After reaching 300+ messages, here is thread #3!

Thread #1 can be found here.

Thread #2 can be found here.

Here are my tickers:







Here are the books that I read and reviewed on my first thread:
Black Dogs by Ian McEwan
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Maus I by Art Spiegelman
Persuasion by Jane Austen
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Time in Between by David Bergen
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
Gotcha! by Shelley Hrdlitschka
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffen
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Maus II by Art Spiegelman
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Any Known Blood by Lawrence Hill
Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine
Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett
A Perfect Gentle Knight by Kit Pearson
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
The Outcast by Sadie Jones
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

These are the books that I read and reviewed on my second thread:
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
The Tent by Margaret Atwood
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Emily of New Moon by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Emily Climbs by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Emily's Quest by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Such is My Beloved by Morley Callaghan
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper
As For Me and My House by Sinclair Ross
In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
Wild Geese by Martha Ostenso
Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen
Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carre
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt
The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Love and Summer by William Trevor
Greenwitch by Susan Cooper

Links in this first message take you to the message in which I wrote my review.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini
The Disappeared by Kim Echlin
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Message edited by its author, Nov 1, 2009, 4:30pm.

oh first to leave you a msg on your new thread - the honour! :)

And belated congratulations from me. Ahhhh, shaping young minds on the virtues of the written word. I'm free for a speaking engagement anytime you need a sub!!!! Though I can't promise I won't infect their minds with American writers.

Speaking of American vs. Canadian, I thought of you this weekend when I found Negotiating with the Dead. I was elated. I've never seen or heard of this one and it fits in with my reading these days of writers on the art and life of writing. I will definitely be squeezing this one in.

Hi Cait! What are you reading now?

Thank you kindly for the new thread :)

Cait, one of my lads' friends went to England after doing a concurrent B.Ed. She has ended up in South London and got asked to stay for a second year. She is just LOVING it! I hope it helps to open some doors for her when she returns. She does young 'uns, however.

Hi, Cait! I've found you and got you starred! :)

I think I congratulated you on the old thread, but I'll say it again because it's nice to have good news . . . CONGRATULATIONS on the teaching job!

Hey everyone, welcome to the new thread!

#3: Mac, Negotiating with the Dead looks great, and it has gone on the wishlist! I'll look for your review.

#4: Hey Darryl, I was reading The Glass Room, but then I had to put it aside because The Little Stranger came into the library and I only have it for two weeks. Both are very good so far.

#5: Tui, any teaching job is good for building experience, and I considered going to England with my friend, but in the end I'm glad I didn't since I now have a job here.

Glad to see you all following along!

Cait, I'm eager to hear what you think of The Little Stranger when you're done with it, as I've heard mixed reviews so far. (I actually have it on my TBR shelf -- I actually bought it because I was eager to read it, but it keeps getting "bumped" down the list by things I get at the library . . . :)

Message edited by its author, Sep 7, 2009, 6:52pm.

Ditto with what tymfos said. I have The Little Stranger here at my parents' house, and I thought I would get to it this week, but I probably won't finish Wolf Hall before I return to Atlanta on Thursday.

I should finish Part Three of Wolf Hall tonight, and will read each of the remaining three parts over the next three days.

#9, 10: I am actually enthralled by The Little Stranger right now. Like with Byatt's The Children's Book, I have heard that this is not Waters' best, but as I have never read any of her other works, I have nothing to compare it too. So far, thought, it is giving the Byatt serious competition for my favourite longlist novel.

I have a feeling Waters read some Edgar Allen Poe before writing this book. It has the same feel, and similar plot elements, as The Fall of the House of Usher - old, crumbling mansion, a family line that is dying out, a narrator who is an outsider, a creepy gothic tone. Oh, and the male head of the family is named Roderick, which is also the name of the head of the family in Poe's story.

How is Wolf Hall holding up so far, Darryl? I've heard really amazing things about it, but the Tudor period is so widely written about that I am not sure how Mantel can keep the subject matter fresh. Henry VIII and his wives have become a focus of popular culture lately, what with Philippa Gregory's novels and the TV show The Tudors.

Tomorrow the Shortlist is announced!

I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying The Little Stranger, Cait. I'll read it (and all of the other longlisted novels) this year, whether it makes the longlist or not.

I'm enjoying Wolf Hall so far (about 1/3 finished). My knowledge of Tudor England, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn etc. is essentially zero, so I have nothing to compare it to. It's a compelling and well written story so far, told mainly from the viewpoint of Thomas Cromwell. The characters are delightfully self-centered, manipulative and deceitful, and so far there is enough detail for a novice like myself to keep things straight, but not so much that I'm getting bogged down in the names and places.

Cait, which novels do you think will make the shortlist? Which ones should make it?

My guess for the shortlist:
Wolf Hall
The Glass Room
Brooklyn
Summertime
Love and Summer
The Wilderness

Well, had I posted this before reading the shortlist, LOL, I probably would have said Summertime, The Glass Room, and Brooklyn for sure. Wolf Hall has all the buzz, so I am surprised it made the shortlist, as often the "sure things" don't actually make the cut. I'm shocked at the Foulds, and though I personally loved the Byatt, it hasn't really been high on most people's predictions, so I am surprised it was shortlisted.

The Foulds is a puzzling choice, as I'm becoming less fond of it as time passes and as I read more of the other books. I'm glad to see the Byatt listed, and I'll plan to read it next week, and the Waters after that to finish the shortlist. I'm disappointed that the Harvey didn't make the shortlist, although I haven't read it yet.

