Persephone's reading records 2011

Hello book lovers!

2011 will be the first year I’ll participate in this challenge, and I’m looking forward to it. My goal is to read at least 75 books (if possible in their original language), and I really want to catch up on a few “classics” that I’ve been wanting to read for a long time (e.g. Jane Austen, Gabriel García Márquez, Günther Grass, Victor Hugo,...).

I’m not sure how I will handle it… but I was thinking about giving a little bit information about the author, a short summary, some quotes, and my opinion/reading experience… or I’ll just list them.
And if someone is interested in joining the discussion, (s)he is very welcome!

So, I declare this thread open. :)







JANUARY (11)
1. Paul Auster: Invisible ****
2. Françoise de Graffigny: Lettres d'une Péruvienne ***
3. Bram Stoker: Dracula ***1/2
4. René Goscinny/Jean-Jacques Sempé: Les Récrés du petit Nicolas ****
5. Birgit Vanderbeke: Sweet Sixteen **1/2
6. Marie Theres Fögen: Das Lied vom Gesetz (plus other essays; about 300 pages) **1/2
7. Gustave Flaubert: Madame Bovary ****1/2
8. Sebastian Donat: Deskriptive Metrik ***
9. Sven Ortoli/Nicolas Witkowski: Die Badewanne des Archimedes **1/2
10. Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis. Vol. 1: Eine Kindheit im Iran *****
11. Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis. Vol. 2: Jugendjahre ****1/2

FEBRUARY (5)
12. Stephen Greenblatt: Verhandlungen mit Shakespeare ***
13. Philip Roth: Portnoy's Complaint ****1/2
14. Roger Schawinski: Die TV-Falle ***
15. Hannah Arendt: On Violence ***
16. Moritz Baßler (Editor), Stephen Greenblatt: New Historicism. Literaturgeschichte als Poetik der Kultur. ****

MARCH (7)
17. Eugène Ionesco: La Cantatrice chauve suivi de La Leçon*****
18. Arno Geiger: Der alte König in seinem Exil *****
19. Kien Nghi Ha: Hype um Hybridität ***1/2
20. Samuel Beckett: Endspiel. Fin de partie. Endgame. ****
21. Samuel Beckett: Warten auf Godot****
22. Eugène Ionesco: Rhinocèros ****1/2
23. Werner Faulstich: Grundkurs Filmanalyse ****1/2

APRIL (2)
24. Roland Barthes: Mythen des Alltags ****
25. Douglas Adams: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 1 ****

MAY (3)
26. Homer: Die Odyssee *****
27. Wilhelm Hauff: Märchen von Wilhelm Hauff ***1/2
28. Terry Eagleton: Das Böse ****

JUNE (3)
29. Art Spiegelmann: Maus ****
30. Ernst Kemmner (Editor): Contes provençaux ****1/2
31. Nick Cave: The Death of Bunny Munro **

JULY (8)
32. No author: Seitenweise Erfolg ***
33. Daniel Kehlmann: Die Vermessung der Welt ***1/2
34. Andrea Maria Schenkel: Tannöd **1/2
35. Sven Regener: Herr Lehmann ****
36. Eva Menasse: Vienna ***1/2
37. Melinda Nadj Abonji: Tauben fliegen auf ***1/2
38. Katharina Hacker: Die Habenichtse 1/2
39. Daniel Glattauer: Gut gegen Nordwind ***

AUGUST (11)
40. Arno Geiger: Es geht uns gut ****
41. Patrick Süskind: Das Parfum ****1/2
42. Kathrin Schmidt: Du stirbst nicht ****
43. Marc-Uwe Kling: Die Känguru Chroniken **
44. Julia Franck: Die Mittagsfrau ****
45. Volker Klüpfel, Michael Kobr: Milchgeld ***
46. Kalle Lasn: Culture Jamming ****
47. Andreas Völlinger: Im Zeichen des Marktes. Culture Jamming, Kommunikationsguerilla und subkultureller Protest gegen die Logo-Welt der Konsumgesellschaft ****1/2
48. Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz: Just do it! Die Subversion der Zeichen von Marcel Duchamps bis Prada Meinhof ****
49. Michael Köhlmeier: Die Nibelungen ***
50. Naomi Klein: No Logo! ****

SEPTEMBER (0)

