so much easier.

>9, Are you saying that I could read this book for free online through a library? I noticed that some of the other competitors (e.g., The Book of Negroes) are on my 50-Book list and am buying way too many books, so...if I can read some for free, that would be great!

Hi Nickelini, Great review! I've starred your thread and picked up The Outlander just because it's Canadian too! Looks like an excellent adventure.

fixed touchstone

Message edited by its author, Jan 5, 2009, 6:20am.

Bonniebooks - yep, that's what I'm saying. I was looking at the online catalogue to see which of the books were at the library and found the link. This was a university library, but I find that my public library has many of the same services. Worth looking into.

2. Helen of Troy, Margaret George

Historical fiction, 2006.

There are many different narratives of Helen of Troy, and there are many different Helens. Here Margaret George follows a fairly conservative version of the story. In this fictionalized "autobiography," she weaves together many tidbits of Helen found in Ancient writing to create a coherent story; tidbits not just from Homer, but other classical sources too. And as with her other novels, George puts a tremendous effort into research. In this book she uses a slightly formal tone of voice to add authenticity to the epic story. While I understand why the author made this choice, unfortunately, this tone keeps the characters at a distance. Some readers have complained about her including the Greek gods of mythology, but I vehemently disagree: they are integral to the story. Without them, the human character's motivation would collapse, and further, the gods were part of the Ancient versions of these stories and so firmly belong there.

Although it is long (over 638 pages), this book is not challenging. It's more of a vacation read that you can get swept up in for a few days. Or, if you're not in the mood for the classical Helen myths, this is a decent mainstream version. Of all the Helens, my favourites are still two from Euripides: Helen, where she is hidden in Egypt, and The Trojan Women, where she runs verbal circles around the other characters.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Why I read this now: Last term I took a course on women in Greek mythology, and most of the myths we studied centred on Helen and the Trojan War. After all the classical and academic texts, I thought it would be an interesting contrast and a nice treat to read a popularized version over the winter break.

Recommended for: lovers of epic, historical fiction

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 9:04pm.

Nice review. I read Helen of Troy last year, and I agree with your assesment.

Off the track, but, have you read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood? It's her version of the story of Penelope 'the good wife' at home on Ithaca whilst hubby Odysseus travels around having adventures after the Trojan war. It's very short and full of trademark Atwood twists.

I would like to read Helen of Troy. Great review Nickelini. I have read George's Henry VIII which I enjoyed very much.

Socialpages - yes, I read The Penelopiad when I started the course. It was a fun companion read, and much shorter than Helen of Troy.

>9 Nickelini, a Novel About a Boy and His Nipples: I prefer nipples on a woman!

>17 My library in the UK has just started a free online reading service. Not tried it yet, but I may give it a whirl at some point once they extend the catalogue.

- TT

3. Larry's Party, Carol Shields

Contemporary fiction, 1997

Carol Shields was truly a master at writing about ordinary people. In this novel, she structures Larry's story in a maze-like pattern, mostly moving forward, but occasionally doubling-back. The story ends in the centre of the maze, which is supposed to be a spot of brief and delightful respite. In the book, this is represented by a dinner party Larry throws. Larry himself is a designer of garden mazes, and the details about his job--and his passion--are the most interesting in the novel. As this is a story about our passage through life, Shields also includes a theme about body changes brought on by age--I found these parts to be boring (and I admit, that may be because I avoid dwelling too much on thoughts of my own aging). I thought there were too many details of Larry's body, especially about his penis: can you say "too much information"? Overall though, I rather enjoyed it. I bought this book years ago when I was reading through Carol Shields oeuvre, but I never got to this one after a few friends gave it a "meh" rating. And then several LTers absolutely hated it. So I let it slip off my radar. But not everyone sees the same things in books, and so I think it was better than "meh."

Rating: 4/5 stars

Why I read this now: Mainly I read this because it's an Orange book, and there is a Orange group read going on this month. I own a few other Orange books, but this one also counts toward my 999 categories for Prize Winner and Oldest Books in My Closet (and Canadian Lit and Women Writers).

Recommended for: those who enjoy well-written novels about average, realistic people rather than larger-than-life heroes or the filthy rich.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 9:03pm.

Great review again, Nickelini. I thought it was a 'meh plus' book.

I was quite surprised to see it win a prize, but then I know most people loved this book. I was not one of them, but I cannot remember enough about it to be critical, however.

Great review. I've been putting off reading this one, too, due to mixed reviews. But since I plan to get through all the Orange winners this year (the ones I haven't read yet), I'll have to face up to it. Probably for Orange July ...

Nickelini
I like the creative way in which you write your reviews, especially the "Why I read this now" portion. This is a unique and different way to post! Thanks!

Lindsacl- I felt this was one to "face up to" too, for the same reasons as you. But I have to say that although it wasn't a rhapsodic, fabulous novel, for the most part I enjoyed reading it. Do not fear this book.

Whisper1 - Thank you. I have to do a lot of formal writing, so I try to remind myself that LT is my chance to shake all of that off and be personal. And for some reason, I'm fascinated why we read books the books we do when we do.

I have Larry's Party on my tbr pile - guess it can stay there for another year.

Hi Nickelini!
Like Linda (Whisper1), I particularly like your comments on "why I'm reading this now". I'd tend to say that my reading choices are unstructured and random, based on whatever I feel like pulling off the shelf at that particular moment, but that's not really true, is it? There's something that makes me want to read one book more than any other - fascinating! The more I think about it, the more I think I might have to pinch your idea...

#27 Me too, especially "Why I read this now".

4. The General, CS Forester

British literature, 1936

As you can tell from the title, this is a war novel, in this case WWI. My prof promised that this read like an adventure story, but I am happy to say that I disagree. Thankfully, the descriptions of battles (which I always find incredibly boring) were kept to a minimum. What was more prevalent, and what I really enjoyed about this book, was how Forester showed the decay that was rampant throughout the English aristocracy of the period. This novel is a very interesting look at the British class system.

I have a bit of trouble rating this book because it's not something I would ever read on my own--I just don't have a military bone in my body. And I probably won't reread it. But on the other hand, the writing is solid, it was an enjoyable and interesting read, the protagonist isn't a clear hero (in fact, by the end I didn't like him at all), and Forester has some interesting things to say. I think I'll give it 4/5 stars.

Why I read this now: Assigned novel for the early 20th century British literature class I'm taking.

Recommended for: Anglophiles, readers who like to read WWI fiction.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 9:01pm.

5. after the quake*, by Haruki Murakami

Japanese literature, 2002

This is a collection of six short stories that all take place in Japan in the month after the 1995 Kobe earthquake. None of the characters are directly involved in the quake, but all have some tie to Kobe. The stories are all rather different from each other, but they all have a main character involved in an unusual relationship, and something happens to shake up their world view. The quakes in this book are all internal.

My favourite story is the most unusual one: "Super-frog Saves Tokyo," and from what I understand, it is the most typical Murakami of the bunch. If that's true, I'll definitely read more of his work in the future.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Why I read this now: There's a Japanese literature group reading going on this month at the Reading Globally group, and I am embarrassed to realize that I've never read a Japanese author before (not that I can remember anyway). With my schedule, I had to read something short, and I thought I might as well fit in something from the 1001 list, and something available at the library (since I didn't own any Japanese books). This book met all the criteria.

* apparently Murakami wants the title in all lowercase. Whatever.

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy slightly odd contemporary fiction (short stories).

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 9:00pm.

I've been meaning to read something Murakami but have been putting it off because I can't tell if I'll like him or not. I think I'll try this one.

I think it took me about three hours to read After the Quake, so a very reasonable time investment to give him a whirl. Hope you like it.

It took me a similar amount of time, but then I turned straight back to the first story and started over!

6. Parliament of Fowls, The Book of the Duchess, and Legend of Good Women, Geoffrey Chaucer

Middle English Literature, 14th century

These are three long poems that are available as small books: I'm counting the three as one book. I read them in the original Middle English, and then I cheated and read Modern English translations too so I can make sure I really understood what I read. All three involve that obtuse narrator, "Geoffrey," his books, his dreams, and a whole handful of other Chaucerian conventions. Pretty fun, but challenging. I have a wonderful prof, otherwise I'd be fairly lost reading this stuff.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

Why I'm Reading This Now: Assigned reading for the Chaucer course I have to take for my English lit degree.

Recommended for: Medievalists

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:59pm.

I had to read The Canterbury Tales (all of them) in middle English for my college course. It was almost like a foreign language. The Miller's Tale and the Wife of Bath's tale are my favorites.

Message edited by its author, Jan 23, 2009, 4:02pm.

I read The Canterbury Tales in modern English a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised at how good they were, and found myself laughing a lot at the antics of some of the characters.
I think a reread is on the cards, perhaps next year.

A reread is probably in order for me, too. When I was in high school we were require to memorize--and recite--the prologue in middle English. It was actually great fun and to this day I can say "Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote . . ." Not that there's a great call for that.

The Chaucer poems sound interesting.

Funny you should mention that! Over the next few weeks I too will be memorizing the beginning of the prologue. "Whan that Aprille, with his shoures soote" back at ya!

7. Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West

British Literature, 1918

This is the story of three English women and their love for one soldier. It is one of the first, if not the first, novel about shell shock in WWI.

Return of the Soldier is perhaps the most perfect book I've ever read. While I consider myself lucky to be studying it at university right now, you do not need to take a class on this book to love it. You can enjoy it just reading it for the story, or you can pull it apart and do a deep literary reading--it works beautifully on both levels. West uses beautiful, evocative language, and creates intriguing characters, and an interesting story. What more could a reader want? Of the 30 students in my class, no one admitted to hating the book, and only one gave it a so-so review.

Rating: If you haven't guessed, 5 out of 5 stars.

Why I read this now: Assigned novel for my early 20th century British literature class. Bonus: it's also on the 1001 list.

Recommended for: Lovers of fine literature.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:59pm.

8. Terry Jones' Medieval Lives, Terry Jones

Non-fiction, 2004

Some people have the most spectacular careers. Terry Jones has had two: star of Monty Python's Flying Circus and medieval scholar. Terry Jones' Medieval Lives is the second book of his I've had the pleasure to read (The other was the physically beautiful Who Murdered Chaucer?). This is what I think they call "popular history," in that it's written to entertain a lay audience and not for academic study. That does not mean it's simplistic, and nor is it written for a beginner of medieval history. This is good stuff, lots of interesting--occasionally funny--information presented in a readable format. I particularly liked his medieval myth-busting of silly and erroneous things we've been led to believe about people in the middle ages (things like they believed the world was flat.)

I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but the book is a companion to a BBC series of the same name. There are a few clips on YouTube, and they look even better than the book. I will definitely order the series on DVD.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Why I read this now: I actually forgot that I had this book until I re-sorted Mnt TBR over Christmas break. I thought it would be appropriate to read now, as I'm studying Chaucer. Each chapter discusses a different sort of person from the period, for example Knight, Damsel, Peasant, and I saw a parallel with the various pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales.

Recommended for: armchair historians, Anglophiles

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:56pm.

9. A Fine Brush on Ivory: an appreciation of Jane Austen, Richard Jenkyns

Non-fiction, 2004

The title of this book is very accurate: it's an appreciation of Jane Austen. This piece reads like a literary critique, but the author has very little negative to say about Austen's writing. Okay, so rather than reading it as straight literary criticism--the positive and the negative--I looked at it as a study of the hows and whys of her authorial decisions. This is a great book for those readers with an intimate knowledge of Austen's novels; it probably wouldn't make much sense to a Jane-neophyte.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Why I read this now: Well, Orangeena made it sound interesting, and then I saw it at the library, and they had such a shiny-new unread copy, and I recently read Sense and Sensibility and kept getting distracted by the writing, and . . . I really didn't have time for this one, but I squeezed it in anyway.

Recommended for: this one is easy! Recommended for all Jane-ites!

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:56pm.

I had no idea Terry Jones was a medieval historian, in addition to being a Python. You have a great list, and am giving me far too many ideas about books I need to read!

I love the idea of explaining why you chose to read each book! I think I'm going to go back and do that for the books I've read so far this year.

(And yes, I'm a bit behind on reading these threads....)

A couple of years ago I read both The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron, so here's my $0.02:
If you like Chaucer, you'll *love* Boccaccio! Seriously, though, I do think that Boccaccio does it better.

Interesting that you meantion that! I've actually bought The Decameron seven years ago, and it's been patiently waiting for me in my TBR stack ever since. Taking this course has made me think 2009 might be the year to finally read it. I learned quite a bit about it years ago when I took an art history course, and have meant to read it ever since.

Glad you like Rebecca West, Nickelini. You should read the Victoria Glendinning biography about West, too. It is very good.

I also have read the Terry Jones' Medieval Lives. I was pushed to get it because of the Monty Python connection and was surprised how dry it was. I perhaps would have knocked off a star for not being 'Monty Pythonish', but that is totally not fair. He is a serious historian and should be read as such. *slaps own hand*

Thanks for the great reviews.

You're right, it's not Python-ish at all. You may prefer the video version--the clips I saw on YouTube had the same material of the book, but seemed funnier, and definitely had a Python feel to them. It looks like a very clever show. Search YouTube for "Terry Jones' Medieval Lives".

Nickelini - thanks SO much for the U-tube suggestion. I have just watched the one on outlaws and it was excellent, with some quite "Pythonesque" moments. I am glad I am not working til the afternoon today.

#42 Nickelini

What a great review of Return of the Soldier. In my younger days I was a huge fan of Rebecca West but I never ran across this one. I'm glad you've reminded me of her and I will definitely look for it.

I agree. I have put in a request for Return of the Soldier at the library. It sounds wonderful.

I'm in for Return of the Soldier too! thanks for the review, sounds like something I'd be in to.

your British Lit class seems very interesting

I am jumping on board with everyone else on Return of the Soldier. I am going to have to go beyond the walls of the local libraries, though, since no one seems to have it.

10. The Geography of Bliss: one grump's search for the Happiest Places in the World, Eric Weiner

Non-fiction, audiobook, read by the author, 2008

Eric Weiner (pronounced "whiner") is exactly my age, and like me is a self-proclaimed grouch who likes to travel. So I related to him from the first paragraph. He is an NPR reporter who went on a world-wide quest for the place with the happiest people. He had lots of interesting stories, lots of psychological tidbits about what makes us happy (or not), lots of interesting trivia about the places he visited, and lots of humour. Truly laugh out loud funny.

Rating: 5/5 stars. I feel like the book isn't serious enough to rate 5 stars, but I really can't find any faults with it, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. So 5/5 it is.

Why I listened to this now I needed an audiobook, this one was available at the library website, and it sounded interesting.

Recommended for:: Readers who enjoy sociology and geography; people who are interested in the world, and the different values of various communities.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:53pm.

Very interesting audio book, Nickelini. Another one for the order pile - I know I can get the same audios as you, so looking forward to it.

>56 So where are the happiest places?

The winner . . . #1 Iceland

Also happy: Holland, Switzerland, Bhutan, Thailand (this last one is only as long as you don't think).

Really unhappy: Moldavia

Besides Moldavia, another place I never want to visit: Qatar

Potentially happy, or partly very happy: India, England

I wonder if that happiness still holds true since the country (Iceland) went bankrupt - or is it true that money does not buy happiness??