Argh, can't wait to read Wolf Hall, it sounds so good.

#8

You should have come to the UK and my fellow Brits and I could have given you a corrupting tour of good second hand bookshops ;)

I am a little late to the party, but starring you again Cait!

#16 - I might still take you up on that one day, Luna! I'm spending a week in London next summer, and I definitely plan on asking around for used bookstores! When I was there last year I didn't do a lot of shopping since I wanted to see all the sights, but now that I'm going for the second time, I think I can spare a day... or two... for book buying :) I did find a copy of Fowles' The Collector at Spitalfields Market for only 2 GBP, but that was my only bargain buy.

#18

hehehehehehe

>18 I hear there's a great secondhand book stall on the South Bank at weekends... if you get up as far as Cambridge and happen to coincide with it, there's a wonderful warehouse sale that happens roughly monthly just down the road from me - lots of titles from last 5 years or so from literary publishers like Faber, Granta, Canongate, plus now lots of secondhand books too - and 95% of it is GBP1 per book. I got a copy of Juliet Barker's massive Brontë biography that looks unread for GBP3 at the last one.

(My husband hates me going. He didn't realise how close it was - literally walking distance - when we moved here...)

Wolf Hall is the favourite at the bookies by several country miles - I was about to write "bookies' favourite", but that feels wrong as several of them have been very vocal in the UK press about how much they stand to lose if Mantel actually wins.

Am very much enjoying Bookerthon-ing vicariously!

edit for one of those annoying typoes that you spot in the split second AFTER you hit 'submit'

Message edited by its author, Sep 9, 2009, 7:16pm.

#20

Ohhhhhhhh............................where is this wonderful warehouse sale? And when?

Such temptation *sigh*

>21 Galloway & Porter - the bookshop in the centre is nice, although pricier than it used to be - but the warehouse sale is FAB. It's just off Cherry Hinton Road, near the little parade of shops that has a Budgens attached. I've just checked their website and the next one is actually this weekend... They tend to run them more frequently when they get closer to Christmas, but at the moment it's roughly monthly.

You do have to be quite determined as it's a bit higgledy piggledy, but there is a lot of good stuff in there.

Sorry - that probably won't help with good housemate relations, will it?

LT's very own elliepotten (on the 50 book challenge) has just opened a used bookshop in London - perhaps you should check it out! :)

Ellie is from Derbyshire, which is quite a distance from London. Did she say where her bookshop is located?

oh really? I had the distinct impression it was in London (the bookshop) but I might be (very) mistaken. You'll have to ask her, I think!

Hi Cait ! I just found the end of your previous thread. Congratulations on the teaching job!

Oh darn it, I'm busy all this weekend. I have to go at some point though!! Argggggggggggggggggghhhhhh

#25: I just posted the reply from elliepotten about the location of her bookstore on my thread, but I'll post it here too:

"{T}he bookshop's in Bakewell, Derbyshire, about a ten minute drive along the valley from where I live. Many, many hours away from London! :-)"

Just stopped to say hello! :)

Book #86: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The Little Stranger, my first novel by Waters, is another book from the Booker Longlist (and the Shortlist as well). It is the story of the upper-class but financially troubled Ayres family, and their increasingly decrepit home, Hundreds Hall. The Little Stranger has been marketed as a ghost story, and compared to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Personally, I feel this does the novel a disservice. Hard-core horror fans will be expecting more than they will receive, and those who avoid horror will be missing a well-written exploration of class, mental illness and psychology.

Our narrator, Dr. Faraday, is summoned to Hundreds to care for the Ayres' maid, and his life is soon linked to that of the mysterious house. As a child, Dr. Faraday cast Hundreds Hall as a symbol of all that was missing from his working-class upbringing, and it pains him to see the once great house in disrepair. Mrs. Ayres, her son Roderick, and her daughter Caroline, barely make ends meet, and the failing estate takes its toll on them all. Then, as Dr. Faraday enters the lives of Ayres, strange things begin to happen. Is the house haunted? Are the Ayreses under some sore of "taint"? Or is their way of life just one more thing made redundant in post-WWII society?

Waters is certainly a very talented author, writing with fluid, descriptive prose. The Little Stranger is compelling, and yes, a little scary. Psychologically, Waters messes with the minds of her readers, just as she does with her characters. I'm still unsure of what was really occurring at Hundreds, and I don't think I will ever make up my mind - which is probably Waters' intention.

I've read several less-than-positive reviews of The Little Stranger, so let me take the opposing view. I loved this book. It might not be the most literary entry on the Booker Longlist, but it was certainly entertaining. I flew through the 460+ pages, and was totally satisfied by the ambiguous ending. Waters tone is perfect - like the inhabitants of Hundreds, I felt the creepy, watchful eyes of the house, and never knew what was coming next (though I knew it would be bad). Beyond the basic plot, The Little Stranger is also a portrait of an altered society and a dying class struggling to stay afloat - so really, maybe it is a "ghost" story after all.

4.5 stars

Message edited by its author, Sep 11, 2009, 4:28pm.

Love your review, Cait! I can't wait to get started on this next week. Would you still rank The Children's Book above The Little Stranger?

#30: The only book of Waters' that I have read is Fingersmith, which I enjoyed. I will have to keep my eyes open for this one, too. Thanks for the recommendation, Cait!