OCTOBER (4)
51. Uwe Tellkamp: Der Turm ****1/2
52. Ann Patchett: State of Wonder ***
53. Zidrou: La vieille dame qui n'avait jamais joué au tennis & autres nouvelles qui font du bien ****1/2
54. Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games ****

NOVEMBER (3)
55. Morton Rhue: Die Welle ****
56. Robert Harris: Angst **
57. Melinda Nadj Abonji: Tauben fliegen auf (***1/2)

DECEMBER (5)
58. Arno Geiger: Es geht uns gut (****)
59. Thomas Glavinic: Unterwegs im Namen des Herrn **
60. Umberto Eco: Der Friedhof in Prag ****
61. Julia Richter/Hildegard Müller: Ich bin hier bloß der Hund ****1/2
62. Julian Barnes: The Sense of an Ending ***1/2

(63. Leo Tolstoi: War and Peace - 600 pages)

Welcome! There are no set rules. Enjoy your reads. :)

Welcome!

Hello you two!
Thank you very much for your kindness. I'm quite sure that it will be an inspiring year considering all the wonderful books to read.
I wish you both a nice last week of 2010, and all the best for 2011!

Welcome to the group!

We have an introductions thread if you would like to head over and get acquainted with the rest of us: http://www.librarything.com/topic/104688

Yes, thank you. :) I've already noticed that thread. I think I'll write something this week.

Well, let's start this new year with a relatively new book by Paul Auster: Invisible (english). Published in 2009 it deals with the story of Adam Walker, an aspiring poet, whose life changes as he meets the "enigmatic Frenchman Rudolf Born".

So far I'm on page 135 and I'm intrigued by Auster's prose!

Welcome to the group. Reading Auster is a good way to start the year.

I have not read any Auster yet, Kathy. I look forward to seeing what you think of Invisible when you are done!

Good evening!

Done with 1.Invisible by Paul Auster ****

@Kerry: Thank you very much! Indeed, Auster was a fantastic choice to start with!

@Stasia: Oh, I really love Auster's way to play with perspectives. He already did that in Travels in the Scriptorium ... It always leaves the reader with some kind of unease. Auster self-referentially crosses the different levels between the reality and the books... I'm realyl sorry - I hope I comprehensibly express what I want to say! :D
And even though I'm not really qualified as a no-native-speaker to value his language - I loved the pure, plain prose he used.
As far as the story is concerned I still have to let it sink in a little bit...

Does anyone know by accident another author who plays with different perspectives (of the reader or of the protagonists)?

Hm, what next? Maybe Bram Stoker's Dracula, maybe Jonathan Franzen's The corrections, or Homer's Odyssee... I'll decide spontaneously.

Hi, Invisible will be my next book to read, I love Paul Auster because of his clear cut prose and slightly fantastic storylines, the combination is disorientating but in a fun way.
We seem to have some books in common so it should be fun to keep up with your challenge.

649039981::Orhan Pamuk sometimes plays with perspectives particularly in My Name is Red and David Mitchell only has alternative perspectives!

#10: Thanks for the input on the Auster book, Kathy. My local library does not have that one of his, but does have some of his others.

>11 ammyharrison::
Exactly,I agree 100% with you. Have you already read In the Country of Last Things or Man in the Dark? Both books are still waiting for me to be read. :)
And thank you very much for the recommendation! I guess, one should have read Pamuk as he's a Nobel Prize winner... And I've never heard of David Mitchell (shame on me), so thanks a lot! (Now, I'm afraid that I have to break my new year's resolution NOT to buy any books before August.)
Yes, I'll definitely try to keep track of your thread as well!

>12 alcottacre::
You're very welcome. I haven't yet read lots of his other books, but if you find something you like, I'm open to suggestions. :)

Well, well, I chose my second book: 2.Dracula by Bram Stoker (german)
I read it about 5 years ago and I really liked it. Let's see if my opinion remains the same. By the way this book fits also in the first category of the TIOLI-challenge (#1: Read a Book with a 3.8 to 4.2 Star Rating): Yesterday's rating was 3,98.

Found and starred :o)

#13: A bunch of us just read (or re-read) Dracula this past Halloween. I will be interested in seeing what you think of it, Kathy.

I never could quite make up my mind about Paul Auster. I read a lot of his books at one time.... some bits have really stayed with me, so that, I suppose is indicative of something?