Did he say where Canada and the US and Australasia came in? I wonder how you measure happiness?

He did end up in the US, as that's where he's from . . . by the end of the book, the whole happiness search got kinda muddled. But home is home, yada yada. Lots of comments about Canadian researchers and writers, but none about our happiness; no comments about Australasia at all. How you measure happiness, and whether it is something you should even try to measure, is a big topic throughout the book. My husband made the same comment about Iceland that you did, but based on what Weiner said made them happy, I think they are doing just fine (thank you for asking). Totally, totally true that money doesn't buy happiness. Qatar was an example of a filthy rich country that I personally thought sounded positively hideous. I'd be soooooooo miserable there.

I downloaded this through the New West public library internet service (as opposed to physically checking out an audio book from the library itself, as I did with Infidel), so you're right, you have access to this too.

>60, kiwidoc, "I wonder if that happiness still holds true since the country (Iceland) went bankrupt - or is it true that money does not buy happiness??" - that was my first question upon seeing Iceland listed as #1!

>59: Nickelini
Also happy: Holland, Switzerland, Bhutan, Thailand (this last one is only as long as you don't think).

Glad to know I live in a happy country ;-)

11.Chaucer, Peter Ackroyd

Biography, 2004

Chaucer really had the most amazing life beyond his position as the Father of English Literature; he was a Renaissance Man before the renaissance. Just some of the events he was part of, or witnessed first hand: the Black Death of 1348 (and four subsequent outbreaks), the Hundred Years' War, the Great Schism (he was in Italy when it occurred), the Peasant's Revolt, and the usurpation of Richard II by Henry Bolingbroke. Whew!

Recommended for: anyone looking for a short bio of a fascinating Medieval personality.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:52pm.

The Chaucer bio is waiting for me too, Joyce.

I also had a weak moment at Indigo books when browsing! It was just sitting there waiting for me - the Terry Jones book on the Chaucer period Who Murdered Chaucer. The illustrations and format are very pretty. I went in for two Dosteyovsky books translated by Prevear and came out with four!

The Chaucer bio sounds excellent. I've noticed my non-fiction reading has plummeted lately. Too many fiction readers on LT!

Love Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Shall put this biography on my wishlist.

Me too - the Chaucer bio sounds great!

12. Jacob's Room, Virginia Woolf

British literature (modernist), 1922

Beautiful language and imagery, but I am having trouble assembling these fragments into a whole. Will write more after I've taken my seminars on this one.

Why I read this now: Assigned reading for my 20th century British literature class; I took the class because I wanted to study Woolf.

Message edited by its author, Feb 5, 2009, 11:50am.

13. Speaking of Sex: are you ready to answer the questions your kids will ask?, Meg Hickling

Parenting, 1996

Just as the subtitle of the updated edition says: what your children need to know and when they need to know it. Practical, logical information presented in a reader-friendly format. A parent can't read this too soon. I read the original edition when my daughter was a toddler, and now again as she's in puberty. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Why I Read This Now: I read this for the first time when my daughter was about 12 months old, she's now 12 years old, so I thought it was time for a refresher.

Recommended for: All parents from children age 8 months to early puberty.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:50pm.

Haven't read this particular book, but as the mother of a daughter who is soon to turn 13, I certainly understand your reason for reading it.

The worry of all parents, methinks. How to instruct and inform without trivializing the subject. Meg Hickling came many times to my daughter's elementary school but I thought that they started the whole thing too early - in Grade 1 or 2 - and would rather that it was taught to 11 and 12 year olds. But then I am old-fashioned!!!

I think grade 1 or 2 is great, but she should definitely come back when the kids are 11 or 12! Better too much info than not enough--they'll filter out the excess anyway.

14. The Great War and Modern Memory, Paul Fussell

Literary criticism, 1975

Why I read this now: Somewhere along the line I had heard that this was an essential must-read for anyone interested in World War I, so I added it to my TBR list. I ran across it at the library and thought now was the time to read it, as I'm studying WWI British literature. I actually thought it was a history book, not lit crit and didn't quite know what I was getting.

Comments: In this book, Fussell talks about how the WWI British soldiers were influenced by British literature, and in turn, how WWI influenced British literature after the war (up to the date of his writing, in fact). Lots of detailed analysis of WWI poetry and the writers of the era. Many sections of this book were fascinating; other sections, where he discusses texts I haven't read, were utterly meaningless.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Recommended for: book lovers who are also interested in WWI.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:46pm.

Good review. I think I will have to make a category next year for WWI and it's literature--maybe two categories! I'd be interested to know what else you are reading for this class to help me start searching for books.

My interest originally stemmed from reading (many times!) the Dorothy Sayers mysteries and the Jacqueline Winspear Maisie Dobbs series. In January I read a book about the Lord Peter series called Conundrums for the Long Weekend which really awakened a passion for finding out more about that period--the War itself and the aftermath, history as well as literature of that period.

Yes, it's a fascinating period, and rich in literature. WWI has always been my "favourite" war, if one can have such a thing. :-/

I'm not familiar with the books you mentioned, so I'll be on the look out for them. Thanks. (Yeah, like I need any more suggestions for my TBR list).

12. Jacob's Room, Virginia Woolf, part 2
(also #23)

Back at post 69 I promised to come back and post after my lectures when I had more thoughts. I still have one more lecture to go, but at this point I can confidently say that this is an extremely complex novel. As my prof likes to say "you can not read this book until you've read the book" (in other words, you need to read it twice to begin to understand it). This book is exhausting in its layers of meaning and symbolism. I think if you just reads it as a regular novel, you really won't get much of anything out of it other than some nice language and imagery. As Anne Berke says in her ultra-condensed version of the Collected Works of Virginia Woolf: "Life is beautiful and tragic. Let's put flowers in a vase." If you don't dissect Jacob's Room, that's all you'll get out of it.

If you're interested, I've posted some of my class notes over at the Virginia Woolf Author Theme Read Group, here

Recommended for: people who like to read very closely; people who like a challenge.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 8:44pm.

15. Vile Bodies, Evelyn Waugh

British literature, 1930

Why I read this now: Assigned reading for my British Lit class.

Comments: I definitely liked this book. It was a fairly quick and for the most part pleasant read, and it sort of reminds me of a Nancy Mitford book I read in '07, and also of those 1930s movies with the madcap couples and their butler. But I'm not sure what I think of it yet. I will post more when I've mulled it over for a while. I'll be back.

#78: I read The Loved One by Waugh last year and enjoyed it, so it looks like I might like Vile Bodies as well. Thanks for the recommendation!

16. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

British literature, 1861.

I always find it difficult to comment on classic books--what is there left to say? Yes, I enjoyed this very much, thought it was well-done, etc. Unfortunately, I had to fit this 500+ page novel in between all my school reading, so I didn't give it the attention it deserved (in other words, don't quiz me on it!).

I did, however, find something interesting written about Great Expectations. Browsing at the library, I tripped across Dickens's Great Expectations (no touchstone), a 2002 scholarly work, by Jerome Meckier. His theory is that Dickens wrote Great Expectations to "subvert" the Victorian era's "Cinderella Complex." Apparently GE is his response to rival novels that he thought were fairytales--books such as Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, The Woman in White, and most emphatically, Jane Eyre. Meckier says Dickens wrote GE to "darken characters, themes and situations he found unrealistic." He thought the Victorians had a "dangerous attitude" of "unqualified ascent" (aka Cinderella complex) that he wanted to comment on with this novel. I found the chapter comparing GE to Jane Eyre (and the characters Pip and Jane) very interesting. He drew many complex parallels between the two novels, and I found his argument plausible. I skimmed over the chapter comparing GE and Wuthering Heights, but I didn't find it very convincing. Anyway, I found that looking at GE this way made the novel richer and more interesting.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Why I Read This Now: It was my book club read for February. Also, I have a personal goal to read one Dickens novel a year until I've read the six or seven I'm interested in. Bonus: it's on the 1001 list.

Recommended for: this book would appeal to a wide-range of readers. Can't pick any one group.

Edited to add:

After finishing GE, I read:

17. A Critical Commentary on Dickens's 'Great Expectations (no touchstone), by John Barnes.

Literary Criticism, 1966.

Short, but interesting, criticism on the Dickens novel. Excellent chapter on irony.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:36pm.

Nickelini, since you just finished Great Expectations, you might want to try Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, which is about a young girl, Matilda, living on an island off of Papua New Guinea. Matilda's teacher reads Great Expectations to the class, one chapter a day, and it comes to mean a great deal to Matilda. Her own life in some ways mirrors that of Pip, and Dicken's novel plays a large part in this book - they would be interesting to read together.

Funny you should mention that . . . my book club is reading Mr. Pip for April. That's why we read Great Expectations this month. (I've had both in my TBR stack for ages, so it's all good for me!)

Oh, that is funny - your book club sounds great! Most only read random novels, so it would be a great source of discussion to compare these two!

Just out of curiosity, what is your book club selection for March? Or is it an every other month club?

Well, it is March. :-) We're supposed to meet every month from September -June, but lately it's been more like every 6 weeks. I think Great Expectations was supposed to be the February book, but people got busy and we didn't meet until March. We're pretty relaxed. It's a great group.

Got it - I thought maybe there was a book in between Dickens and Jones, which didn't make sense to me LOL. My friends and I tried starting a book club, but we have such different schedules, and one is now on tour, and we read at such different speeds that it just sort of fell apart. We still talk about books a lot though!

I just read Great Expectations a couple of months ago, so was intrigued by Mister Pip because of the connection. You don't actually have to know very much about Great Expectations to get a lot out of Mister Pip, but it definitely adds to the poignancy of the latter story. There should be lots to discuss in your book group!

You will love Mister Pip. It was one of my best reads of 2008.

15. Vile Bodies, Evelyn Waugh
also, book #20 (reread)

Back in post 78 I promised to come back with more comments about this book, so here I am.

This is another one of those novels that can be read on multiple levels. You can read it purely for enjoyment, and follow the escapades of a bunch of madcap party animals in Roaring 20s London. Even at this level though, there is a biting undercurrent, so you know there's something else more serious going on. Another reading is a look at the "lost generation" that reached adulthood in the interwar years. Lots of bitter social commentary at that level. Either way, I highly recommend it.

This was my first Waugh, and it was quite different from what I expected. I hope to read more of him soon. Brideshead Revisited, which I own, and Handful of Dust are the next two on my list.

Recommended for: Readers who appreciate biting satire; fans of the Thin Man movies.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:20pm.

For those of you who enjoyed Vile Bodies too, I have to point out one of the LT reviews (by SMJMorton): "Too, too delight-making."

That's just too, too laugh-making.

19. Edwardian Life and Leisure, Ronald Pearsall

Non-fiction, 1973.

Comments: The more I learn about the Edwardian period in England, the more interesting I find it. It's all so Ivory and Merchant. Well, not really, but the best parts are. Definitely one of my favourite historical periods. Anyway, this book looks at various aspect of culture in England between the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and the outbreak of war in 1914, looking at social attitudes, the growth of suburbia, interest in motor cars and bicycles, foreign relations, sports, entertainment, and crime. Very interesting, but the author doesn't hide his disdain for the Edwardians. He seems to think they're rather insipid. I disagree.

Why I read this now: Information for a project I need to do for my British literature class.

Rating: 3.5/5. I'd have given it a 4 if the author's judgmental attitude hadn't impinged.

Recommended for: Anglophiles and British history buffs.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:19pm.

21. The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer

Middle English, 14th century

Why I read this now: assigned reading for English 306: Chaucer

Rating: 5/5 stars

Comments: Reading the Canterbury Tales is like playing with one of those stacking Russian dolls; by that I mean there are layers and layers of complexity. Figuring out the Middle English was the easiest of the challenges. I've studied Chaucer in two previous university classes, so wasn't expecting it to be such a challenge--but the more complex and challenging I found the material, the more interesting and fun I found it. (example of the complexity, below)

The Canterbury Tales are all about social commentary, and so the more I learned about 14th century society, the more I got out of the Tales. Also, Chaucer never reveals his cards, so it's fun to try and figure out what side of the issues he favours. We'll never know, of course, but that doesn't stop me from trying to solve the mysteries in the text.

Even more interesting than the Tales themselves is the frame around the Tales. The real story is in the reactions of the pilgrims as they ride along to Canterbury. The most fascinating character for me was the Prioress, both in the General Prologue and also in her own Prologue and Tale.

Okay, as promised, here is just one example of the complexity I was talking about:

Thise cookes, how they stampe and streyne
and grynde
And turnen substaunce into accident
To fulfillen al they likerous talent!
(Pardoner's Tale, 538-540)

First you have to translate the language, and then you have to figure out what that combination of words says (these two acts are not the same thing). Okay, so you think you've got it. But do you also see that this is a comment on transubstantiation, which was a major doctrinal issue of the day? And can you further see that that alludes to a 12th century commentary written by a bishop about Aristotle? And that this whole thing may be a clue to Chaucer's views on Lollardy? But, being Chaucer, the "joke" can be read two different ways--one in favour of Lollardy, one against. So it's really up to the reader to decide.

Ey' carumba! It made my brain ache! But it was lots of fun. So glad I took this in depth course--I'd never have been able to read at this level on my own. I can see how a scholar could spend an entire career reading this one text. Ah, in another life . . .

Recommended for: all English lit majors or those who would have been one if life hadn't had other plans for them.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:18pm.

22. Parade's End, Ford Maddox Ford

British literature, 1928

Why I read this now: assigned reading for English 340: British literature to 1945.

Rating:1/5 stars (had it been between 100 and 200 pages, I may have given it a 3/5 stars. But it was definitely 600 pages too long.

Comments: This is An Important Novel. Hey, it's #57 on the Modern Library's 100 Greatest Novels of the 20th Century list. Who am I to disparage it? Yet, I must. This book was ten and a half weeks of tedium for me, and I want those hours back. I want revenge on the author with the silly name. Unfortunately, I have no power, and besides, he's dead. So all I can do is mock his name.

Of all the other people I know who have read this, I seem to dislike it the most. So if you like long, complex modernist novels, you may like it. And I'll bet anything that if I read it again, I'd like it better the second time around (there is a lot of jumping between different people's consciousness and times that makes it confusing). But I shan't read this again--there are just too many books in this world that I'd rather try. As Ford Maddox Ford says repeatedly, there will be no more parades, and for me, there will be no more Parade's End.

Recommended for: Modernist fiction fans.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:17pm.

Wow - Joyce - you are getting a good education here. I must admit to being a tad greenishly tinged to read about all your assigned reading.

FMF has not been read by me yet and, with your hilarious comments, is not getting a hike up the TBR ladder either. He is a 'should be read' author that no-one seems to read.

"A 'should be read' author that no-one seems to read" -- that's exactly how my prof refers to him! Actually, I've heard that The Fifth Queen is excellent (it's about Henry VIII's fifth wife . . . Katherine ?), so one day I'll try him again. And I may try The Good Soldier too . . . but waaaaay in the future. Parade's End was like running a marathon--hard work, glad it's over, check that one off the list!

Joyce, I've not read Parade's End (and it sounds like the end of that parade couldn't come soon enough for you!). But I really loved The Good Soldier when I first read it, back when I was 19 or 20. I may put The Fifth Queen on my wish list.

P.S. Yes, #5 was Katherine Howard. And the new season of The Tudors starts this weekend!