#32: You're welcome, Stasia! Reading the Booker longlist has given me so many new authors to explore, and I'm sure I will be reading Fingersmith in the future. :)

#31: Thanks Darryl! As good as The Little Stranger is, I loved The Children's Book, and I think it a stronger literary novel. The Waters was fun, but the Byatt was challenging.

Great review of The Little Stranger! I'm bumping that up toward the top of my TBR list! Sounds like just what I want to read.

The Little Stranger sounds interesting! It is going on my list. Thanks for the great review!

>30 was totally satisfied by the ambiguous ending

OK, you've got me there. I'm a sucker for that.

Message edited by its author, Sep 11, 2009, 9:16pm.

Cait - Great review of The Little Stranger. That sounds like one I'd really like!

I finally started The Little Stranger last night . . . so far, so good!

Cait86,

As promised, Tales of Mystery and Horror Halloween Thread. So, come give me a little input about the order of reading, if you want. The list is posted on the first message.

Everyone is welcome. If you know someone else who is interested, pass along the link.

Looking forward to this.

BDB

Hey everyone - hope you all enjoy The Little Stranger!

Thanks BDB, I'm excited to get started on these. I'll check out the thread :)

Message edited by its author, Sep 14, 2009, 7:37pm.

Book #87: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Well. I had a review almost totally finished, and then poof! it was gone into the lost world of LT reviews. I'm really very disappointed - it was quite the witty review, and it took a lot of my energy to write. I feel my wittiness quota is tapped for the day. Sigh.

Suffice it to say, I enjoyed this book for the story, and the incredible bond between the main characters, Henry and Clare. It will probably never be considered a heavy-weight in the literary world, but it was a fab read that reduced me to tears several times - and I am not a book-crier. Time travel has always bugged me, as I find it difficult to wrap my head around - so many circles! - but it wasn't the main focus of this book. Really, it was just a device for exploring the Henry-Clare dynamic, and a way to show that they are linked past, present, and future. The ending was a bit disappointing, I thought, as it jumped about 50 years, and I would have liked to have known more about those 50 years, but other than that, no major complaints, plot-wise.

4 stars

Glad you liked it, for the most part -- I loved this book when I read it a couple of years ago. Are you going to see the movie/have you seen it already? I don't think I'll see it. I like my mind's eye's version of the story so much...

41: ah, the Lost World of LT Reviews! I imagine it to look a bit like the Room of Requirement when it turns into the place where everyone has been hiding stuff. It must be PACKED!

#43--LOL, what an image! The Room of Requirement stacked with lost reviews, vanishing cabinets, pillows and lost articles!

#42: Missylc, thanks for dropping by. I'll probably see the movie eventually, but I'm not going to rush out and see it. Eric Bana is definitely not how I see Henry.

#43 and 44: Hahaha, a merging of LT and Harry Potter - it doesn't get any better.

Today was a lovely day. My local library had their fall book sale, and for $5 you could buy a bag to fill with books. I bought two bags, and managed to cram 25 books into them. Here are the new editions to my library:

Schlindler's List - Thoman Keneally
The Last Crossing - Guy Vanderhaeghe
Something Blue - Emily Giffin
My Antonia - Willa Cather
Stones - Timothy Findley
Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury
Wilderness Tips - Margaret Atwood
The Cider House Rules - John Irving
Perpetual Motion - Graeme Gibson
Empire of the Sun - J. G. Ballard
The Stone Angel - Margaret Laurence
Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
The Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
The Convenient Marriage - Georgette Heyer
Crow Lake - Mary Lawson
The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins
The Moon is Down - John Steinbeck
Pilgrim - Timothy Findley
The Tin Flute - Gabrielle Roy
The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch
The Man from Glengarry - Ralph Connor
Settlers of the Marsh - Frederick Philip Grove
The Ghost Writer - Philip Roth
World War Z - Max Brooks
The Great Karoo - Fred Stenson

Plus, the other day I found a copy of Anne of the Island from 1934!! Another lovely day. :)

Congratulations on the great haul!

Wow!

BTW, what are you reading now?

Hey Stasia, it's good to hear from you!

Darryl, I am still reading The Glass Room. I've been so busy lately that I have not been reading much, but I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow. It's great though, so far. Plus, I'm reading both Dracula and The Island of Doctor Moreau for the Hallowe'en thread, and I never read more than one book at once, so it is proving to be a bit of a challenge. Next up for me is Wolf Hall - my last shortlisted novel. How's The Children's Book?

Those are some great books you bought!

Glad to hear that you're enjoying The Glass Room, Cait. Have you read Summertime yet? I don't remember seeing your review of it.

I'm definitely enjoying The Children's Book. It's been a slow go, but it has nothing to do with the book. I'm 200 pages into it, and if I stick to it I can probably finish it this weekend, or early next week at the latest. I'll be done with the shortlist after I finish The Little Stranger , which I'll get to either next week or the following one.

#50: Woops, I forgot about Summertime - it was just released here a few days ago, and is still on order at my library, so it will be a few weeks before I get it, I think. Plus, the Giller Prize longlist will be announced on Monday, so then I will have a new bunch of books to read!

I'd love to get your thoughts on the Giller Prize books once the longlist is announced. What books do you think should or will be on that list?

Due to extreme LT neglect I've only just found your thread - going back to read your old ones now... congratulations on the teaching job!!