Oh my, I have just been away for a few days... and the number of thread answers concerning the 75-challenge is growing and growing! ...but not yet getting out of hand.

So, I finished two books this week:

First I didn't want to include 2.Lettres d'une Péruvienne by Françoise de Graffigny, because I already read it last november. But because I have to analyse it, I need to read it again and again - so it will count as my number 2. It's an epistolary novel about a Peruvian girl in the 18th century who is abducted to France by the Spanish/French. The reader learns through her eyes as she describes all her experiences in the new country in letters to her love. First, it's about general differences between her culture and the French one, but the letters are getting more and more critical and finally it's all about the criticism of the French society and their "bad habits".
In general, I liked the view chosen by Graffigny: To criticize the own culture by showing it through another culture's eyes.

The other book is 3.Bram Stoker's Dracula as I've already mentioned it. It was the second time I read the book, but this time I wasn't that captivated as five years ago. Back then I read it in two sessions and I couldn't hardly put it aside, but this time it took me several days to finish it. Nevertheless I still like the novel's structure - consisting of diary entries, letters and notes - and the adventurous content is really entertaining.

>14 Kittybee::
Hey Rachel! Thanks for stopping by! :)

>16 sibylline::
Hi sibyx! Yeah, I think Auster is an author who cannot be put under a certain heading. I haven't yet read enough to form a final opinion about him. But I'll definitely continue to read his books! As you describe it - something of his writing stays with you. He throws me as a reader somehow off balance.

#17: Most of us count re-reads, Kathy. Remember it is your thread - you make the rules!

This week I also started the anthology Fehler des Todes (could be translated as "Mistakes of the death") which contains many different texts written by more or less well-known Russian authors (Aleksandr Puškin, Nikolaj Gogol, Aleksandr Vvedenskij, Daniil Charms, etc.). Somtimes funny, sometimes dark, sometimes tragic, sometimes brutal... and very worth to be read.

#19: Too bad my local library does not have that one. I am glad you are enjoying it though!

I've just got Invisible for the library so will be reading it later in the month. Paul Auster is one of my favourite authors - I think it is because he is so clever and imaginative with his stories, but there is still genuine emotion in there too.

>20 alcottacre:: Well, I guess it's difficult to get the book because it's an anthology edited by a German... But maybe there exists something similiar in English. You'll find the plays at least in the complete works of the different authors, but I'm afraid that is not very helpful...

>21 sanddancer:: I can just agree with you! I'm already wondering what you'll think about the book, so I'll keep an eye on your thread!

This week I read Les Récrés du petit Nicolas (French version) by Sempé/Goscinny and it was fun!! Actually it's a children's book consisting of different short stories. It's written in a very simple language, but nevertheless the stories are really amusing!

Unfortunately I'll have a lot of work to do for my seminars, so I'll read a lot of theory/philosophical books during the next weeks. (But it's not like I feel "forced" to read them, because they are theoretical/philosophical classics that I've wanted to read for quite a while).
Authors like Michel Foucault, Stephen Greenblatt, or Roland Barthes are waiting for me. As a consequence my "voluntary" books will be "lighter" material, or maybe not - we'll see.

Could someone please slow down the time - January is almoust half over!
SO LITTLE TIME, SO MUCH TO READ!

#22: Could someone please slow down the time

Believe me, I wish someone would, Kathy!

Me too, me too!!!! There just isn't enough time!

At least I'm not the only one thinking it. :)

Finished my fifth book yesterday: 5. Sweet Sixteen by Birgit Vanderbeke. It's a satire about teenagers rebelling against society and includes a lot of media and consumer criticsm. But I didn't like the language which was kind of clumsy, especially at the beginning. First I wanted to write "as written by a 16-year-old", but it's even worse! (Who knows, maybe the author did it intentionally.)

This week I didn't have much time to read for my personal pleasure thanks to the academic semester which is coming to an end. Usually I really like to read theoretical stuff, but my enthusiasm just drops, if I need about four hours for 30 pages. I had to read several essays, e.g. 6. Das Lied vom Gesetz (~ "The song about the law") by Marie Theres Fögen, and I will include these approximately 300 pages all as one book.