I liked how you organized your books :)
Welcome to the group!

#96- Katherine Howard! Thanks! I knew it was one of the Cathys, because it wasn't Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour or Anne of Cleeves. So that leaves the Cathys. My odds were good. :-)

I still need to see those Tudor shows--they look great.

chiming in on the Tudors series. I don't get show time, so I have to wait until Amazon sells the series. I have the first and second seasons. While there are many historical inaccuracies throughout, still it is worth watching for the beautiful scenery and the exquisite costumes.

Oh, yes, HIGHLY inaccurate, but lush and FUN!

I suppose we had to disagree on something eventually, Joyce. ;-) I'm sorry you didn't like Parades End - it is a long, long book if you aren't enjoying it. But the part where Sylvia threatens cutting down the trees, just to piss Christopher off. Who does that? Who cuts down trees? God, I hate her. Anyway, you should try The Good Soldier some day (it is a lot shorter!)

Sylvia is indeed a piece of work! That I agree about. Anyway, the fault is not the book's, but all mine. How can I not like a book that uses the word "purplishest"? That is one awesome word. I shall endeavor to use it thrice tomorrow!

"Those are the purplishest crocuses I've ever seen."
"Of everyone in the angry mob at the G20, he had the purplishest face."
"The new planet the astronomer discovered was the purplishest one yet."

Nickelini, I'm jealous too - especially of the Chaucer. I bought the Peter Ackroyd book recently... nice and short!

Parade's End is the kind of book that I would buy with great excitement at the annual enormous charity book fair, then ignore forever. I'll leave it for somebody else if I see it.

"Those are the purplishest crocuses I've ever seen."
"Of everyone in the angry mob at the G20, he had the purplishest face."
"The new planet the astronomer discovered was the purplishest one yet."

too funny!

I can't stop thinking about "purplishest." It's just too too delight-making, to quote the characters of Vile Bodies. Here is what I posted over on the vocabulary thread at the What Are You Reading Now? group:

As much as I disliked Ford Maddox Ford's Parade's End, it isn't all bad, as he introduced me to the word "purplishest."

"One of the window-panes was so old it was bulging and purplish. There was another. There were several. But the first one was the purplishest." (pg 656).

I love this word! It's not the same as "purplest" . . . who would have thought the English language needed a word to describe this? Of all those things that are kind of purple, this one is the most almost purple. How can something be more almost purple than another? When does it cross the line and become simply purple? This is simply delightful.

I'm looking for ways to slip this into conversation, and I realized I have the perfect opportunity, as my cat Violet is the purplishest cat I've ever seen.

This week I can also say something like "Of everyone in the angry mob at the G20, he had the purplishest face."

Definitely my current favourite word!

Thank you for your funnies about Ford Maddox Ford and his silly name - I'll miss his parade.

24. The Frozen Thames, Helen Humphreys

Historical fiction, 2007

Rating: 4/5 stars

I just wrote a review of this, but I submitted it at the same time that LT crashed, and it was lost (sob). Let's see if I can recreate any of it . . .

Comments: "In its long history, the river Thames has frozen solid forty times. These are the stories of that frozen river . . . ". Helen Humphreys writes a vignette set each time the river froze, starting with the siege of Queen Matilda in 1142 and ending with the final freeze in 1895. It is a clever concept, enhanced by the beautiful colour illustrations throughout the small (5x6 inches) book. Its weakness is in the vignettes: most are interesting and entertaining, but some are flat. This is inherent in the structure, as it's a difficult task to tell many very short stories and write them so that they all elicit an emotional response. But as I said, most of the vignettes were good. I especially liked the poor woman in 1716 who was enslaved by poetry and the ice.

Why I read this now: after completing all my assigned school reading, I needed a treat that was 1. completely different, 2. short!, 3. not too mentally taxing. This worked out perfectly.

Recommended for: Anglophiles and those who like physically pretty books.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:16pm.

Nickellini
I finished The Frozen Thames a few days ago. I really liked it and thought it was very clever and creative.

25. Generation X, Douglas Coupland

Postmodern fiction, 1991

Rating: 3.75/5 stars (I would have rated it higher had I read it closer to its publication date).

Comments: I have read several things by Coupland, so was looking forward to reading this famous book that started the whole Gen X thing. At first I was a tad disappointed--it seemed like it had been done before, somewhat dated, yada, yada . . . but by a quarter of the way in I started really getting into it. Coupland is a talented writer and has a fabulous gift of social and cultural observation. This one suffers some typical first novel weaknesses, but overall was worth reading. I think he is one of those writers who's entire oeuvre I will eventually read.

Apropos of nothing, for some reason when I go to write "Douglas Coupland" my pen tries to write "Stewart Copeland." Who of course was the drummer for the Police, and has little to do with Douglas Coupland, as far as I know.

Why I read this now:This was the second book in my "now for something completely different" read-a-thon. I think I've now purged a term of high-modernism and Medieval texts out of my mind and I can get back to normal reading.

Recommended for: those who enjoy sharp social critique.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:15pm.

#109: I can get back to normal reading.

Is there such a thing? I never knew . . .

Have only read All Families Are Psychotic by Coupland. What other books of his are good?

The only other novel I've read of Coupland's is Eleanor Rigby, which I enjoyed very much. It's both very funny and very sad. Other than that I've read essays, articles and interviews. I definitely plan to read more of his novels. I have my eyes on the Gum Thief next, but we'll see what shows up.

26. Veronika Decides to Die, Paulo Coelho

Comments: There probably isn't anything really wrong with this book--I think it's just not the book for me. I felt like I was being Taught a Lesson on the Deep Meaning of Life. This is my second, and probably last, Coelho.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

Why I read this now: I wanted to read something short, and it fits my 1001 category for the 999 challenge.

Recommended for: readers who like to explore spiritual, new age-ish ideas.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:14pm.

Oh! Oh! I've already bought The Alchemist but if I keep hearing negative things about Coelho, I may have to accidentally drop it behind the bookcase.

I attempted Coelho and couldn't finish - too touchy, feely emotive embroidery. I don't understand his appeal.

I don't "get" Coelho either - I read The Alchemist (sorry bonniebooks!) - and like you Nickelini, I constantly felt like I was being hit over the head by his idea of the Meaning of Life.

Ick! But no problem, my book is now "lost" and I'm counting on you guys not to remind me where it went! ;-)

27. The Lost Painting: the Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, by Jonathan Harr

Non-fiction, audiobook

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Comments: I enjoyed listening to this immensely. For a non-fiction book about a non-animate object (Carravaggio's painting The Taking of Christ), it is a surprisingly character-driven book. Harr uses fiction techniques to tell a non-fiction story, and at times this is apparent and pretty strange (lots of details about a character's appearance and mental processes--much like an omniscient narrator). But it all adds up to a compelling story.

The reason I really liked this book though was because it appealed to several of my geeky selves: the historian, the archivist, the serious student, and the art lover. I'm always fascinated by the whole art world, and this book satisfies that interest. But it also goes into detail about how scholars use achieves, and how restorers repair paintings, and all that was what I really found fabulous. I've read well-reasoned one-star reviews of this book, but those readers--although obviously intelligent--were obviously not art/history/research geeks (or they were beyond the geek stage). But for me, it was right up my alley.

Why I read this now: I needed an audiobook, it was available from the library, it was on my TBR list, and I'm on my way to Italy, so it's topical.

Recommended for: art lovers.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:12pm.

Your going to Italy. How cool!

Hi Joyce - I also enjoyed The Lost Painting. It was an art book wrapped in a mystery plot. It took me on to reading his other book A Civil Action which I enjoyed less, perhaps because I have no real interest in the Law. I found that one quite boring.

Pea-green re the Italy trip. Where are you going?

Message edited by its author, Apr 17, 2009, 11:08am.

That's funny because I saw several negative reviews for the Lost Painting from readers who loved A Civil Action. They must be really different books.

Anyway, yes, going to Italy for two weeks in July. My husband's family lives in Lucca, which is a small walled city between Pisa and Florence. It's lovely. We plan to rent a car and travel around a bit too. We're flying in and out of Rome, so we'll show the girls the sights there, and I'd like to go to San Marino. My 12 year old wants to go to the Alps, so who knows what we'll end up seeing. This will be my fourth trip, but we haven't been since 2000. We're also going to England for a week first. I'm really excited about that.

Wonderful!!! We went to Italy 2 years ago and stayed in Lucca. It is a great city to hire a bike and pedal around the wall. We also went to the Amalfi Coast and Rome and Umbria. It was divine!!!

28. Mutiny on the Bounty, John Boyne

Historical fiction, 2009

Comments: I hear that the story of the mutiny on the Bounty has been written and filmed many times, but I've never paid any attention to them. So I was surprised by how much of the story I had picked up though cultural references.

This version of the story is told from the point of view of a Captain Bligh's cabin boy. Turnip, as he is called by the crew, is an abused street kid who's given the choice between working on the ship or a year in gaol. He is a likable and charming character, and his dialogue is especially entertaining to read. At times his views were rather 21st century, but I didn't find the anachronisms jarring or annoying (as I often do in historical fiction). The writing flows and I found this to be a quick and enjoyable read. And the book had maps! I love books with maps! I recommend this book, especially as a beach or vacation read.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Why I read this now: I scooped this in the Early Reviewer program.

Recommended for: those who like a good adventure tale and interesting dialogue.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:38pm.

#123: I have seen several good reviews of Boyne's book and wish my local library would hurry up and get it!

#122 - Karen, its interesting that you stayed in Lucca. So many people have never heard of it, and it's so historic and nicely un-touristy. It's a nice place to have family!

Isn't the Amalfi coast amazing? We went to Positano in 1992, and took a very small boat to Capri. It was absolutely magical. When I go to my "happy place," that's where I go. (Well, there and Kauai). So many spectacular memories.

Message edited by its author, Apr 18, 2009, 1:19am.

#121 We're all looking forward to a travelogue in July. We stayed one night in Lucca in 2003 and loved it... mind you we loved all of Italy!

We drove along the Amalfi Coast too, until we found an enormous rock blocking the road - about the size of a car... anyway the road was blocked but we hadn't seen the sign, so my husband had to reverse 2 km along the road, in pouring rain, while we were trying to find somewhere to stay for the night. It's one of our funniest memories of the holiday now but there were tears at the time! We ended up in Salerno.

#121 - Oooohh I'm jealous!! I was in Italy last summer, and I loved it. Positano is gorgeous! Naples, however, I wasn't so crazy about :( I think Florence was my favourite though.

Have you ever been to the Cinque Terre? They are five tiny villages along the Italian coast in the province of Liguria. They are absolutely beautiful!!

#126 - Cushla - that is just such a typical Italian misadventure story! If it was my husband, he'd be muttering the whole time "only in Italy, only in Italy".

Cripes - Cushla. That road can get very hairy, so I cannot imagine backing down it for 2 km!!

We visited the caves (I know, a tourist trap) on that road. They squash all the tourists into a tiny elevator to get down - and coming up the elevator grinds to a jerky halt and the lights go out. The lady next to me starts to get a panic attack - and there is very little space to accommodate her increasing agitation. It seemed like an eternity!!

O the joys of traveling in Italy! Our biggest adventure was being on an overnight train from Naples to Pisa (the train originated down at the tip of Italy). Most of the many, many people on the train were on their way to a Guns and Roses concert in Tornino, and a lot of them were drunk and unruly. At each stop more got on, and no one got off. The train employees completely lost control and it was a pretty scary at times. I was so glad to get off at Pisa. It was 4 AM and we went to watch the sun rise over the tower. It was surreal.

Our first visit to Italy was on our honeymoon. The first twenty-four hours didn't go so well.

My wife found out she was allergic to sulfites the hard way...throwing up for most of the plane flight over. Our first destination was Venice, but weather forced us to land in Milan. So I drove in a miniature Fiat along the Autostrada in a blinding rain storm, arriving late at night, exhausted.

We arrive at the hotel only to find that, due to a mixup, they had no rooms for us, so we spent most of the night finding another hotel.

Fortunately, the rest of the trip picked up considerably.

I too had a rather trying day in Italy. I had been traveling on my own for three weeks (London, Paris, Marseilles, Cinque Terre) and my best friend, Candice, was flying into Rome. I was going to meet her, and then we were going to see Rome, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Florence, and Venice, before flying home. Candice was supposed to fly to London from Toronto, and then after a considerable lay-over, fly from London to Rome. I was going to meet her at the smaller of the two Rome airports. When I arrived in Rome, I had an e-mail from her mom; apparently Candice's flights had been changed, and she had flown direct Toronto-Rome. Instead of arriving at 9pm, she got in around 10am. So off I rushed to the airport to find her. Halfway there, I realized that I was going to the wrong one, as since she had flown from Toronto, she would be arriving at the larger of the two airports. So, once I made it to the wrong airport, I was extremely late (it was about 5:30pm by now), and I decided to dip into my emergency money and take a taxi to the correct airport, which cost about 50 euros (about $75 Cdn). Then, I arrived at the right airport, which is huge, and walked around for three hours trying to find Candice. By 8:30pm, I was really starting to freak out.

So I called my Dad collect from Italy, crying my eyes out because I was in a foreign country with a lost best friend! He calmed me down, and told me to go back to my hostel rather than sleep in the airport. I managed to get onto the last train back into Rome, and when I arrived at my hostel, who did I find but Candice, who had arrived 10 minutes before me!!

It turns out that Candice had realized that she had flown into a different airport than she was originally supposed to, and thinking that I wouldn't know where she was, she had spent the whole day trying to get to the smaller of the two airports, where I had gone first. Apparently we were actually both there at the same time, but managed to miss each other! Then, once she couldn't find me, she had to find her way into Rome, and find our hostel - which was quite the journey, since I had forgotten to give her the address! She had to search the airport for someone who had the internet, and who spoke English, so that she could find the address.

So, the moral of the story is never to meet anyone at the airport - meet at the hostel/hotel instead!! Thankfully, the rest of our travel time together was fantastic, and virtually problem-free - but man, what a bad day that was!!

Oh, and my collect call of 5 minutes cost my Dad $50!!

#132, OMG! You got my heart racing just listening to your story! I have to admit, though, that I'm already one of those worrier types that goes forward to all those possible mistakes/mishaps that could happen and plans/talks in advance about what to do when they do. You can't plan for what you don't know, though, (like huge rocks in the road!) so I will definitely remember all your stories and try to learn from them.

Horror stories of travel?

We took the kids to Europe when they were 3 and 6. As we were getting off the Metro in Paris, my daughter (6 years) with me, hubbie with my son who was 3, my hubbie was jostled and lost my son's hand as he was disembarking. He turned around to frantically find him, and just as the doors were closing he put his hand through to stop them coming together - he managed to find my son by the door and pulled him off the train.

I saw my son's face innumerable times after that in my dreams - the nightmare image of the door closing on him.

What would have happened to him? He was 3. He would have been transported away on the Metro and LOST FOR EVER. I could not sleep for a week after.

MORAL of the Story - admit your traveling days are curtailed when your kids are under 10 and just deal with it!!!

Oh, kiwidoc, that could have been terrible!! I can only imagine what those moments felt like for you. I think it is great that you exposed your kids to travel at such a young age, but I guess there are a lot of risks too!

oh, these travel stories give me the heebie geebies.

I'm glad that things worked out in the end...