(And congratulations on finding the 1934 copy of Anne of the Island - I loved that book, and Anne of Green Gables. I've already bought AOGG for our nearly 3 year old daughter. In a few years it'll make a lovely change from the magic pink pony books that come home from the library already...

#20 Rachael, that warehouse sale sounds like it would be bad for me but great fun.

I finished The Glass Room a few weeks ago and have been recommending it far and wide to RL friends. Hope you get it finished before the Giller List lures you away!

The Longlist for the Giller Prize - Canada's literary prize awarded to a full-length novel or a short story collection - was announced this morning. The nominees are:

Margaret Atwood, The Year of the Flood
Martha Bailie, The Incident Report
Kim Echlin, The Disappeared
Claire Holden Rothman, The Heart Specialist
Paulette Jiles, The Color of Lightning
Jeanette Lynes, The Factory Voice
Annabel Lyon, The Golden Mean
Linden MacIntyre, The Bishop's Man
Colin McAdam, Fall
Anne Michaels, The Winter Vault
Shani Mootoo, Valmiki’s Daughter
Kate Pullinger, The Mistress of Nothing

Several touchstones are not working today, but I will try to add them later.

So far I have only read The Winter Vault, and I own The Year of the Flood. I've heard of very few of the others, so I have a LOT of reading to do. The Shortlist will be announced on October 6.

Cait
I'm enjoying books written by Canadian authors, for example, this year I discovered Helen Humphreys and Lori Lansens.

I've never heard of the Giller Prize and thus thank you for introducing me to this. Recently Darryl (Kidzdoc) was kind and outlined details regarding the Booker Prize.

Thanks for posting that list, Cait. Is there a source you would recommend for us to learn more about these books (i.e., a publication similar to the Books section in the Guardian)?

Looking forward to seeing which ones you like. I haven't read any of them.

Darryl, I'm not Cait or even Canadian but I really like the Toronto Globe & Mail's books section. Here's an article about the list:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts...

If you're on Twitter you can follow @GillerPrize .

I agree that the Globe and Mail has a decent books page. Quill and Quire generally posts their reviews on their website too - it is a great book magazine, I only wish it wasn't so expensive! Those are probably the best sources for CanLit, but nothing compares to the Guardian!

I never know the books on the Giller list... probably because I don't buy hardcovers (too much $$). What I'm surprised is that I don't recognize any 'big' names on there (other than Atwood, of course). My recollection is there is usually a couple Munros or Ondaaje or Vissanjis on there.

Alice Munro withdrew her new book a couple of weeks ago.
Cait I'm going to look at Quill and Quire now...

Today I finally finished The Glass Room by Simon Mawer. I'll write a review some time tomorrow (I hope); right now I'm alternating between 4 and 4.5 stars, so I have to think about it some more.

Next up: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro, plus I am still slowly reading Dracula.

Book #88: The Glass Room by Simon Mawer

The Glass Room is my sixth Booker Longlisted novel (my, but I am reading these slowly!), and so far, one of my favourites. Mawer is an author who merges the two and often conflicting sides of writing - that is, a compelling plot filled with interesting characters, and a writing style that is compelling all on its own. Often authors have one of these things, but lose the other. To me, the mark of a great book is that it can be enjoyed my those who read for the enjoyment of a great story, and for those who read for their enjoyment of language. Mawer's book is one of these.

The Glass Room spans most of the twentieth century, beginning in Czechoslovakia about 10 or 15 years after WWI. We meet Victor and Liesel Landauer, newlyweds on honeymoon in Venice. They encounter Rainer von Abt, a modernist architect who abhors all things ornate - a view that the Landauers support. Rainer is contracted to design the Landauers' new home, a masterpiece that centres around the Glass Room, a living space of light and air, a place that draws people in, and a place that sees the good and the bad in mankind.

While the first half of the novel focuses on the Landauers, Liesel's friend Hana, and Victor's mistress Katalin, the real star of this novel is the house itself. When WWII forces Victor to uproot his family, the reader returns to the Glass Room. We watch its life throughout the war, and the ways in which it is used in times of peace. It really is another character - one with as much depth and variance as Victor, Liesel, Hana, or any of the other people lucky enough to enter into its life.

Mawer's skill is in his characters, but also in his prose. His wordy, thick way of writing contrasts the light of the Glass Room, grounding his characters in a very complex world. The Glass Room seems like a world all on its own, but really, it is a space that sees human beings for what they really are - whether that be positive or not.

4.5 stars

Whew! Dodged a bullet there (well, kind of) - that one is already on Planet TBR.

Book #89: Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro

In "Fiction", the second story in Munro's latest collection of short stories, Too Much Happiness, the narrator finds herself figuring in a book written by someone from her past. About this book she says: "A collection of short stories, not a novel. This in itself is a disappointment. It seems to diminish the book's authority, making the author seem like somebody who is just hanging on to the gates of Literature, rather than safely settled inside" (49-50). Here, is Alice Munro, recent winner of the Man Booker International Prize, deriding her own craft? Or is this self-deprecating sentence meant merely in jest? Either way, Munro proves her own statement false. Too Much Happiness is just one more example of her skill as an author - and proof that she is not only within the gates of Literature, but actually holds a place of honour.