By the way: I also created a ticker to measure the pages I've read - so I cannot cheat that easily by reading only short books. :)

Nevertheless I got surprised this week, when I started the french edition of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Surprised, because when I had to read it for school about eight years ago, I hated this book. But for a few years I always wanted to give it another try and this was really a good idea. I have finished the first part, and the first two chapters of the second part (around 100 pages) so far and I LOVE it! Not only the subject itself, but also the language - both are very intriguing. I marked a few phrases/quotes which I want to share with you:

"Il se sentit triste comme une maison démeublée ..."
(P1Ch4: "He felt dreary like an empty house...")

"Il fallait qu'elle pût retirer des choses une sorte de profit personnel; et elle rejetait comme inutile tout ce qui ne contribuait pas à la consommation immédiate de son cœur, - étant de tempérament plus sentimentale qu’artiste, cherchant des émotions et non des paysage."
(P1Ch6: "She wanted to get some personal profit out of things, and she rejected as useless all that did not contribute to the immediate desires of her heart, being of a temperament more sentimental than artistic, looking for emotions, not landscapes.")

"La conversation de Charles était plate comme un trottoir de rue …"
(P1Ch7 : "Charles's conversation was commonplace as a street pavement...")

"… et l’ennui, araignée silencieuse, filait sa toile dans l’ombre à tous les coins de son cœur."
(P1Ch7: "and ennui, the silent spider, was weaving its web in the darkness in every corner of her heart.")

"Elle souhaitait à la fois mourir et habiter Paris."
(P1Ch9: "She wished at the same time to die and to live in Paris.")

Edited for formating

I still have not read Madame Bovary. I really need to get it read though!

>27 alcottacre:: Hi Stasia! If you like detailed descriptions and plain prose, you should really read it. It's worth it!

So, today I'll participate at my first READ-A-THON ever! Let's see how much I'll achieve, or if I'll fall to sleep before midnight!
Here's the thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/108489

Good luck in the read-a-thon!!!!

Thank you, Rachel! By the way: TODAY I found American Gods at my book store - so I just had to buy it! (Even though I had the new year's resolution not to buy any books before July... It's a shame.)

I hope the Readathon is going well for you, Kathy!

Stasia, I really enjoy the read-a-thon! I think it's a lot of fun to "read together" - Instead of putting the books aside, I try to keep it going and going and going... But it's really weird how quickly time goes by!

And thank you for the supportive and motivational pikachu! :)

Kathy, sorry I made you break your new year's resolution but I hope you enjoy it! :o)

>33 Kittybee:: As if it would have ever been possible to really achieve this resolution… :) Climbing the mount Everest – child’s play, but not buying a book for half a year? Please, I am only human!

I finished my first read-a-thon about an hour ago and it was FUN. Although I didn’t read as much pages as I thought I would... I have to admit that I am slow reader.

Here are my results of the last 24 hours:
I read 3 books and finished two of them in time – as it comes to the third book there were just 12 pages left… but I finished it right after the ending of the read-a-thon.

Books finished: 7. "Madame Bovary", 8. "Deskriptive Metrik"
Book almost finished: 9. "Die Badewanne des Archimedes"
Total pages read: 424
Total time read: 10h 10 min
Total time posting: 2h

Now, I’m quite exhausted and my bed is already calling out for me… but maybe I can peep into the "Persepolis" comics before I’ll fall asleep?

Edited because of touchstone malfunction

Looks like your Readathon was quite a successful one. Good for you!

> 35: Stasia, it definitely was. I was only wondering the time read... because I was reading almost the whole time when I was awake, but my "net" reading time is only about 10 hours... Nevertheless I'm satisfied with these results. :)

Now, I still have to make up for some books, I've read lately:

7. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
As you already know I was really thrilled this time to read the book. Maybe it because I did know more about the background of the time... Maybe because I can really feel with Emma... this feeling of "décristallisation" she's going through because of all the dissapointed expectations.
I loved the language which is really rich in details and very pure - but still not cold enough to avoid a personal participation in the story.

8. Deskriptive Metrik by Sebastian Donat
Well, this book won't be very interesting for you. It's a theoretical book about metrical verse composition. I needed to read it, because I'll have to write an exam about it, tomorrow. (Tomorrow, uh uh,... maybe I should stop spending so much time on LT and practise a little bit)
In general, the book is a good introduction which explains clearly a method of describing verses/poems/... Nevertheless the topic is and stays dry.