Message 118
Joyce, this book is already on my tbr pile but now with your excellent comments, I hope to read it sooner than later.
Thanks for your well written review.

>134: Kiwidoc, what a story. I sense you still relive that incident from time to time, no? I had a medical incident with my youngest when she was an infant. It was a very close call, and would have been entirely my fault. That mental movie replays far too often. Shudder.

Message edited by its author, Apr 19, 2009, 9:46pm.

The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton

philosophy?, audio book

Comments: I started listening to this audio book this morning, and got about a quarter of the way through, but I'm going to quit it. The narrator has a very enjoyable reading voice, and de Botton certainly knows how to turn a phrase, but overall it is really boring. At times the author's anxieties are rather annoying. He really needs to convert to Buddhism, or start seeing a psychologist or something along those lines. I've read two other of de Botton's books, and they didn't impress me either. Yes, he's a good writer, and yes, he's intelligent, but alas, he bores me.

Rating:2/5 stars

Just bumped off the TBR pile, Joyce - he was someone I have wanted to crack open but the will has disappeared!!!

He certainly has his fans, so you might want to give him a try anyway. I feel guilty steering someone away from a writer they might like!

Joyce thanks for getting rid of AdB for me too. Very useful and good to offset my usual LT problems.

Karen, that is a horrible story about Paris and your kids. We are in the "no travel at all for our sanity" category - the furthest our 2 y o has been is to Auckland, and that was far enough!

#123 - You're right! The story of Captain Bligh and the Bounty has been told many times. In fact, the first film was made in Australia in 1916. Another Australian film was made in 1933 staring Australia's most famous of Hollywood exports, Errol Flynn. More movies followed in 1935 and 1962.

Then, in 1984, Mel Gibson played Fletcher Christian in the most accurate of the films, "The Bounty". The replica of the ship used in that movie was built in 1979 in New Zealand (the same year that Gibson shot to prominence in the film Mad Max), at a cost of $4 million. For many years following, that ship was a major tourist draw card in Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia; during which time I had the pleasure of sailing and dining on her on many an occasion. But, sadly, in 2007 she was sold to HKR International Limited and is now servicing the tourist industry in Discovery Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong.

#138 - I was only eyeing de Botton's The Art of Travel in the bookshop today, as well as his latest book The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, and from the excerpts I read, I plan to read them both. Yes, de Botton certainly has his fans, and like you say in post #141, people should take a look for themselves rather than risk missing out on a writer with such a unique perspective.

Edit: Typos!

Message edited by its author, Apr 23, 2009, 6:29am.

29. Mister Pip, Lloyd Jones

2009, fiction

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Comments I spent two months in Papua New Guinea, and my brother lived there for eight years, so I was excited to read this novel right from the time it was published. Perhaps I anticipated it too much, because now that I finally had time to read it, all I can say is that it was "okay."

I think what bothered me the most is that it didn't capture the feeling of Papua New Guinea at all--granted, it takes place on Bougainville, but I still expected to feel like I was visiting PNG. After all, the reason I like to read books set in other countries is to take an arm chair journey.

I also felt that one event in the book was overly harsh, and clashed with the tone of the rest of the book.

In coming up with my 3.5 rating, I took at least one star off for lack of PNG atmosphere, but added half a star for writing a book about PNG in the first place. Don't see many of those, and I'd like to read more.

My, that was a lot of words for a review that basically said "it was okay."

Why I read this now: it was the monthly book for my book club.

Recommended for: readers who like better-quality contemporary fiction.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:11pm.

Hmm, I really liked Mister Pip, although I agree with those who found the ending not so good.

I'm so far behind right now that this weekend I'm picking one person a day to catch up on. I really enjoyed the 90 posts here today! The travel stories make me long to get "on the road again." Luckily they all had happy endings!

Lots of good books. I loved your review of Chaucer. I have avoided him except for the excerpts I was required to read in college because it's frustrating to try to understand all Chaucer has to say on my own. However I have a deep desire to read him. If I could find a class to take, I'd love to do that but there's not much "Chaucer talk" in the rural areas of California. :-) You review has inspired me to go on a search for either a well annotated edition or a companion book and try him next year.

I just put in a request at my library for the audio version of The Lost Painting. I love books about art and searching for lost art. Have you read King of the Confessors by Thomas Hoving? I read that last year and enjoyed it a lot.

(Touchstones don't seem to be working for me.) edited to try to fix touchstones

Message edited by its author, Apr 24, 2009, 12:29pm.

#146: I am stealing King of the Confessors and adding it to the Continent based on your recommendation, Carolyn :)

I read it last year before I found out about the LT groups and threads. I just now went back to get the notes I made on it from last years reading journal. This was my "review." I've also just posted it on the book page. Jim and I visited "The Cloisters" a few years ago when we were in NY and thought it was a great museum, so that added to the attraction for me with this book.

King of the Confessors by Thomas Hoving

Hoving describes his long process to “win” the ivory cross, the most important medieval object of art so far discovered, for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (actually for The Cloisters, the Medieval branch of the Met that is in a separate location). This was a fascinating account that read almost like a novel—much better than Dan Brown novels. Not only was the story exciting but the reader is treated to a revealing look at the chicanery that often goes on behind the scenes for a museum to acquire a significant work. But the “star” of the book was the magnificent cross. The history of the cross was fascinating and the descriptions let the reader visualize the cross even more clearly than the wonderful photographs at the beginning of the book. Hoving obviously became very intimate with the object to be able to describe its intricacy in such detail. If you like mystery and suspense with an added bonus of beautiful art this book fits the bill. This was a bargain I bought at the church book sale a couple of years ago.

I'm jumping on the King of the Confessors bandwagon. I'm just about finished thomas Cahill's Mysteries of the Middle Ages which already has given me five more books to put on my TBR pile, but this one looks like it's not to be missed.

30. Travelers' Tales Tuscany: True Stories, James O'Reilly, editor

Travel literature, anthology, 2002

my rating: 2/5 stars

comments: The subtitle for this book is "true stories," to which I respond: "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." That's a good one. With a few exceptions, these assorted tales are pure travel fantasy. I've been to Tuscany three times, and it's nothing like the dream world most of these authors conjure up. Do you want to read entertaining real life travel stories? Just go to posts #122-137 of this thread. Now that's good travel writing!

why I read this now:I bought this shortly after my last trip to Tuscany, when I thought I might like to do some travel writing of my own (checking out what was out there and all), but then it sat in Mnt. TBR for years. I only pulled it out now because of my upcoming trip. I have now decided that travel literature is just not my genre.

Recommended for: people who don't mind fantasy travel writing.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:10pm.

31. 100 Ways America is Screwing Up the World, John Tirman

rating: 3/5

comments: I picked this up because I thought it was sort of a joke, especially when I opened it at random and saw #64 Mel Gibson. But it actually isn't a joke, and was quite interesting. Each point is 2-3 pages, and after reading one, I felt oddly compelled to go on to the next point, and then the next one. This book is worth reading, but mostly by the type of person who would never read it.

why I read this now: I have no idea. I really didn't need to read this at all, and I had more interesting books waiting for me, but yet I read it anyway.

Recommended for: interesting question . . . I recommend this especially to the type of people who wouldn't read it--people who support US imperialism.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:09pm.

32. Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, David Sheff

Memoir, 2008, Audio book

rating: 4/5

comments: This memoir is haunting. Sheff clearly has a deep and palpable love for his family that he is able to articulate beautifully. Most of the book focuses on his son Nic's descent into a horrendous crystal meth addiction and struggle for normality, but he frequently talks about his other family members and himself too. This makes the book more than a look at addiction, but also a exquisite study of a family. He has a gift of capturing the experiences that make us human . . . he sure made me feel the pain of having a drug addicted child.

This is perhaps one of those books that should be a must-read for all parents. It certainly shows the power of addictions and how they can take over people in a way you'd never expect. My only criticism is that at times he is overly wordy. Writing this book was obviously therapeutic for him, but I think his editor should have been a bit sterner. Minor complaint though, I highly recommend this.

His son, who was sober at the time of publication, has also written his side of the story. I must now read this, because Nic disappears for huge periods during this story, and you don't know what he's doing (other than being a stoned wreck). I love hearing two sides to a story, so Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, by Nic Sheff, is now high on my TBR list.

why I read this now: I needed an audio book, and my sister-in-law (who has great taste in books) recommended this.

Recommended for: all parents with children younger than 30.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:07pm.

That sounds like a great book. Onto my wishlist it goes (among 200 other books).

Parenting always gets harder as kids grow up. Even though kids become more independent, their problems become much more complicated.

I'd been working on LT Local a while back and noticed both the father and son were doing book tours together. That would have been an interesting presentation to hear.

I'm so glad to hear that! . . . really, it almost brings tears to my eyes. David Sheff brought me right into his family, and I am completely wrapped up in their lives. To hear that the two of them are touring together means his son is not using, and that makes me so very happy for the whole family. Okay, your post actually has brought tears to my eyes. I guess Beautiful Boy was a pretty powerful book! Thanks for your post and letting me know they are okay.

Did you know that Nic Sheff wrote his own book? It's called Tweak. Here's as excerpt.

I recently finished a fabulous book about a former cocaine abuser. The Tennis Partner is a memoir by Dr. Abraham Vergese, a physician at a hospital in El Paso, Texas. The story is of his friendship with a medical student who had a history of cocaine abuse. I'd been reading on other threads what a wonderful writer the author is. 'Tis true. Grab it, if you can.

33. Where Angels Fear to Tread, EM Forster

Brit lit, 1905

comments: According to Wikipedia, the title comes from Alexander Pope, who wrote:"For fools rush in where angels fear to tread". The fools, in this novel, are the staid, class-conscious English characters, who are contrasted to the passionate Italians. Evidently, when they are confronted with life in Italy, Edwardian tourists lose all resolve.

I loved this book, but I'm not able to describe why. It many ways it's very similar to A Room with a View, although in many ways it's rather different. For one thing, there is more action, and quite a few plot twists (which I didn't expect). Maybe I just have a soft spot for those stuffy, confused Edwardians that Forster is so magnificent at capturing in his novels.

rating: 4.5/5 stars

why I read this now: It fits perfectly in my 999 category "Books to Read for My Trip to England and Italy," because, well, it's set in England and Italy. And as I said, I just love those Edwardians.

Recommended for: Readers who love Ivory & Merchant films.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:06pm.

34. M is for Magic, Neil Gaiman

Short stories, 2007

comments: As with all anthologies, there are stories I like and those I don't care for. Overall, these were pretty quirky and interesting.

The thing that really confuses me about this book though is how it is marketed. I found it in the children's section, and on the back it says "ages 10 and up." I think that's much too young. For one thing, almost all the characters are adults, with adult concerns (I think there are only two children in the whole book, and both of them hang out in cemeteries). My 12 year old, who is an advanced reader, liked it but I had to explain a lot of it to her. I think they'll miss their audience if they keep this in the children's section--it's definitely more suitable for teens.

rating: 3/5 stars

why I read this now: My 12 year old asked me to read it.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy YA short stories that are a little twisted.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:05pm.

35. Leonardo's Swans, Karen Essex

Historical fiction, 2006

rating: 3/5 stars

comments: This is a fictional treatment of the d'Este sisters, Beatrice and Isabella, and their relationship with Leonardo da Vinci. Although I can't think of anything really wrong with this book, I didn't especially like it. Unlike really egregious historical fiction, the historical details didn't scream "wrong!," and the characters didn't behave as if they were 21st century actors in period costume (yes, they were fiesty, but I've come across them in my studies, and Isabella in particular was one tough number). I appreciate that Essex decided to write about these women. I also really like that she included the supporting character of Cecilia Gallerini, who is one of my all time favourite Renaissance people (and subject of Leonardo's wonderful painting Lady with an Ermine). So in theory I should have loved this book. But I didn't. She just didn't make the story all that interesting.

Why I read this now: After reading nine books in a row by men, I thought I needed a book by a female author. I've wanted to read this since I studied these women and Leonardo a few years ago, and I thought that now--before my trip to Italy--would be as good a time as any.

Recommended for: those who are interested in the Italian Renaissance and strong female characters, and don't mind writing that is less then stellar.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:05pm.

158> My reaction to the book was about the same as yours. There was also something odd about the pacing towards the end. It was as though when one sister died, the author didn't know what to do, so she wrapped it up quickly and awkwardly.

If I was going to Italy, I'd probably want to reread A Room with a View. Not by a woman, of course. It also takes part in England as well--double duty on the countries you plan to visit!

I love Room with a View! I watch the movie at least once a year. Hmm, you're right, I might have to reread that one. I just read Where Angels Fear to Tread, which is similar. I also have Enchanted April in my TBR pile, and right now I'm reading A Portrait of a Lady, which also has that England-Italy thing.

I see what you mean about the pacing of Leonardo's Swans. Isabella was the more interesting character (in real life too), so I think she could have done more at the end.

36. Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam, Peter Goldsworthy

Australian literature, 1993

Comments: A poignant novella about a couple who lead a charmed life until their three-year old daughter is diagnosed with leukaemia. Their plan to handle the situation is both insane and rational, and also completely unique. I don't want to say more and give away the story for anyone who manages to track down this book. The writing is sparse, but Goldsworthy captures emotions beautifully. He had me completely drawn into the story immediately and held my attention to the end. I think he could have filled this story out to make a novel-length book. I will definitely look for more of this author's work (not sure how available he is here in Canada); based on this short piece, I think he deserves to be more widely read. By me, anyway! I expect this story will stay with me for quite a while.

rating: 4.5/5 stars

why I read this now: I've been wanting to read it since my Aussie friend gave it to me late last year, and yesterday I was looking for something short to read.

Recommended for: those who appreciate quality writing and provocative ideas.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:03pm.

Looking forward to trying to find your most recent read but I'm not sure how widespread it is going to be so it may be a (long) while.

I'm glad you liked Peter Goldsworthy. He's one of my favourite Australian authors and his books are often set as texts in high schools. I haven't read Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam but I'm going to look out for it. I think that even here in Australia he is under-appreciated.

I'm also a big fan of Goldsworthy, and I am so glad you liked the book as much as I did Nickelini. Try to find Three Dog Night, which I am sure you will also like.

#161: I am going to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation!

37. The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women, by Jessica Valenti

Women's studies, 2009

rating: 5/5 stars

comments: Wow, I don't really know how to talk about this book in a paragraph or so. I read it with a pencil in hand, and my copy is marked up throughout. I could quote huge passages, but I'll restrain myself. Basically, Valenti is trying to rupture our culture's dichotomy that a woman is either "pure" or a slut, or as she says, "it's time to teach our daughters that their ability to be good people depends on their being good people, not on whether or not they're sexually active."

The most interesting chapters were those on the fetishizing of youth and virginity, and how the porn industry and the purity advocates feed off each other. A little less interesting to me were the chapters on the draconian anti-women laws and practices in the US--though if I lived in the States I'd been incensed. So while this wasn't fully relevant to a non-US resident, there is enough cultural seepage that influences Canadians (and the rest of the western world), that I think this book was an important read. It certainly opened my eyes to some damaging attitudes, and helped me articulate some thoughts I hadn't quite found the words for. Highly recommended.

Why I read this now: My daughter attends a parochial school, and of course is getting (useless) abstinence-only education. So the job of sex education is fully on my shoulders. I'm trying to get as much information as possible so I can help her grow up with healthy attitudes about her body and sexuality.