Munro's stories are not about grand adventures or shocking experiences. They are about normal people - a widow, a farmer, a naive university student. Sure, there is some excitement: a house is broken into by a crazed man, a wife loses her young children in a grisly way. But this is not the focus of Munro's writing. Instead, her stories portray the way in which human beings deal with life - with the general obstacles that the world throws at us. Her grasp on the human mind is incredible; her characters all think in a totally believable way, and yet they all think differently. Place one character in the story of another, and you would have a completely different outcome. Munro's ability to differentiate between an entire cast of characters is outstanding.

I cannot praise this book enough. Each story is a mini masterpiece to be savoured all on its own; together, the stories share enough threads that they become a coherent narrative.

If you think you don't like short stories, try Munro - she is in a class all her own.

5 stars

Message edited by its author, Sep 30, 2009, 10:31pm.

Cait, have you read Blackbird Hill? Did you love it as much as the other Munro books? I tried it and didn't enjoy it, and I'm wondering what on earth is wrong with me!!

#65: No, I haven't read Blackbird Hill, but I can't find an Alice Munro book with that title. Alice Hoffman wrote Blackbird House - is that the one you mean? I haven't read it either.

Give Munro a try - I loved Too Much Happiness, Lives of Girls and Women, and Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage.

Hi Cait

I've added The Glass Room to my list. It sounds fascinating and I really enjoyed your comments!

Cait - I keep on losing your thread... Anyway, extremely belated congratulations on your new job! ...and I too will recommend the second hand book stalls near the South Bank Centre, when you come to London next year - and Camden Market...

#67 - I hope you enjoy it Linda!

#68 - Thanks Fliss! I can't wait to return to London next summer, and now it is totally affordable, because I just found out that I was hired at another school starting Monday! It is very short notice, but I am crazy excited, because I did two of my teachers' college placements at this school, and loved everything about it - the students, the staff, the school mission and vision. However, it does mean that my reading will be falling off quite a bit :( But it also means a steady income - hurray for that!

Wish me luck!

Well, with steady income, you can buy more books - even if you have to wait until retirement to read them :)

I thought you were already hired. Didn't we do the congratulating thing? I'm too tired to investigate though.

If not, I have reached the realms of hallucination.....

Oh look..............a pink flying giraffe.........

#70 - Yes, my money will be going to three things - paying my student loan, paying off my car, and books! LOL

#71 - LOL, don't worry Jenny, you aren't hallucinating. I was already hired, but not until second semester stars in February. This new job starts tomorrow, and is at a different school, and with a different board.

Well, good luck to you tomorrow! Hope all goes well.

Luck duly wished! ;)

Good luck, Cait! Which grade(s) and subject(s) will you be teaching?

64: have you read Munro's The View from Castle Rock ? I have it on my Book Depository wishlist and am ordering it this week!

Oh good, I wasn't as confused as I thought then. Now all I have to worry about is the flying multi coloured animals.

Just stopping by after a loooong day at work - I haven't read anything in about 5 days. How depressing.

Anyway, thanks for the good wishes Tymfos, Fliss, and Darryl! I am teaching two English courses - a grade 11 and a grade 12, which are the last two years in high school here in Canada - and a history class that focuses on government, democracy, a bit of politics - it is called Civics. So far everything is going very well, but I am exhausted. I leave my house every morning at 6, and get home either around 6 or around 10, depending on whether or not I teach night school too that night. But, it is definitely worth it!

So, I am currently reading two books - Wolf Hall, which I am happy won the Booker Prize, and The Boy Next Door, which I am reviewing for Belletrista. Don't expect me to finish anytime soon though! Oh, and my grade 12s are starting a non-fiction novel unit, and they are reading in groups, so I will probably have 4 or 5 novels to read for that too :)

Enjoy your week fellow readers, and I will try and stop by and comment on other threads soon.

> 78 OOoh, please keep us updated on how your English classes are going. My daughter has Grade 12 AP English next semester, so I will be interested to see how the reading lists compare between Canada and the US. Good luck! You'll be great!!

I leave my house every morning at 6, and get home either around 6 or around 10, depending on whether or not I teach night school too that night.

That noise you hear in the background is horrified shrieking, by the way.

Would love to hear what novels your grade 12s are reading. You must be worn out! Are your hours going to settle down? Your students are really lucky to have you... I hope they're responding well and giving you some good feedback already!

Congratulations to you. I hope your new job is going well.

Luna, regarding multi colored flying animals, I suggest you gently catch them and play with them to see what you can learn.... Let's call it the Dr. Doolittle concept...

Sounds like hard work - glad you're enjoying it!

#80 - Hey Eliza, yeah my days are pretty long, LOL, but luckily night school is only until the end of January, so after that I should be home by 6 every day! I'm pretty exhausted, but it is a good, satisfied exhausted, you know?

OK, my grade 12 students get to choose one of the following nine non-fiction novels:

Into the Wild
The Glass Castle
Three Cups of Tea
A Long Way Gone
The World Without Us
The Soloist
The Hot Zone
Gang Leader for a Day
Blink

I'm guessing that Into the Wild, A Long Way Gone, The Soloist, and Gang Leader for a Day are going to be the most popular. They all found Three Cups of Tea to be painfully boring (we are reading the first chapter of each novel to get a "feel" for the book), and Blink will probably suffer the same fate. I, of course, have been meaning to read Three Cups of Tea for months, and was hoping someone might pick it, as that would give me an excuse to read it, but I'm doubtful that will happen.