9. Die Badewanne des Archimedes by Sven Ortoli/Nicolas Witkowski
This book consists of several small chapters which deal with different scientifical legends, as for example Newton and his apple. It's interesting and a nice, "snacky" reading: Nice but nothing spectacular.

10. & 11. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
I usually don’t read any comics, but somehow I always wanted to read “Persepolis”. It’s a political, autobiographically inspired comic by the Iranian-French author Marjane Satrapi. It deals with her childhood in Iran during the time of revolution, her youth in Austria during war, and her return to Iran.
I really loved the style of the pictures, somehow childlike, but with severe meanings. The scenes are sometimes shocking, sometimes touching and heart-warming. And the story itself is really intriguing. I would definitely recommend “Persepolis” to everybody, even if they usually don’t tend to read comics!

January is over and this seems to be a good point to take a look back at the first month. I read eleven books, but most of them were really short - nevertheless I achieved to read 2756 pages. It's really interesting to see the progress.
And I know that I wouldn't have read so much without the LT challenge: It keeps me very motivated, and I choose much more often to read something in the evening - even when I am really tired - than just simply switch on TV. But still I don't feel any kind of pressure or competition. I came to love read-a-thons this month and I’ll definitely participate again – already looking out for the next one!
There's just one thing I would like to change: I would really like to have some more vivid discussions about a book, or general in the different threads. Maybe I’ll have the time to start “War & Peace” soon, then I’ll join the discussion group. Maybe I’ll find something to discuss in your threads… We will see.

So, let’s discover what February has to show us.

Hi There

I'm compiling a list of birthdays of our group members. If you haven't done so already, would you mind stopping by this thread and posting yours.

Thanks.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/105833

Great, first week of february is over and I haven't finished a thing. But there are some interesting readings going:

- Yesterday I've started to read War and Peace (in German) and it's much easier than I thought - I read the first 150 pages in no time. Although it's quite difficult to keep all the characters in mind, so far I really like it.
- Then I'll participate at a group read in the "Austrian LibraryThingers" group: Portnoy's complaint (in English) by Philip Roth.
- And soon (at least I hope) I'll start another chunkster: Les Misérables (in French) by Victor Hugo.

Welcome to trilingual february! :)

I like it: Trilingual February indeed :)

I still haven't finished anything this month! To change that I'll participate in MY SECOND READ-A-THON !

Currently I'm in the middle of War and Peace, I'm reading three Greenblatt-/New Historicism-books, and Philip Roth's Portnoy's complaint.
Let's try to finish at least some of the theoretical stuff!

Link: http://www.librarything.com/topic/109947

I hope you have good luck with the Readathon, Kathy!

Thanks Stasia, it will definitely be a lot of fun!

They always are!

This week I continued with the books on my currently reading list and just today I finished 13. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth. It's such a great and amusing book! I might write a review, but a little bit later, with some distance and the view for the whole picture.

#45: I read that one a lifetime ago. I am glad to see you enjoyed it so much, Kathy!

Hi, I found your group read of Portnoy's Complaint in the Austrian LT group, and now I feel like rereading it. Looks like I have forgotten all the funny bits

>46 alcottacre:: Stasia, and how did you like it? Or didn't leave it such a great impression?

>47 Deern:: Nathalie: I think it's a good mixture of tragical and comical elements. Many parts are really hilarious, but suddendly there are scenes where I had to take a deep breath. If yuo decide to reread it, please let me know what you think about it!

Well, February wasn't really my month. I've started a few books... I'm still in the middle of War and Peace, but I didn't finish that many - just a few theoretical books. I'm sure that in March I'll be a little bit more succesful!

What did you make of the Samuel Beckett plays? Have you read other books of his?

Wow, time is flying by! March is almost over and I've been on LT almost never!

Let's see what happend in the last weeks: I had to reread three plays (theater of the absurd) and another one is following today, because I have to write a paper about them. All of them are/were rereads and I just love(d) them!

17. Eugène Ionesco: La Cantatrice chauve suivi de La Leçon
This one's hilarious! Two "english" couples - who seem like the living embodiment of typical language textbook characters - come together for dinner. They get lost in polite but meaningless phrases, because there's neither the will nor the ability to really communicate with each other. The arrival of the fireman is a relief, because he can kill the couples' time by narrating anecdotes. But as he's gone the couples run wild again and can't maintain the façade anymore.
This play is a lot of fun to read because of its exquisite absurdity!