Recommended for: all young women and parents of young women (inc. teenage girls).

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:02pm.

I've got this on my stack to read...I'm glad to see another good review.

>>>>#166 Great review. I've put it on hold at the library. Thanks a million!

>166, Joyce, Thanks for posting your thoughts on Jessica Valenti's new book. I read her first book, Full Frontal Feminism, which admittedly was not intended for me & was completely unimpressed with her writing. I really wanted to read this new one, though, so I am glad you were impressed with it! Another new addition to the Kindle.

Message edited by its author, May 14, 2009, 5:54pm.

38. Late Nights on Air, Elizabeth Hay

Canadian literature, 2007

Comments: This novel is about a group of misfits that work at a small radio station in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and most of it is set against the golden twilight of the long days of northern summers. The first half of the book takes place in the town, and most of the second half takes place on a canoe trip through the deep wilderness.

I wasn't sure what I expected with this one--I've seen comments from "hated it" to "loved it." I'd say I liked it a lot. Elizabeth Hay does a superb job of capturing the feeling of the True North (I haven't been to Yellowknife, but I spent 6 summers in the Yukon and northern BC). The biggest flaw, I think, was her heavy-handed use of foreshadowing. But other than that, it was a good read.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Why I read this now: It was the May read for my book club, but it also fits my Prize Winner category on the 999 Challenge (it won the 2007 Giller Prize).

Recommended for: someone who wants to take an armchair journey to the True North.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 6:00pm.

Great to be reading Canadian, Nickelini.

I had to goggle the definition of foreshadowing - I think I need a quick lesson in literary terms to keep apace!

You know it when you see it though, don't you!

I enjoyed this book too!

re:172 - probably not, Joyce, as my training is all science based (except for psychology which I consider an art).

However, I know when I like a book but often cannot figure out why. I will keep reading your thread to discover the secrets!

Have you read anything else by Elizabeth Hay? I have A Student of Weather waiting on my shelf, and was wondering what to expect.

#166 I'll look out for The Purity Myth - thanks for the review. Neither of her books is in the library, which is weird.

And fannyprice thanks (said with eye rolling) for leading me to yet another time-eating website... ;)

#175 - Arubabookwoman-- I too have A Student of Weather in my TBR pile, but I haven't been able to get to it yet.

#176 - CMT-- The Purity Myth was just released in April of this year, so your library may not have their copy yet. Or you could ask them to order one. I've had good luck with requesting libraries to buy books that I want to read.

OK, if it's that recently published it just won't be here yet. It's the kind of book that'd be popular here and the library has a pretty decent collection. I haven't had to request anything yet!

39. The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx

Contemporary lit, 1993

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Why I read this now: This is a borrowed book that I needed to return.

Comments: I liked this one, but I can't say exactly why. I guess I liked the evocative, inventive writing style mixed with quirky characters. The author did a wonderful job of creating a world that I certainly have never visited before!

Recommended for:someone who wants to read something completely different.

Message edited by its author, May 28, 2009, 5:59pm.

Announcing a new feature for this 75 Book Challenge thread: "Recommended for . . . "

I've spent a lot of time on internet hotel sites lately, and one of them has a feature were people can comment on who the hotel is suitable for . . . for example, "great for romantic getaways," "great for families with dogs," or "great for people who like bedbugs."

So I've gone back and done the same for the books I've commented on. I'm trying to be positive--after all, there is a reader for every book. So even if I didn't like a book, I'll try not to say "this is a book for readers who have lousy taste," or that sort of snide comment. To all my regular visitors, thanks for stopping by! I hope I can entertain you, and steer you to some good books too.

Nice! I think it's a great way to wrap up a review.

thanks, Joyce! I love the "recommended for" idea.

You are reading such incredibly interesting books! I want to add them all to my tbr pile, but I'm trying to contain myself.

For now, I'm adding Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, David Sheff. After reading it, I may buy a copy for my daughter. Sadly, she had a very good friend who became addicted to drugs. It was such a shame to see him go down in the gutter so very rapidly. Our family tried to help him and we learned a difficult lesson because the addiction was way out of his control...and ours.

Your thread is very interesting and I vow to stop by more often.

Our family tried to help him and we learned a difficult lesson because the addiction was way out of his control...and ours.

I really want to read Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction, but in the meantime I must recommend that you read The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese, a sad and beautiful story of friendship and drug addiction. It was one of my best reads so far this year. Oh, it helps if you like tennis as well.

By the way, I love your "Recommended for..." idea.

Message edited by its author, May 30, 2009, 9:04am.

40. The Graduate, Charles Webb

Contemporary fiction, 1963

Comments: Reading this book, I realized that I have only seen the first third or so of the iconic Dustin Hoffman movie (including the hilarious swimming pool scene). I see now that the main character goes from being disillusioned and unmotivated to rather psychotic by the end of the book. He certainly was a less-than-charming individual, despite the impression Dustin Hoffman has left in my memory.

Why I read this now: I felt like a quick snappy read, and I need to return the book to its owner.

Recommended for: lovers of the movie version, anyone who is interested in a satirization of early 1960s US culture.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

#40 - I love, love, love the movie version of The Graduate!! It is my favourite movie of all time, and I have seen it about 100 times, no exaggeration. I finally read the book last year, and really enjoyed it, but this is one case where I think the movie is definitely better than the novel. Hoffman is much more likeable than Webb's character, and Anne Bancroft is outstanding as Mrs. Robinson.

BTW, don't read Home School, the sequel that Webb only wrote in the last few years - it really wasn't that great.

Cait86-- I can see what you mean about The Graduate movie being better than the book . . . Hoffman's version of Benjamin is much easier to relate to than Benjamin in the book. I'll have to find the movie and watch it from beginning to end.

Plastic! :-) The Graduate is one of those movies that you can watch multiple times and still enjoy it.

41. Portrait of a Lady, Henry James

19th century literature, 1880

Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

Comments: My introduction to Henry James was in my first university course, where his "short" story (or "nouvelle" as he calls it) The Beast in the Jungle was recommended reading. I found it completely impenetrable--could not get past the first sentence. Since then I've found James to be one of the most daunting authors to suggest himself to my TBR lists. I've since read The Turn of the Screw and Washington Square, and survived to talk about it, so when I saw this beautiful edition of A Portrait of a Lady at a used bookshop last year, I thought I'd buy it. I had no intention of reading it soon, or even in this decade. But this year, it leapt off the shelf and right on to the top of my TBR pile. Funny how books do that.

Anyway, I loved it. Yes, at times it was challenging, but I wouldn't call this one impenetrable. Henry James does like to use a lot of words, and even though it's only 608 pages, this novel is definitely a chunkster. And there is almost no physical action, but the way James writes psychological action is fascinating. So in my final assessment, I'd say I loved Portrait of a Lady more than I liked Middlemarch, but not quite as much as I loved Anna Karenina.

By the way, I've gone back to retry The Beast in the Jungle a few times, and I still can't get past the first sentence.

Why I read this now: Well, like I said, it leapt into my lap. I was defenseless against its charms. Also, it's set in Italy and England, where I'm traveling later this month.

Recommended for: Fans of lengthy and intense 19th century novels, readers who loved Middlemarch and Anna Karenina.

Message edited by its author, Jun 8, 2009, 11:01am.

Glad you liked it! James is really difficult to read (for me, anyway) but I love him. I think it took me a month to read The Ambassadors. Are you planning to read any more of his work?

I own What Maisie Knew, so I'll read it one day. And I love the movie Wings of a Dove, so I'd like to read that one too. I hear his later work is more difficult, so I'm not going to read these any time soon, but one day. I really, really like his writing, but it's difficult for me too. Portrait of a Lady wasn't too bad compared to some of his stuff, but you still have to really pay attention. And sometimes his writing is just SILLY-- I can't find it, but somewhere in the first quarter of Portrait of a Lady he says something along the lines of "she touched it with her occular surfaces." Occular surfaces? You mean eyes? You mean "she looked" ? Oh puh-leeze. Can you imagine an unknown writer trying to say that?

"she touched it with her occular surfaces." Occular surfaces? You mean eyes? You mean "she looked" ? Oh puh-leeze.

Thanks for the laugh! I loved Middlemarch, but only after I slowed down to really read it, and loved Anna Karenina as well, but think I'll leave Portrait of a Lady on the shelf!

Oh, don't leave Portrait of Lady on the shelf! Like Middlemarch, it's better read slowly. And the silly ocular surface bits are the exception, not the rule. Really, if you liked the other two, you'll probably like this one too.

I tried What Maisie Knew and didn't get very far. Then I tried an audio of The Turn of the Screw which was excellent. I'm now listening to Washington Square and I can't wait to get back into the car to listen to the next chapter. I find that with difficult writers it's easier for me to listen rather than read - using my auricular surfaces rather than occular surfaces, as Henry may have put it.

>191 I am reading this thread with my occular surfaces! This is recommended for people who like pretentious language!

~ TT

I have a bad habit of buying Henry James novels (and other classics) and not reading them. You're cheering me up!! What Maisie Knew is my latest, because it had a nice cover and was on sale. I look forward to your review of it...

I might bump up Portrait of a Lady... as soon as I've finished War and Peace!

#194, 195 & 196 . . . you guys are all making me laugh. Keep those ocular surfaces going, everyone!

#196 - I share your vice, cmt! I promised myself that I would read one enormous classic a year so that I could finally cross them off the TBR - I think I have owned The Count of Monte Cristo since I was about 15...really, what 15-year-old buys The Count of Monte Cristo?

Yikes. The Count of Monte Cristo is huge. My friend read it when we were about 18 and I thought she was nuts, but I guess there are teens out there that it calls to. In her case, I always thought it was the drugs . . .

I was hoping that we'd get in a group read of Count of Monte Cristo this year, but there are so many others going on, I'm thinking it might not be possible! But I definitely haven't had my copy for as long as you have, Cait! I think I got mine when I was 19, so not quite as bizarre... LOL.

I read The Count of Monte Cristo as a teenager! I loved it! Melodrama, love, revenge, hatred, scary prisons - what's not to love? dk, I'd love to see a group read of Count.

42. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris

Memoir, 2004

Why I read this now: it was my book club read; half our members are school teachers, and it's a super busy time for them, so we wanted something super light and fast to read.

Comments: I remember when this book was on the best seller lists. I thought it was a self-help book for parents that really was about dressing your family in corduroy and denim, and probably some other money-saving tips or something. Even when my book club announed this read, I had no idea that it wasn't. Well what a surprise for me then! Instead this is a memoir--likely embellished and exaggerated--spanning Sedaris's life. Mostly interesting, often truly laugh-out-loud funny. Not really what I was in the mood to read after Henry James, but it was okay.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (I may have rated it higher if I were in a different mood).

Recommended for: readers who want a quick, funny read about a somewhat odd family living in the late 20th century.

Oh, one more thing that's just sort of funny in an odd way . . . the day I started reading Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, the author's picture turned up on my LT homepage . . . apparently he's making some appearances at local bookstores. Hmmmm. Now, if I start to read a Jane Austen, do you think she'll come to Vancouver? :-)

if I start to read a Jane Austen, do you think she'll come to Vancouver? :-) Oh, wouldn't that be cool ?! Try it!

203, 204> Well, after all, according to a recent book, Austen has been in the company of zombies of late, so maybe she really CAN visit Vancouver.

Let us know if she shows up - a few things I'd like to ask her. ;-)

#200 and 201 - We do have a lot of group reads right now, and I don't know if I can read Anna Karenina and The Count of Monte Cristo. We could make it next year's project though!

43. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson

Brit lit, 1985

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. It was difficult to rate this book. At times I thought it was a 3, but many times it crept towards a 5. So, in the end, I'll give it a 4.

Comments: This is Winterson's debut novel, and I've learned, it's highly autobiographical. What an early life she had! Adopted by a fundamentalist nutbar mother, and raised to be an overseas missionary, teenage Jeanette finds that she's gay, and her religious communty doesn't accept her. To stress that every story is fiction, Winterson intersperses her story with myths, fables and philosophy. This part really didn't work for me at all--I found them rather boring and interupting of the flow of the story. I think she needed to use a different way to show her point. Unfortunately, they take up about 1/6th of the novel, and all of it was too much for me. But the other 5/6th were great--and as a bonus, even laugh out loud funny in many parts. Overall, a great book, too bad about the fantasy tangents.

Why I Read This Now: I really needed to read something written by a woman, and this one has been calling from Mnt. TBR for a long time.

Recommended for: Hmmmm . . . I think this would make a fabulous book club read, but it's more literary than many of the typical book club choices. Okay, I recommend it for the book club that wants some less mainstream material.

I read this earlier this year after also having it on my Mt TBR for too long, my impressions were similar to yours. I expected to enjoy it a lot more than I did, I found the mother to be an extraordinary character and glad she wasn't mine!

I really agree with your overall assessment of Oranges are Not the Only Fruit. I didn't know I liked it until I finished it. I hated those fables, finding them distracting and annoying. I would have eliminated them all had I been the book's editor!

I did decide, after having read this book (the first one I tried by this author) that Winterson's writing was good enough to try some more. I did get some other books of hers, but I haven't tried reading any of them yet.

I've tried two or three Winterson books, but I've given up on her. I know that she is well-loved by many, but magical realism is just not to my taste, I guess.

I have a couple of other Winterson novels too, and I plan to read them one day. They're short, so won't be a huge time investment.

Hi Nickelini. I also read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit recently. Liked it a lot more than I expected to and found it funny, as you did. Found the fables a bit of an interruption, but didn't hate them.

I think all (or almost all) of her novels have the fantasy stuff. The two I read recently, (The Passion and Sexing the Cherry), certainly did.

I often really like fantasy elements in books--it's too early in the day to think of an example right now. But these ones didn't work for me. It won't stop me from reading the other two books of Winterson's that I own though (Lighthousekeeping, which I bought because I love the title, and Written on the Body). But I probably won't get to them this year . . .

44. The Robber Bride, Margaret Atwood

Canadian literature, 1993

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Why I Read This Now: It's the group read over at the Atwoodians group starting this July, but I will be away from a computer for that month, so I started early.

Comments: A deeply enjoyable read. This is the story of three very different women who become friends after they meet at university, and how their lives are rocked by a fourth woman. One one hand it's very literary--tightly structured, overlapping themes and allusions, masterful use of language; but on the other hand it's a devilish, page-turning good read that makes it a superior example of chick lit (dare I say!). This is my sixth Atwood novel, and it's now my favourite. I will make more comments over at the Robber Bride thread at the Atwoodian group.

Recommended for: readers who want a rascally good read that doesn't compromise their intelligence.

Sounds good! Is this a new one? I haven't liked her last couple of books as much so haven't been paying as much attention to her lately.

Nope, an oldy--1993. She does have a new one coming out in September. I forget what it's called, but it's set in the same world as Oryx and Crake.

The new Atwood is The Year of the Flood.

The Robber Bride sounds fantastic!! I think I am going to make July Canadian-Authors-Month, in honour of Canada Day, and The Robber Bride is definitely at the top of my TBR. Thanks for the review :)

45. The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story, Horace Walpole

British literature, 1765

Rating: one-and-a-half out of five stars (maybe The Robber Bride is too tough an act to follow).