Today I actually managed to read a bit! Yay! And, tomorrow is my last day of my third job, which I quit as soon as I found out about my day-teaching-job. So, I will now at least have the weekends off...to lesson plan.

This weekend is my favourite weekend of the entire year - our Canadian Thanksgiving! I looooove turkey with all the trimmings, and I love the cooler weather and the changing leaves. So, Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians out there!!

Message edited by its author, Oct 10, 2009, 3:48pm.

wow, just hearing about your schedule is exhausting! However, there are some great choices in that list for your ninth-graders, so I hope you have a good time teaching them (and I hope someone picks Three Cups of Tea so you get the chance to read it!)

Hi Cait! I've been practically off LT for several weeks so am way behind on the threads... trying to catch up a bit this eve.

>41 a fab read that reduced me to tears several times - and I am not a book-crier - liked this, because this is exactly how I felt about TTTW (although I have the hormonal excuse of being 8 months pregnant when I read it!!). It's also one of the very, very few (must be in single digits) books that I have cheated and skipped ahead to the end before I got there in a more linear fashion - just couldn't bear the tension any more.

I have heard dire things about the film though :-(

>45 Wow. That is an IMPRESSIVE haul.

>54 I had no idea Kate Pullinger was Canadian! Or indeed, the sort of writer who is listed for things like the Giller. The UK jacket for The Little Stranger makes it look like high-end chicklit so I've never picked it up.

Finally, shame your students found Three Cups of Tea boring. Did you know there's a YA edition too (and a picture book, in fact)? I have a copy, but haven't got round to reading it yet... I can see that the style would be off-putting - I really didn't like David Oliver Relin's manner, but what carried it for me was the story behind it, which transcended the writing.

Add me to the list of people who hope you get to read Three Cups of Tea soon. It is a very good book!

I see that The Soloist is on your list. I have that one home from the library now and hope to be getting to it soon myself.

Whatever you do, Cait, you must read Three Cups of Tea before the year is out, even if a student doesn't pick it. He was up for the Nobel Prize, though it was given to President Obama. While I am a fan of President Obama, Greg Mortenson deserved the Prize. His life and work is amazing. My wife has taped a picture of him with some of his students up over the famly computer as an inspiration. I'll even forgive you if you push a McCarthy down in the pile to get to this one.

Belated happy thanksgiving!

>88 He was up for the Nobel Prize - really?? I didn't know that... makes it even more of a travesty. Ahem. Sorry, but it made me really cross.

Cait, congratulations on the second new job. At least you'll have plenty of work related reading.

Catching up on posts today...

86: Rachael, good to hear from you! I fear I may be forced into abandoning LT for a while too - I barely have time to read, so seeing everyone else's growing threads is a bit disheartening. But I would miss "talking" to everyone. Anyway, I've heard pretty disappointing things about The Time Traveler's Wife as well (the movie), which I actually think is par for the course for Eric Bana - he is far from my vision of Henry. I like Rachel McAdams quite a bit though. I've never read any Kate Pullinger - does she have a following in the UK? Recommendations? Her book didn't make it to the Giller Shortlist though. I did know about the YA version of Three Cups of Tea, and I think it is great that Mortensen's story is being spread to all ages. With all the support for Three Cups of Tea, I'm going to have to read it soon. Or, at least soon-ish :)

#87: Hi Stasia! I'll look for your thoughts on The Soloist. My class seemed to enjoy the beginning quite a bit - though the fact that there is a movie is probably a big draw as well.

#88: Alright Mac, Three Cups of Tea is on my shortlist for the rest of the year - you gave it such a great review, if I remember. And, in the interest of keeping my thread politically neutral, I will refrain from my Obama-Nobel-Peace-Prize rant. LOL

#89: Hi Fliss, thanks for dropping by!

#90: I echo your crossness Rachael. :(

#91: Thanks VB! My first two weeks of teaching have been wonderful. They haven't been perfect, but they have affirmed that I am in the correct career, which is comforting - if I hated teaching, I have no idea what I would do instead!

Phew! That was a lot of catching up to do! Thanks to everyone for visiting, it is nice to hear from you all.

Book #90: The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini

No review here! Look for it in the upcoming, much anticipated second issue of Belletrista - I will add a link as soon as the issue goes live (and as soon as I learn how to do a non-LT link!).

you can just copy the link as it is - it works! Much less complicated than adding pictures huh? :)

e.g. http://www.belletrista.com

WOW! I followed the link. What an incredible site!

Thanks Eliza!

I love books like Three Cups of Tea, but I would say read it for inspiration, don't expect great writing.

> 84 That's a great list of books for your 12th-graders! I have promptly added the ones I haven't read to the wishNotebook. What a great job to have. You are very fortunate. I hope all continues to go well.

Book #91: The Disappeared by Kim Echlin

My brain is currently not up to a proper review right now, so here are a few rambling thoughts:

Echlin's newest novel has been shortlisted for the Giller Prize, and I can only hope that the other four novelists who have received the same distinction live up to her fine example. The Disappeared may not be a five-star novel, but it is a solid four-star one. Echlin has the type of writing style that I favour - sparse, poetic, rambling (hmm, it sounds impossible to be sparse and rambling, yet somehow, it isn't) - so I was hooked right away.