Why I Read This Now: wanted a short book, thought I was in the mood for it.

Comments: This is officially the first gothic novel, and I wanted to read it before I read Northanger Abbey later this year.
What I liked: Fabulous illustrations--the book was only $2, so I'm going to rip them out and use them in art projects. As for the story, the silliness was sort of amusing.
What I didn't like: I found the 18th century language (especially the dialogue) really stilted and difficult to follow. It's never been my favourite century. It was a long 92 pages.

Recommended for: people who like 18th century fiction.

Message edited by its author, Jun 22, 2009, 11:08am.

@220

This is the one with the helmet that inexplicably falls on someone, right?

Yep, that's the one.

Um, I think I'll pass on this one. I've had it on my list of things that I *should* read but haven't felt compelled to.

Well, Deborah, I know you wouldn't have as many problems with the antiquated language as I did, but you can easily miss this one and still have a full, meaningful life.

46. The Numerati, Stephen Baker

Non-fiction, 2008, Audiobook

Comments: The author looks at the "Numerati," those mathematicians who capture and analyze all the zillions of pieces of information about us. He discusses how our data is used in chapters titled Worker, Shopper, Voter, Blogger, Terrorist, Patient and Lover. There's nothing really wrong with this book--it was interesting enough to listen to, and easy to understand the science he describes, but my overall thought is "so?" Yeah, so your employer tracks where you go on the Internet . . . this is news? And do you think they're paying you to chat with your friends on Facebook? Some of it was pretty interesting though, like the stuff on analyzing voters and the chapters about bloggers and terrorists. At times Baker discusses something that is pretty neutral and uses language to make it seem bad . . . he makes some of those mathematicians out there sound downright nefarious. He did rectify this in the conclusion though, where he pointed out that the mathematicians live in the world with the rest of us, and are also part of the data pool.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Why I Read This Now: needed an audio book and this one was available to download from my library. It was okay to listen to while I ironed and cleaned out cupboards.

Recommended for: according to the review page here at LT, people who work in these fields find it interesting, although I would have thought the book to basic for them.

47. Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, Nic Sheff

Memoir, 2008

Why I Read This Now: This was a companion read to Beautiful Boy, by Nic's father, David Sheff. I was just too curious to know the other side of the story.

Sigh. I wrote a very long post on Tweak that actually took me hours because I had so many interruptions. For some reason, LT chopped off most of the post. I'll be back another day to rewrite the whole thing, from what I can remember (when this happens I always swear to write in Word or something and then copy it to LT so this can't happen. Grrrrr!)

48. The London Scene, Virginia Woolf

Essays, 1931

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Comments: This book is a collection of six short essays about diverse aspects of life in London. Not my favourite work of Woolf's there are moments of her expected brilliance.

Why I Read This Now:This was a reread for me, but I couldn't resist since I'll be in London in a few days. I will now endeavor to find the statues of politicians in front of the House of Commons that look like seals emerging out of the water.

Recommended for: Virginia Woolf fans and Anglophiles.

47. Tweak, Nic Sheff

Well, after my long post at #226 got chopped off, I haven't been able to bring myself to try to recreate what I wrote.

All I can say at this point is that Tweak was a worthwhile read in companion to Beautiful Boy, but the caliber of writing and story telling is nowhere near as good. I thought I'd be really interested in what Nic was off doing when he disappeared in Beautiful Boy, but it turns out that I find drug addicts are actually pretty boring, pathetic, unlikeable people. The parts where he was clean were actually more interesting. Also he is very star struck and a celebrity worshiper, which just does nothing for me at all.

Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommended for: Readers looking for a memoir by a drug addict--he seems pretty honest, and that works in the book's favour; readers who loved Beautiful Boy.

49. Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

1988, British literature, Booker Prize winner 1989

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Comments This is they type of book that I like to refer to as "a quiet novel." Almost completely no action, but things happening all the same. It was better than okay, but didn't really grab me the way I expected it too. I saw the movie at the theatre when it came out and was mystified by the nothingness of the film. I hoped the book would clear out that feeling, but it didn't really. Still, I did like the book, and it has a certain appealing charm.

Why I read it now: I had wanted to read it for my Prize Winner category in the 999 Challenge, and during my trip to England was the perfect time for it. Parts of the book are set in Salisbury and Dorset, and I read those chapters while I was in those same places. I could really relate to what he said, especially the hedgerows so dense and high that they blocked the countryside.

Recommended for: lovers of literature. Not recommended for readers who need action in their stories.

Edited to change rating from 3.5 to 4 stars. I looked at other books I'd rated 3.5 and thought this one was better.

Message edited by its author, Jul 21, 2009, 5:37pm.

50. Enchanted April, Elizabeth von Arnim

1922, British literature

Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

Comments Four very different English women escape their dreary lives in London for a month-long holiday at a villa on the sunny Italian coast.

This book is part of the Italian fantasy genre where English-speaking people go to Italy and are magically transformed. Other books of this ilk include Under the Tuscan Sun, A Thousand Days in Venice, Room with a View and Where Angels Fear to Tread. Having just returned from my fourth trip to Italy, I can confidently say that Italy (including Tuscany) is not magical, and the Italians are not simple/backwards/endlessly charming people who will Teach You Lessons. The air in Italy does not contain magical properties either. Nor does Italy transform one from an unhappy, drab Anglo-American into a wise, calm new person. Despite my obvious and deep annoyance at this genre, I still loved Enchanted April (and the two EM Forester books mentioned, though I'd rather eat steel wool than read de Blasi or Frances Mayes ever again), and I love Italy too.

This book was great fun, the characters were highly entertaining, and overall it was a very happy book (which is a rare thing, I think).

Why I Read This Now: I've been packing this book around for years--at least 12, possibly many more. I was never in the mood for it. But the perfect time finally came--having just left England, I too went to Italy, and was about 50 miles from where it is set.

Recommended for: English lit lovers who want to read an amusing, happy story.

>230 Nick, I loved Remains of the Day both the book and the film. I suppose I like quiet, reflective type books - action is not my thing. I am English and I love English Lit., which could account for it! Strangely, though, I have not liked anything else by Ishuguro.

~ TT

#232 - my sentiments exactly. Thought Remains of the Day a perfectly written book but have been sadly disappointed not to find much attraction to his other works

That is really too bad, TT and Orangeena - as I absolutely loved Remains of the Day, thought it was almost a perfect book and gave it the full 5 stars. I think I will still try others. Any recommends?

>234: I loved Remains of the Day, too. But I can see where it might not suit everyone.

Welcome back Nickelini!

kiwi, if it makes you feel better, I absolutely loved Remains, and gave it 5 stars, AND I love his other books too. I strongly recommend An Artist of the Floating World. It is fantastic.

>229: Nickelini, even second time around, your reviews are great, but it sure is discouraging to start all over again when that happens. For a while I was having problems with my internet service (and those lost comments always seem so much better than my usual fare after they go missing), so I just got in the habit of: "highlight, copy, and submit." It almost became one smooth action, it was so automatic.

(Sorry about the blank post; here's my second try.)

>231: Have you ever seen the film version of The Enchanted April? I have the book and started to read it once, but the character of Mr. Briggs was so different from the character in the movie that I stopped after a few pages. I intend on going back to it, but at the time it just made me want to watch the movie.

Message edited by its author, Jul 22, 2009, 12:34am.

Bonnie - that never occurred to me. Thanks for the tip! Whenever something gets cyber-lost, I always think that I should have used Word or something first, but of course I only think that after somethings been lost. I'll try your tip--it's even easier than Word.

239 Have you ever seen the film version of The Enchanted April?

I rented it years ago when it was first released, but I'd had a long week at work and fell asleep in the first 10 minutes and then returned it. I'm definitely on the look out for it now. If the local video store or library doesn't have it, I'll buy it online.

>241: I think it just got released on DVD, so your timing is good. I got my copy a couple years ago, when the only DVD I could find was the Polish one (I turn the subtitles off).

51. Short Stories in Italian, edited by Nick Roberts

1999, Italian literature

Rating 5 out of 5 stars

Comments: This is a book of nine short stories written by Italian authors. The original Italian is written on the left page and the English translation is on the right. I bought this book after two university terms of Italian classes which left me with a B+ ability to do Italian grammar exercises, some ability to read Italian, a vague ability to somewhat kind of understand what my husband's Italian family was talking about, and almost zero ability to speak to them. But right after I bought it, my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the book (and all thought of the Italian language) disappeared to the deep tunnels of Mnt. TBR.

Fast forward to packing for my trip to Italy--I can usually get lots of reading done because my husband spends hours speaking with family and friends and I can't join in. I came across this book, which I now thought I'd never get around to reading, and figured if I were ever to read it, this trip was the time. For some reason I thought it was a collection of didactic folktales, poorly written and poorly translated. WRONG. When I pulled it out in Italy, I saw that this was real literature, by talented Italian writers including Primo Levi and Italo Calvino.

What a delight! I loved six of the stories, and the other three were perfectly readable. The translations are done by different people, and vary from close translation to very loose. Sometimes I read the English first and then tried to read the Italian word for word. Other times I just glanced back at the Italian were I was interested in what the translation must be . . . but whenever I said to myself "chuck the Italian, just read the English," I always found myself going over to the Italian side anyway. I didn't bother to pack my Italiano-Inglese dictionario (BIG mistake), so I scoured this for help understanding what I was hearing every day.

And it was tons of fun quizzing my husband--he was born in Canada, but didn't learn to speak English until he went to school, and spent many summers of his life in Italy. His family is Tuscan, and he speaks beautiful, correct Italian. But because he was never schooled in the language, he has gaps in his understanding. So we had many interesting conversations over the book. Me: "Do you know what they call the TV remote control?" (his parents wouldn't have taught him this because they weren't invented yet when they immigrated). Him: "Uhm, my family calls it a remoto, but I don't remember what they call it here." Me (feeling so smart): "telecommando!" (I mean, isn't that just great? It has a whole Arnie Schwarzenegger thing going on . . . all that power, just to control the TV. I'm definitely adopting this one into my lexicon).

Anyway, the stories in English were great, with or without trying to figure out the Italian. I'm SO glad I brought this book along. My favourite story was "A Naughty Schoolboy" (or "Un Cattivo Scolaro") by Stefano Benni, which is the story of a 12 year old's stand for independence, and a commentary of the silliness of the Italian school system all at the same time (the second part I got from the book's notes, because of course I know nothing about the Italian school system). The reason I liked this story is because I started out thinking "wow, really? That's how it works here?" and by the end of 8 pages I said "oh, he's exaggerating to make a point." And the journey from one point to the conclusion was very entertaining.

Why I Read This Now: Well, if you managed to read the above, it'll be obvious that I thought it would be a worthwhile read while traveling in Italy.

Recommended for: Obviously anyone studying Italian, but moreover, anyone who likes quality short stories. Forget the Italian pages and just read these stories in English, because they're great. Also good for anyone who is interested in REAL Italian culture (vs. that silly fantasy Under the Tuscan Sun crap).

Note for Juliette07, if you're reading this message: This book was displayed in Blackwell's, along with Penguin's French edition. Keith picked up the French one and I told him I had the Italian along with me. Based on my experience, you two might want to take a chance on the French.

242 I think it just got released on DVD, so your timing is good. I got my copy a couple years ago, when the only DVD I could find was the Polish one (I turn the subtitles off).

Polish, really! That's funny. This is such an English story, and I remember the 10 minutes of the video I saw just oozing Britishness.

The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone

1961, Historical fiction

**Abandoned at page 93 out of 760**

Comments: This is Stone's epic written to be worthy of Michelangelo's masterpieces. I bought this book years ago but never got around to reading it. A couple of years ago I studied the Intellectuals of the Italian Renaissance, which covered Michelangelo thoroughly. So I recognized all sorts of primary sources that Stone worked into his dialogue--I'm positive that this book is meticulously researched. And I figured, since I was going to be in Rome and Florence, there was no better time to read this novel.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get interested. One of the things I learned in the above mentioned course is that I don't really like Michelangelo. Of course he's one of the top five artistic geniuses that ever lived. No question. And I think the Creation scene from the Sistine ceiling where God reaches toward that fabulously lackadaisical Adam is one of the most beautiful paintings ever . . . but otherwise all those marble sculptures just leave me cold. Four visits to Florence and no thought yet of visiting "David". Personally I think Michelangelo was hugely misogynistic (if you don't believe me, take a look at his paintings and sculptures of women . . . okay, maybe he didn't hate women, but he certainly didn't know any, either).

Anyway, I love the Italian Renaissance, but for me, it's Leonardo and Botticelli all the way. I just can't get interested in the fabulous Mr. Buonarrati.

52. Immaculate Deception, Iain Pears

Mystery, 2000

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Comments: Very average art theft/murder mystery set in Rome and various points in Tuscany. A long time ago, I used to read a lot of mysteries, so I think I'd still recognize a good one. The author got his characters into a pretty untenable position by the end, and wiggled them out of it satisfactorily. So I guess this was a good one. His representation of Italy seemed reasonable (no Disneyland Under the Tuscan Sun crap).

But I really didn't care. I like a good meaty art story that teaches me something (which I think was part of the appeal of The Da Vinci Code--readers felt like they were learning some cool stuff while whisking along on a roller coaster--never mind that Brown's art history details were invented to fit his story--if you don't know better, who cares?). I didn't feel like I was learning cool stuff here, and the protagonists were marginally likable. Apparently this is book seven of seven, and while the book stands alone, maybe I would have liked it had I started the series at book one.

Why I Read This Now: It was supposed to be my light, fun holiday read (set in places where I was).

Recommended for: Iain Pears fans.

Two more reviews to do, and then I'm all caught up. Which will come first? The end of my jet lag, or the end of my reviews? Buona notte!

>242 I think it just got released on DVD, so your timing is good. Thank you, thank you, thank you wunderkind !!!! I saw this film in the cinema years ago and was disappointed that I couldn't find the DVD, especially on Netflix which has a huge inventory. I think my daughters would really enjoy it, and I'd love to see it again, too. I've just added it to my Netflix queue and am now motivated to finish our current rental so we can get this one.

Too bad about The Agony and the Ectasy, Joyce. I read it years ago and became infatuated with his work. His labour to get the huge pieces of stone was mind-boggling. I think his misogyny may have be a deception as he was homosexual and not at all interested in females (I think)?

Short Stories in Italian goes on the wishlist, with such a great recommend.

I know, I feel really guilty about not being able to read The Agony and the Ecstasy, especially after packing it around for so many years. I really think it's me, not the book. I just feel like I've heard it all before. If the book wasn't nearly 800 pages, I'd have stuck it out.

53. The End of the Alphabet, CS Richardson

Canadian literature, 2007

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Comments: This is a charming little book that I read one afternoon at the beach. It is the story of a 50 year old Londoner who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and has one month to live, so he embarks on a whirlwind trip with his wife. Quirkiness and loveliness abounds. Oddly, it is not depressing, even though it's about the end of a life and the end of a relationship. This novella begins and ends with the statement "this story is unlikely," and it reads like a fable. If you read it with an eye for realism, it won't work. But as a slightly otherworldly story, it is positively enchanting.

Why I Read This Now: it seemed like a good vacation read.

Recommended for: readers are in the mood for a quirky, romantic little book. I can see that this one isn't for everyone--one of the reviewers called it "treacly," and although I vehemently disagree, I can see how someone might think that.

54. Death in Venice, Thomas Mann

German literature, 1912

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Comments: I think that if I had studied this book at university and had to write essays about it and speak about it coherently in class, I would have come to love it, and rated it five stars. But as a vacation read, I didn't give it the full concentration that it probably deserved. Part of the problem is that there are huge sections of this short book that delve into convoluted philosophy, and I never, ever pack my philosophical brain cells along when I go on holiday.

On the back cover it says that Mann claims this book is about "the voluptuousness of doom." Yikes! I have to agree with a reviewer here at LT who describes it as a "strange, creepy little novel." The protagonist's erotic obsession with a teenage boy, who Mann strangely feminizes, is disturbing (although rather interesting). But his evocative imagery of a decaying and diseased Venice is beautifully disturbing, and really makes the book for me.

I plan to read this again some day, and expect that I will get more out of the philosophizing.

Why I Read This Now: it was short, set in Italy, and something more serious to counter the lighter stuff I packed along.

Recommended for: people in the mood for a deep, serious book.

I think if you read Death in Venice in light of the author's sexual orientation, it gives a different perspective, Joyce. I agree it is a disturbing book!

I don't know anything about Mann, but based on this book, I figure he was gay.

Message edited by its author, Jul 22, 2009, 7:02pm.

Karen - I've totally lost track of your reading thread. Where are you?

Joyce - Karen's thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/64931

55. Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia, Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn Spiro

Memoir, 2005

Comments: What a great premise--identical twins, one with schizophrenia, the other a psychologist--and true, too! Each tells her side of the story of their lives. This book gets rave reviews at Amazon, but it didn't quite work for me. I think its strength was Pamela's descriptions of her schizophrenic episodes. I don't know much about schizophrenia, and I didn't realize the intensity and bizarreness of the delusions it causes. Talk about serious paranoia and delusions of grandeur.

Unfortunately, I found both authors a little prickly and dysfunctional (the psychiatrist too), and both of them were confusing. . . a lot of contradictions, a lot of dropped threads (for example, they were competitive anorexics in high school and college, but then they just stopped talking about that--I'd like to know how that played out. Was it still a thing? Did they get cured?), too many unanswered questions and comments left unexplained. Why didn't the psychologist take a more active roll in helping her sister? And the schizophrenic sister has other disorders too (including narcolepsy). Is that part of schizophrenia, or is she just really unlucky? I could go on and on.

While this book does a great job of showing the schizophrenic's experience, I can't say I learned anything concrete about the disease (other than it's really horrible).

Rating 2.5 out of 5

Why I Read This Now: borrowed book and I'm seeing the owner next week.

Recommended for: readers interested in twins and also the experiences of people suffering mental disorders.

Message 252: I found this site regarding Mann it may help with the context of the book you finished.
http://www.glbtq.com/literature/mann_t.h...

56. Unformed Landscape, Peter Stamm

Swiss literature, 2001, translated from German

Why I Read This Now: this was part of the polar challenge over at the Reading Globally group for this month.

Comments Here are some of the comments I posted over at the challenge thread:

For this challenge, I read Unformed Landscape, which is set on the coast of northern Norway, near the Russian border, and also in the area the northern extremes of Sweden and Finland. It's by Swiss author Peter Stamm, and originally written in German.

I enjoyed the sparse writing style that added to the remote, chilly atsmosphere. The unformed landscape of the title refers not to the drifting snow that covers the national borders, but to the main character Katherine, who drifts through life without any vision or purpose. This novel is a bildungsroman, so by the end she has grounded herself and stopped drifting.

1. Would have the story have worked as well outside the polar setting? and 2. were the themes sufficiently universal to apply to other geographic regions or were they specific to the setting of the story?: As a story of self-discovery, I guess the basic story could be set anywhere. But the northern setting stamps a unique mark on this novel.

It was the setting that attracked me to this book. When I think of "polar" I envision punishing cold, emptyness, ice flows and big white bears. None of this was in Unformed Landscape, except perhaps the emptyness in the main character. But rather than cold, the author focused on the contrasts of the endless light and the endless dark. The book also shows that people in this far northern village are not isolated or stuck, as both the visitors and the inhabitants come and go and almost everyone is well travelled.

Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of contemporary literature.

#259: Unformed Landscape sounds like an intriguing book. Thanks for the review and recommendation.

#239 Wunderkind and #248 Lindsacl . . . GREAT NEWS! The film The Enchanted April is available on YouTube. Just search the title. It's in eleven parts. I'm on part three and will watch the rest tomorrow. It's amazing what you can (and can't) find on YouTube.

Hopefully it doesn't get taken down right away!

The Stamm book looks like something I would like, Joyce. I haven't heard of it before. Where do you get all your interesting reading ideas?

Where do you get all your interesting reading ideas?

Yikes, where don't I get them? :-) My reading radar is always on . . . that particular book I learned about from raves about it I read on the internet by author Julius Lester (who is an Jewish African-American children's book author--not the book's target audience, I'd guess, and that intrigued me more).

Mostly from talking to other people (mostly on the internet), browsing book sites on the Internet, magazine and newspaper reviews, TV shows like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, "Best of" lists -- oh, and I always watch what's going through the uni bookstore. I pick up a lot of ideas from course reading for courses I'm not even taking.

>261: well that's interesting !! Thanks!

I pick up a lot of ideas from course reading for courses I'm not even taking.

That's a favorite trick of mine too! :-)

57. Paula, Isabel Allende

Memoir, 1994

Comments: In the early '90s when Isabel Allende's daughter Paula slipped into a deep coma, she wrote this book for her. It is part history, part family memoir, and part bedside ruminating.

Allende says that Nobel Prize Chilean poet Pablo Neruda told her that she had too much imagination to be a journalist, and should be a novelist instead. Several times she drops hints throughout the book that she is, shall we say, embellishing the story. Which, I think, makes it more interesting. But then the memoir enters the realm of fiction. I really enjoyed all her stories; wasn't so interested in her long passages about her feelings . . . in fact, once I could tell she was getting going, I'd skip to the next paragraph. I hear this was a real tear-jerker for a lot of readers, but those parts just left me cold.

This book badly suffers from the need of a good editor. She says that her mother is her editor, and it shows. This book had annoying structural problems (lack of chapter breaks, single paragraphs that went on for two complete pages), and was overly wordy. Especially when she talked about her emotions, or her new age philosophies, less would have been so much more. But when she got over herself and told a story, it was excellent. Further, I felt that I learned somethng about living in Chile in the 20th century. I will definitely seek out some of her fiction sooner rather than later. (I started House of the Spirits a few years ago and was loving it, but it came due at the library and I didn't have time to renew it, and I've never had a chance to get back to it. Must make the time).

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Why I Read This Now: My sister-in-law lent it to me last summer, and I'm seeing her today and wanted to return it.

Recommended for: well, seeing that I didn't react emotionally the way most other readers of this book did, I'm not sure I should answer this question.

Message edited by its author, Aug 4, 2009, 1:23pm.

>267: I had similar reactions to Paula, Joyce. I've enjoyed Allende's fiction much more.

Whew. Glad it's not just me!

If you are up for nonfiction for Allende, I recommend her My Invented Country. I have not read any fiction by her yet.

Nickelini, thank you for the review of The Enchanted April - good to find another happy, well-written book.

Loved The Remains of the day - I sympathised with the butler, as he followed his own code in a world where it had become irrelevant. Like jfetting, I have enjoyed all of Ishiguro's books, and also recommend An Artist of the Floating World. Different setting, similar theme.

Hi Nickelini,

I would recommend House of Spirits. It's the only book by Allende that I've read (but I have 2 others in my MtTBR), it took me 2 months to read but even 2 years later I'm still really fond of the book... the movie is good too! Meryl Strep is awesome!

btw your description of 'a quiet novel' is awesome and I may use it in the future!

58. Five Quarters of an Orange, Joanne Harris

Contemp lit, 2001

Why I Read This Now: I bought this book for almost nothing at a library sale a few years ago, but it was a hard cover that took more than its fair share of shelf space, so it was time to read it and move it out. Also, it fulfilled the "woman's author" catagory of my 999 challenge. Lastly, it is an Orange book that I can read for the Orange July read that's going on.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Comments: This was a pretty quick and entertaining read. What I liked were all the food elements (even though the fruit 'n' nut character names were a bit much). All the talk of French cooking really made me want to come home and pull out my French cook books. What I didn't like: there was a tone to some parts of the book that was cold and impersonal. I'm not sure I empathized with the main characters as much as the author wanted me to.

recommended for: Readers who like books set in rural France. Harris captured that feel very well.

I remember that I didn't believe that the people of the village wouldn't recognize members of this family when they came back to town, especially the mother; and as this was crucial to the plot, the book felt a bit weak to me. But I always like books that give me important history wrapped up in a personal story, so I enjoyed the book well enough. I think your comments are spot on.

Five Quarters of an Orange is in my TBR stack as well, so I enjoyed reading your review of it.

Good point about the townspeople recognizing her. Of course whats-his-chops did, but you don't find that out until later. There were a few things like that, weren't there. I just chalked it up to artistic license, and tried to go with the flow.

I've got Five Quarters of an Orange on the TBR pile as well, but I've not given it any kind of priority. Thanks for the review. It sounds like some other Joanna Harris books I've read, good but not great.

Adding Five Quarters of an Orange to Planet TBR, especially since I really enjoyed her Chocolat.

59. The Child in Time, Ian McEwan

Contemporary Brit lit, 1987

Comments: Okay, I'll be frank. I didn't really "get" this novel. Reading the reviews of it here at LT helped a bit, and several people suggested it makes more sense on second reading. So I'll put it aside and look at it again some day, because I really do like McEwan's writing. This is my sixth McEwan, and the first one I've had trouble with.

Why I Read This Now: I started it while still in Europe, it was the last unread book I had along with me (I actually bought it in England).

Rating: 3/5 stars. At one point I considered giving it a one, but then I realized that even though I didn't understand it, it was still rather pleasant to read.

Recommended for: I don't know. McEwan fans?

The jury is still out for me regarding McEwan. I loved Saturday then one of the few who really disliked Atonement. So I'm adding The Child in Time to my Wish List just to see how I lean towards it.

Let me know how you do, Carmenere!

I just placed a hold on it at my friendly neighborhood library.

I've got a mixed history with McEwan as well. I did like The Child in Time, but so far it's been a no go (despite now 4 or 5 starts) to try to get through Atonement and there are a couple of others which just don't come together even earlier for me. But I will try!

I had some difficulty with Atonement as well (mainly that I really hated that little snot Briony), and I'm not a big fan of the early McEwans with their graphic violence and kinky sex (First Love, Last Rites, The Cement Garden, or The Comfort of Strangers). As to The Child in Time, I might give it a notch higher than your rating, but it wasn't one that really grabbed me. For me, the emotional journey of the main character, who eventually comes to a state of higher self-awareness, was the central point.

Add me to the list of folks having a hard time with Atonement. I got about 90 pages into it and set it aside. Ho hum. I might get back to it and try again one of these days, but right now I've got too many good books on the TBR pile waiting to be read.

60. Any Four Women Could Rob the Bank of Italy, Ann Cornelisen

Contemporary lit, 1983

Rating: 3 3/4 stars

Comments: When our intrepid protagonist, El, is waved through a series of police roadblocks in Italy, she finds herself insulted that the police do not consider it possible that a woman could be the criminal they're looking for. She devises a plan that not only proves them wrong, but also exposes high level corruption in the Italian government.

It was an interesting story, with lots of clever and original writing. I also found the author accurately and realistically depicted both Italians and life in Italy (no Under the Tuscan Sun nonsense here!). For that I rate it four stars. However, I'm taking back a quarter star because at times it's a bit confusing, and there is too much mad-capped, over the top action that I thought detracted from the book. But that's a quibble, and overall it was a great read.

Why I Read This Now: RebbecaNYC recommended it as the anti-Under-the-Tuscan-Sun novel, and it was available at the library (I believe it's out of print).

Recommended for: readers in the mood for something fun, a little light, but still clever and well-written.

61. Halfbreed, Maria Campbell

Memoir, 1973

Rating: 3.5 stars

Why I Read This Now: I read this for the Aboriginal Book Challenge, going on over at the Reading Globally group. I selected it for several reasons--first, it's required reading for a course I'm taking next term; two, of the aboriginal books I own, this is the only one written by a woman, and three, it was calling to me the loudest.

Comments: Here are the comments I made over at the Reading Globally thread:

This is the story of Campbell's growing up Metis in the 1940s and 50s. The Metis are one of the three officially recognized Aboriginal groups of Canada (the other two are First Nations and Inuit), and are the descendants of French and Scottish settlers and First Nations women.

Campbell was born into a large, loving family that suffered through periods of poverty followed by times of extreme poverty. When she was 12, her mother died and things really went downhill. When she was 15 she came up with a very bad plan to bring her family some money and keep them together--she got married to a man she didn't like. Hard to believe there was anywhere further down to go, but yes, things went downhill from there. Campbell ends up living in squalor in Vancouver, and cycles through several periods of drug abuse and life on the streets. The section about her recovery is quite brief, but she is now an acclaimed playwright, educator and spokesperson, so it's no spoiler to say that hers is a success story.

I enjoyed the book--very much. The tone is quite casual, and not very polished, but she tells her story well. A few times I wondered about the veracity of what she wrote--she certainly romanticized her childhood. Despite the extreme poverty and harsh living conditions, she painted it as an idyllic scene. For example, she talked about her parents great love for each other, but described scenes where her father beat the tar out of her mother. Perhaps in 1973, when she wrote this book, that behavior wasn't as absolutely unacceptable as it is now.

(response to question on how the Aboriginals are depicted in the book:) The Metis in the book were portrayed as real people--kind, mean, intelligent, dumb, confused, determined, hard-working, lazy--just like people everywhere. She did show that the extreme cycle of poverty, coupled with prejudice against them (by both whites and the First Nations), made it almost impossible to change their lives. Some, like Maria, tried. Others just accepted their pitiful lot in life.

One of the strong themes in this book that I really liked was Campbell's feminism. Within the downtrodden Metis culture, the women were further held down. She is a strong voice for women who previously had been silent (or silenced).

Still thinking about what I learned. I guess I learned a little about Metis culture--I was always pretty confused by who they are and what their story is; I'm still confused, but not as much.

Recommended for: people wanting to read an interesting life story, or stories about strong women.

Message edited by its author, Aug 12, 2009, 12:08am.

Metis sounds interesting. I'm a lot more skeptical of memoirs too, especially after the James Frey controversy. But also scientists are finding that people really don't remember very much at all beyond a kind of a "gist" of what happened. I can't even accurately explain or describe an important interaction that happened 10 minutes ago. I've heard scientists say that we more "reconstruct" memories than actually remember them. Beyond remembering the barest plot of even a very important event, over the years I think memories come to stand more for what we believe, feel, and think about what happened, than the actual reality of what was said or done in the past. I think I was just reading a somewhat related article in the New York Times today about this, using John Dean's testimony during the Watergate Hearings as an example versus the actual tapes of conversations he was describing. The author was saying we tend to straighten things out, simplify the story, make it more linear--and, of course, make ourselves look/sound better.

LOL! Edited to say: I think I'm combining my memory of this article with some recent brain research I read.