Plus #2 is that The Disappeared is set in Montreal, but also in Cambodia. I've never been to Cambodia (and now I'm not sure I ever want to go there), but I love learning about a different country through a novel. My knowledge of Pol Pot and the upheaval that followed his rule was pretty much zero, and this book gave me some basic information, as well as a list of works to read for further research.

Plus #3 was the first-person narrative. Third person narrative is so popular right now that is was refreshing to live inside a character's head for a while.

The only negative - and for me, it is a major one - is that the entire plot hinges on this incredible love between the two main characters. If there is one thing I hate in a novel, it is a teenage relationship that is dramatized to "love of my life" status. Anne is only 16 when she meets Serey. She has never had another boyfriend, or even thought about love. Yet all of a sudden she is head over heals in love, and this love is changing her life, and she is awake for the first time, blah, blah, blah.

Now, don't think I am a total cynic - I just believe love between two characters needs to be developed, it needs to take time. Romeo and Juliet love is a fantasy, and authors who perpetuate this fantasy bug me. I had the same issue with William Trevor's Love and Summer. If two characters are going to fall in love, I need to understand why, I need to see it grow. Echlin skips this step. Anne meets Serey and knows that night that he is the one for her. Sorry, but I just don't believe that happens.

Sorry about the ramblings, but that is all the energy I can muster for today. The Disappeared was actually really well written, and I'm glad it was nominated for the Giller.

Interesting comments on "The Disappeared", Cait; I hope to get to it before the year is out.

>99 your comments about love at first sight did make me laugh. I also don't believe in it for a single second if I read it in a book and I knew EXACTLY what you meant. Sebastian Faulks is a particular master of the completely-implausible-abrupt-falling-in-love, which is why I'm never going to read any of his silly book again (except possibly Engleby, which I ended up buying a copy of to round out a 3-for-2 deal).

Message edited by its author, Oct 24, 2009, 7:08pm.

#99: Well, I am one on the believing in love at first sight side of the fence: My father-in-law proposed to my mother-in-law almost immediately on their meeting, they married 3 days later, and were married until the day he died (their 46th wedding anniversary). I met my husband and proposed to him 2 weeks later - we married less than a month after meeting and have now been married for 21 years.

I must point out though, that in these cases, all participants were older than 16!

>102 Stasia, it's funny, but although I do believe in it IRL (not quite as speedy as you, but my husband and I were married 9 months after we first started "going out"; speedy marriages at a young age seem to run in his family rather a lot) - I have a real problem with it in literature. Or maybe I should say, it's rare that I've met a love-at-first-sight depiction that has really convinced me. Actually, to be fair I found Ellie falling for Florian in Love and Summer more convincing than most - but that was partly because it wasn't reciprocated, and it was as much about what she had lacked in her life before she met him, and what he represented to her, as it was about a pure feeling of love.

Now I want to read both the Disappeared and Love and Summer! Since I started my thread on the Canadian book challenge I haven't picked up anything Canadian except some very nice maple syrup, and this is the first Giller Prize short listed book I've read a review of.

I think love at first sight - or nearly - happens sometimes, and was in the "not quite first sight but very speedy" category - I was only 6 years over 16! It took us about 6 years to get married though.

But I find it very annoying in books if it's not credible, although Rachael I loved Birdsong and Charlotte Gray so I think I'm being rather inconsistent...

Stasia, I'm curious. How old were you when you got married? I'm thinking that when you're older, you know who you are and also know better the kind of person you want to be with. I married at 19 (which wasn't so weird back then) and so didn't know who/what I wanted to be when I "grew up." Uh, hmmm...still have that problem come to think of it! ;-)

eta: Oops, I forgot whose thread I was on. Thanks for mentioning the Giller Prize, Cait. I'm going to go look into it.

Message edited by its author, Oct 25, 2009, 2:38pm.

#105: 26, Bonnie.

I love all this "love at first sight" talk - like Rachael, I'm a skeptic when it comes to books, but not when it comes to real life. I totally agree with your point though, Bonnie, about being older when you find actual love.

Anyway, I finished a third book in October - see my comments below!

Book #92: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

This is my first of a series of non-fiction novels that I will be reading for the grade 12 class I am teaching. Hopefully the rest will not follow in this vein though, because man did I hate this book.

I feel strange about my negative feelings toward Chris McCandless, since he was actually a real person, and this was a tragic tale. However, I just can't help it - this kid drove me crazy. It is odd that I call him a "kid", since McCandless was a year older than me when he died, but I think my labeling him as a kid is indicative of my feelings - he seemed so immature to me, so ridiculously idealistic. For most of the book I just wanted to shake him, tell him to get over his Kerouac phase, and call his parents already!

Deep breath. Ok, so in case you don't know, Into the Wild is the story of Chris McCandless, who decided after he graduated from college that he wanted to hitch-hike across the US, and eventually make his way to Alaska to live off of the land. He had a lot of beliefs that went against Western thought - he hated money, and possessions, and was not really into having relationships of any kind. After spending months in Alaska, McCandless starved to death, and his body was found by a group of hunters. Krakauer tries to piece together McCandless' story, and interjects his own experiences in Alaska as well - which just added to my frustration for this book.

Krakauer is a reporter, and he should be unbiased toward his subject matter. However, he isn't. He clearly identifies with McCandless, and approves of his journey. Personally, I find both McCandless and Krakauer bizarre, and totally disagree with their world views. And, McCandless was just unprepared for life in Alaska - he had the wrong type of boots, brought only rice, and did not have a map or compass. If you want to live in the wild, you at least need some decent boots. I just don't have time for gigantic missteps like this. Also, some of my male students seem to worship McCandless' way of life, which I find troubling.