Message edited by its author, Aug 11, 2009, 11:37pm.

Hmm, yes, interesting thoughts. I agree with you. For some reason I think of "autobiography" as more factual than a "memoir." But if you look at my library, I have a bunch of memoir tags and no autobiography tags . . . I guess I haven't found any book that seems very factual yet!

Although I'm much more cautious about having my feelings manipulated, I still love memoirs. This Boy's Life, Angela's Ashes, Paddy Clark Ha! Ha! Ha! come to mind. Maybe some people would call them autobiographies, but they feel like memoirs to me--because, as you say, they're not trying to describe their lives in that linear of a fashion, and with all the basic facts. Instead, they are telling the stories that are important to them.

Edited to fix spelling error; don't tell me if I have more! ;-)

Message edited by its author, Aug 12, 2009, 12:15am.

62. Green Grass, Running Water, Thomas King

Canadian lit, 1993

Rating: 5 stars

Why I Read This Now: I read this for the Aboriginal group read going on over at Reading Globally. I chose it because it's been on my TBR stack for a while--I'd read a fabulous Thomas King short story in my first university course, and it had always stuck with me, so I wanted to read more by him.

Comments Here are some of my comments from my post at Reading Globally:

2. Before I get started, I have to say that this book was BIG FUN and highly enjoyable. But it's a difficult book to describe. I've read reviews here and at Amazon, and while these readers have definitely read the same book, I see it very differently from them. Let's see . . . there are several interwoven stories (a university professor, a man who wants to block the building of a dam, a TV salesman, a lawyer, a doctor and janitor . . . all somehow connected to a Blackfoot reserve in Alberta) interspersed with creation stories and folklore. Oh, I'm not doing a very good job here . . .

3. I loved this book. It will definitely show up on my list of top reads for the year. It was fun, it was intelligent, it was sophisticated, it was literary, it was interesting . . . what more could you want? I have to add that I tend to be adverse to folklore and myth, and this book has a lot of it . . . but it's done in great fun, and is important to the stories about the "real" people. I tended to read those sections pretty quickly, and I wish there was a bit fewer of them. Also, there are bits of magic realism throughout the book, which I loved, but I know some readers just don't do magic realism.

4. The Blackfoot characters were shown negotiating the two sides of their lives--their traditional culture, and the getting on with everyday life in late 20th century North America.

Thomas King is an acclaimed First Nations Canadian author, which is one of the big reasons I wanted to read this. I was rather dismayed to learn that 1) he didn't become a Canadian until he was an adult, and 2) his mother is Greek . . . he was born in California, and his father is Cherokee. So while King has been a successful voice for the First Nations people of Canada, he's not an authentic representative who has lived their experience (Hmmm . . . kinda makes me think of Obama).

4. Oh, this book is saying a lot . . . one of the themes I really enjoyed was "selling-out" . . . what is selling-out, what is not? Where is the line?

5. The best thing I learned is that Aboriginal fiction does not have to be grim or depressing. This is an intelligent, well-written book that isn't a downer. How refreshing.

I don't use the "favourite" status at LT very often, but Thomas King will join my favourites list today.

Thanks for the review, it sounds really good!

Sounds like a terrific read, Joyce! I am off to see if my library has it.

63. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf

British literature, 1927

Rating: 5/5 stars

Comments: This is probably my favourite Virginia Woolf book yet. However, when I studied her yet again this past spring (3rd university course that covered her), I learned that you have to read her books at least twice--if not more often--to understand what the book is about. So I make that judgement on first reading.

What can I say about To the Lighthouse that better educated minds haven't already said? Commenting on classics is so difficult. Here are some bits of floating thought (much like the thoughts of the characters in a Virginia Woolf novel, actually) . . . I like Mrs. Ramsey's sense of impending doom (I can relate to that). Yet, being a Woolf novel, I know that things won't be THAT bad--people may die in the war, but you won't read the details.

I like the mesmerizing and lulling, yet mysterious, mood of the novel. And Woolf paints such stunning scenes--that's what keeps me coming back to her books.

I look forward to rereading this book.

Why I Read This Now: I was in the mood for a Virginia Woolf novel. She may be my favourite author ever, and although I don't pretend to understand her, I enjoy her very much.

Recommended for: people who like fiction that's challenging and has a strong mood (and you know that nothing really horrible is going to happen).

>294: excellent review and interesting learning about reading Woolf. I read A Room of One's Own earlier this year, having not read any of her work before. I liked it, and there were numerous insights in there, but I can definitely see how you'd get more with each re-read. I have To the Lighthouse teed up to read in the next few months, and am both glad to see such a positive review and aware that I might not get "everything" out of it at once.

64. Brixton Beach, Roma Tearne

Comments: Another fabulous novel from the author who wrote Mosquito, one of my all-time favourite books. I'm going to review it on Belletrista.com, so I'll let you know when my review is available.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Edited to say: originally I gave this book 5/5 stars, but I reread it to write my review for Belletrista.com, and on second reading I decided it was more of a 4 star book.

Message edited by its author, Oct 5, 2009, 5:21pm.

Oh good! I loved Mosquito, so now I'll need to get this one!

>296 Wow, I'm adding this 5 star to my wish list and also Mosquito for good measure.

>298 I don't think you'll regret it (with Mosquito), Carmenere!

Adding both Mosquito and Brixton Beach to Planet TBR.

65. Kingdom Coming: the Rise of Christian Nationalism, Michelle Goldberg

Politics and religion, 2006

Rating: 4.5 stars

Comments: Last week I was asked to fill out a silly quiz on Facebook, and one of the questions was "What are three things that you're afraid of?" I answered 1. being in a plane crash, 2. primates, and 3. fundamentalists. Now, I never, ever read books about primates, and I tend to avoid all media coverage of plane crashes as best I can. But for some reason, I'm just fascinated by fundamentalists. Christian, Islamic, Jewish (. . . and if I ever heard of a Buddhist or Hindu fundamentalist, I'd probably be interested in them too). I'm also fascinated-slash-horrified by the mix of religion and politics in the United States.

I read a great review of Kingdom Coming when it was published, and so it went on my TBR list. But then I took it off, because I figured my time would be better spent reading books that were more relevant to my life (like maybe learn something about the politics of my own country). However, resistance was futile, and I couldn't resist. This was indeed a fascinating look at a small, but very powerful group of extremist Christians who I think are doing great damage to the United States. They make me crazy, and I don't even live there.

This book is well researched and well written, and so interesting. I also appreciate that Goldberg comes up with some steps and actions that people can take to help diffuse the power of these Christian nationalists.

Why I Read This Now: I felt like a quick non-fiction break before diving back into novels. Also, I thought with the change in US leadership, this book would become obsolete if I left it sit on Mnt. TBR too long. Wrong! Obama can't make these people go away--they're regrouping and planning their next step.

Recommended for: This is a must read for everyone who lives in the United States. It's also an interesting read for those of us who don't, but are concerned anyway.

Message edited by its author, Aug 21, 2009, 9:43pm.

Kingdom Coming sounds interesting! I'm not an American / or living in the USA but I find the subject compelling too.

OK, that one's going on the pile.... thanks!

but Joyce, you are a primate! We're all primates!

Kingdom Coming is going on the wishlist. I love that LT added that button! And great review!

>304 duh....what button? Also I'm adding Kingdom Coming to my wish list.

but Joyce, you are a primate! We're all primates!

Jennifer, can't you tell I'm a misanthrope? No, actually, the only ones that really creep me out are gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, baboons and monkeys. They all make me shudder. For some reason I don't mind lemurs, and as for humans--well, I guess some are okay. ;-)

>301, primates, eh? Intriguing. Hindu fundamentalism is actually on the rise in India. I had long assumed that Hindus just couldn't be fundamentalist - probably some silly idea about "eastern" religions being more "tolerant" and Hinduism being so syncretistic. However, in my junior year seminar of my religion major, we read an essay about Hindu fundamentalists. They are just as scary as the other types.

Interesting! Don't know anything about them, but I suspect I'd find them scary too.

carmenere, if you click on Kingdom Coming, and go to the work page, there is a little button for "add to my library" and another little button for "add to my wishlist". Clicking on that button takes you to the Add Books page, with Kingdom Coming already up, and the Wishlist collection box already checked. It's great. Using it, my wishlist books don't accidentally end up in my "your library" collection.

ETA: I don't like seeing chimps and the great apes in zoos - we're only what? 0.1% or 1% different from chimps, at the genome level? Too close a relative for me to be happy seeing them in cages, or even the more elaborate zoo settings.

Message edited by its author, Aug 22, 2009, 7:16pm.

Nickelini, I'm afraid of reading books about fundamentalism but!!!!!

>309 thanks jfetting for answering the button question. I can now throw away the numerous index cards I have stashed around my computer. When I get around to adding them all I can say goodbye to free member status - hello lifetime membership.

best $25 you'll ever spend

Yep, I never looked back . . .

Me, either!

>312,313,314, well with testimonials like these how can I refuse, thanks for your input.

kingdom coming has been added to my wishlist too.

66. The Things That Matter: What Seven Classic Novels Have to Say About the Stages of Life, Edward Mendelson

Literary criticisim, 2006

Comments: "This bookis about life as it is interpreted by books." In it, Mendelson explores seven novels, all written by women:

1. Birth: Frankenstein
2. Childhood: Wuthering Heights
3. Growth: Jane Eyre
4. Marriage: Middlemarch
5. Love: Mrs. Dalloway
6. Parenthood: To the Lighthouse
7. the Future: Between the Acts

The strongest section was chapter two on childhood, and would be worth reading for anyone who doesn't "get" Wuthering Heights. I also thought his take on Mrs. Dalloway was interesting just because it's so different from how I've looked at that novel. Otherwise, I have to admit that this book didn't do a whole lot for me.

Why I Read this Now: it looked interesting (I've read six of the seven novels), and it was available at the library.

rating: 3/5 stars

Recommended for: readers who have read the seven novels and want to explore them further.

Hmm, this one has been on my wish list for awhile . . . but maybe it shouldn't be.

Love the idea for this book and I get the book selections for the first four categories, but Mrs. Dalloway to represent love? I don't think so! I haven't read the last two books, so maybe I'll add them to my list of books to check out at the library.

Well, it's worth checking out from the library just to see if it's your thing. It's pretty academic. I'm glad I didn't pay for it though.

>317, Joyce, that book sounds really interesting. It's too bad that you didn't like it - it reduces my enthusiasm for it.

I really don't want to steer anyone away from this book, just because I thought it was so-so. Maybe you'll love it.

Bonnie, as for Mrs Dalloway and love, the theory is that Peter Walsh loves Clarissa for herself and only herself. It was an interesting take on the book.

>323:the theory is that Peter Walsh loves Clarissa for herself and only herself.

That was my interpretation when I first read Mrs Dalloway, in high school. Then I re-read it four years later and thought almost the opposite--that Peter loves her for (and only for) the idealized and false version of her that he envisioned and, to an extent, created by his own influence. So he was actually kind of just in love with himself. Interesting to see what version of events Mendelson went with.

I'm with wunderkind. I wasn't that impressed with Clarissa's ideas about love either as I recall.

67. Quite a Year For Plums, Bailey White

1998, Contemporary fiction

Rating: 3/5. Not really my style of book, but I'm glad I read it.

The best way I can think to describe this book is "oddly nice." There's not much story, really, just a series of vignettes about a group of quirky characters living in smalltown, Georgia, USA. Definitely not my area of interest, but what made this book interesting were all the tidbits of information the author wove into the stories: bits about farming and breeds of chickens, and forest fires and embroidery, and peanut growing and how to paint pictures of poultry. Sounds odd, but it made the book. Also, most of the characters were intelligent and kind -- no stereotypical rednecks or Bubbas here (I guess that's to be expected since the author apparently also works for NPR).

Why I Read This Now: I read it for my 999 challenge, Oldest Books in My Closet category. At about 10 years old, it was definitely one of the older unread books I own, and I've never really been in the mood to read it. If I remember correctly, I bought the book because I loved the cover. I still love the cover, and I'm happy that there was actually a strong connection between the cover art and the story. I will post a picture of the cover to this thread as soon as my kids give me a turn on the better computer!

edited to say: okay, my turn at the computer and so here's the cover that attracted me (it's like something from the pages of Country Life magazine):

Recommended for: people who like books about quirky characters where nothing really horrible happens.

Message edited by its author, Aug 30, 2009, 9:45pm.

68. The Accidental, Ali Smith

2006, British literature, audiobook

Rating: 4.5 /5 stars

Comments: I picked up this audiobook on sale for $2, and I really didn't have a clue what I was getting, other than that it had been on the Booker shortlist. I actually had some vague idea that it was about Indian immigrants in London. Wrong! I guess I confused Ali Smith with Monica Ali, another writer who I've heard of but know nothing about. Anyway, knowing nothing about this book, I had no expectations, and so it was a very pleasant surprise.

In case you're like me and don't know the story, The Accidental is about an English family (mom, step-dad, teenage son, preteen daughter) on holiday in Norfolk, where a mysterious stranger comes into their holiday home and their lives. It is told by multiple narrators, each self-absorbed and distant from the other members of their family. The mysterious stranger is a catalyst for change with each family member.

I loved the free flowing narration, and the tangents each character went off on; I loved the multiple points of view of the same event; I just all round found this a pleasure to listen to. I'm not sure how I would have reacted to this book if I'd read it--this audio presentation was superb, with an ensemble cast reading the different narrators (I know someone will ask, so here are the names: Heather O'Neill, Stina Nielsen, Jeff Woodman, Simon Prebble, Ruth Moore). Some day I'd like to read this book. I listened to the last big chunk of this on my iPod in my garden while doing a marathon weeding session, and I had no idea that I was near the end (it's not like a book where you can tell you're running out of pages!). I was so disappointed that it was finished--I could have continued listening to this family and their odd experiences for hours more.

I'm really surprised at all the negative comments and reviews here at LT--are we talkin' about the same book? Many people dissed the ending, but it really made me laugh. Out loud, out there weeding my herb patch. I'm sure my neighbours thought I was daft!

Recommended for: Well, I would have thought this book had broad appeal, but based on the negative comments on the review page, maybe not so much!

Thanks for the review of The Accidental... it sounds just up my alley (ha ha, pun totally intended). I read and enjoyed Girl Meets Boy last year, and I have Hotel World on my shelf, so I don't know if I'll get to that one or The Accidental first.

I read The Accidental a few years ago and quite enjoyed it. It's certainly one-of-a-kind. I've read a lot by Ali Smith since then, but nothing has really taken my fancy like this one.

328> You should definitely get to The Accidental first!

Just caught up with your thread, Joyce. The King book seems like a 'not-to-be-missed' one. Thanks.

>330, The Accidental it is! I will get it on my next trip to the library. :)

Marcia--I have the opposite reaction to cariola's. I'm lukewarm about The Accidental, but really liked Hotel World. Different strokes.....

I have The Accidental on my shelf waiting for me. It's good to hear a positive review about it. I will now be more inclined to read it sooner!

Now I'm just confused... Maybe it will be Hotel World first after all, since it's already in my possession. Hmm.

Perhaps read both atdb, and let us know your opinion too?

>336, An excellent suggestion! :D

Everyone is welcome to hang around here and chat, but my reading log continues at Nickelini's Reading List, Part 2