In the end, this book was one of the worst I have read this year.

1.5 stars.

I didn't read the book, but I saw the movie, and felt the same way you did about the protagonist. He just struck me as extremely selfish and spoiled, with a lack of empathy that just pissed me off (my parents bought me a car! This means they are clearly horrible people, and so I will run off and leave them to worry and wonder if I am dead or alive. They totally deserve that). The way so many people romanticize what came across to me as a mix of cruelty and idiocy just baffles me. Sorry for bringing movie (as opposed to book) talk onto your LT thread, but this is just a pet peeve of mine, and I was excited to see that someone seems to agree.

Yeah, that book was bizarre wasn't it. Were we to feel badly for the guy because maybe he was seriously mentally ill in some way? It did provoke thoughts for me in that direction, as well as in imagining Alaska, and being thankful for my considerate children...

Hey, at least the character wasn't as horrible as that Eat Pray Love woman.

I never felt motivated to either read the book or see the movie - just seemed wrong. Your review seems to back up my initial thoughts. I only knew about the book because of the movie.

I think a lot of people were tearing their hair out as they read this book and/or watched the movie. I didn't get the feeling that Krakauer glamorized this guy's life though. If he had, we wouldn't have been tearing our hair out! I was just so relieved that my one son, who is at that age where he doesn't really believe he can die, thought the guy was crazy/stupid!

But even if Chris McCandless didn't sound obviously crazy, there's a spectrum and he was definitely hanging out closer to the unrealistic crazy end. Maybe he was bipolar? Or had some other personality disorder? Even though he sounded smart and personable, he also sounded depressed in some ways and was dangerously naive. Maybe an author who had more knowledge of mental illness and all its variations could have teased that out some more. When does extreme adventurousness turn into crazy?

It's really hard to argue with very smart and slightly crazy individuals. Their logic is so convoluted, but there's usually some truth underlying their extreme comments. It made me sad that no one along the way could slow him down or redirect him just a little bit. But as I've gotten older, I've stopped trying to rescue people who don't want to be rescued.

Message edited by its author, Nov 1, 2009, 8:57pm.

If you want to live in the wild, you at least need some decent boots - guilty chortle (and total agreement)!

Message edited by its author, Nov 3, 2009, 1:27pm.

I read Into the Wild a while back and I also was tearing my hair out over Chris McCandless. He just seemed to arrogant and full of it. One of those guys who has no problem telling you how the crazy/eccentric way they live is THE only way and brush you off if you have a differing opinion. I also didn't like how the author kept quoting half a page of Thoreau at the start of every chapter.

#110: Milda... always nice to see that others couldn't handle Eat Pray Love either *laughs*

Hey to everyone who sympathizes with me regarding Into the Wild - my class thought I was the crazy one! I'm glad others agree with me, as I thought I was being overly harsh...but I don't think so anymore! LOL

Anyway, I have not been on LT forever, and I have a ton of catching up to do! This group is so chatty :)

Since November started I have only read two books, and I am slowly making my way through two others. Currently I am reading a short story collection for Belletrista, which is great - expect the review in the next issue.

I am also reading the most anticipated book of the year, at least for me: The Blythes are Quoted by L. M. Montgomery. It is being billed as the ninth "Anne" book, and was completed by Montgomery just days before she died. It has never been published the way Montgomery wanted, though it was severly edited in 1974 and titled The Road to Yesterday. The Blythes are Quoted is not a novel, but a collection of short stories set in Glen St. Mary, the town in which Anne and Gilbert live. Between the stories are little dialogues featuring Anne's family, and poems written by Anne or her son Walter. Originally written in 1942, The Blythes are Quoted takes a much harsher look at war than Montgomery's other war-related novel, Rilla of Ingleside.

I was so excited for this book that I actually bought it on the day it was released. My local bookstore had not even unpacked the boxes yet!

The books I have read this month are Something Blue, a chicklit novel that is the sequel to Something Borrowed, which I read earlier this year, and I Met the Walrus, a book about a fourteen year old boy who met John Lennon in 1969.

Something Blue was ok, but not as fun as Something Borrowed. The main character, Darcy, is incredibly annoying throughout the first 3/4 of the novel, and all of a sudden does a 180 and becomes amazing in the last 1/4. I gave it 2.5 stars.

I Met the Walrus was AMAZING, especially if you are a Beatles freak, which I am. Jerry Levitan was a kid living in Toronto in the '60s, and John Lennon was his hero. In '69 when Lennon and Yoko Ono came to Toronto, Jerry snuck into their hotel room and asked for an interview. Lennon said yes, Jerry struck a deal with a DJ from CHUM FM, and that evening Lennon talked for 25 minutes about peace, the Beatles, music, etc. Jerry was the only "reporter" in the room that night, the only person who was able to talk to the man who was arguably the most influential musician of the '60s. Along with the book is a DVD of a short animated film made from the interview. This film was nominated for an Academy Award last year, and I am using it in a media unit with my grade eleven class. It was definitely a five star read, and a must for all Beatles fans.

Things with my job seem to be slowing down a bit, as I think I am finally getting the hang of it. So, I should be dropping by more often now - woohoo!

I have a friend who is a Beatles fanatic so I'll have to recommend this book to his wife! Thanks!