20. Samuel Beckett: Fin de partie
This is one of the most cruel plays I've ever read! I tried to summarize the story – I really tried – but the summary got always very long. The whole play is not about a particular story, but about the relationships between the characters. They hate each other, but at the same time they need each other – otherwise they would die.
I really recommend this play, but be aware that it’s very cruel and disturbing.

21. Samuel Beckett: Warten auf Godot
I don’t think I have to write much about this play… I love it because it’s a great melange of tragedy and comedy, and it’s totally absurd.

@Genny: So far, I’ve just read these two plays, but I definitely want to read the other texts by Beckett – especially his novels. I hope this answers your question.

Today I’ll read 22. Rhinocéros by Eugène Ionesco . I remember that I also liked it a lot, but I found it a little bit repetitive. Let’s see if I feel the same this time!

18. Arno Geiger: Der alte König in seinem Exil
This was such a beautiful and touching book! It’s about the author’s father who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Geiger describes the time when his father showed first signals, but the family didn’t realize it yet, and how they handled everything after they learned about the disease – always wallowing in memories, reflecting the father’s life and current situation.
Don’t misunderstand me – it’s not a non-fiction book. Of course, it’s based on true events, but it’s a novel written in soft and lovely prose.

19. Kien Nghi Ha: Hype um Hybridität
This book deals with the latest hype about the word „hybrid“. (Think of cars – hybrid drive, computers – hybrid hard disk, etc.) Ha takes a look at the word itself , its history and how it is commercialized.
But the more important part is about the political and cultural implications: He writes that there’s only an acceptance – even an acquisition of “the Other”, when you can derive a benefit from it. One example would be the selective migration politics, when only people get access to one’s country when they are “highly qualified” and when they can contribute an added value.

#48: Sorry to be so late in responding, Kathy. I was rather more 'miss' than 'hit' on LT there for a while. I did not care for Portnoy's Complaint although it has been such a long time since I read it that I cannot say exactly why. I have tried a couple of Roth's other books too and I think he is just not an author for me.

Well, here I am again and I hope that I can revive my thread. The last couple of months were quite overwhelming as far as my professional and personal life was concerned, but now I am back and I'll try to contribute a little bit more.

I'll also try to keep more dialogues/discussions alive - maybe you can help me with that, because it will take me some time to get an overview about everything again.

So, and now I'll try to comment the books I've read since my last entry:

The theoretical book 23. Grundkurs Filmanalyse by Werner Faulstich is a great and compact introduction into movie analyses. You can get an overview about different types of shots and perspectives, or about different kinds of analyses. I would definitely recommend the book for "beginners" - it's a wonderful summary of the most important facts. (If you want to go even deeper into the subject, I would also recommend Film verstehen by James Monaco.)

24. Mythen des Alltags by Roland Barthes is really a classic and its topic hasn't lost its importance. It's about the way myths are created by the mass media, how symbols are deprived of their actual meanings and abused to create new meanings. (I'm sorry, it's a difficult to summarize the whole book in just two or three sentences.) I don't agree with everything he says and also miss an answer to my most important question (Are myths always dangerous?), but in my opinion Mythen des Alltags explains very well the ways and the possibilities of manipulation through signs.

25. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 1 by Douglas Adams: I don't think I have to say much about the book. Usually, I am not really into scifi, but while reading that book I had to laugh really hard many times. (I read it in the train and entertained my fellow passengers.)
Nevertheless I am not sure, if I'll read the other volumes in the next few months... I'll see.

These were my "April-books" - the others will come soon.

@alcottacre: Don't worry - as you can see, I wasn't really active the last few months either. I can understand it very well, if you don't like Philip Roth. I think he has a special style which will not please everybody. But so far, I love his books (exception Die Brust).

Hey, Kathy. Glad to see you checking back in again.

I recently enjoyed Adams' Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy too. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Hi Stasia! It's good to be back. :)

My May-readings included 26. Homer's Die Odyssee . I love greek myths and legends in general, so I knew the story, but still I wanted to read The Odyssey for a few years. I was fascinated by the clever construction of the narrative - first describing Telechamos' dangerous situation, and only then letting Ulysses himself tell his story, and finally close the story with the liberation of Ithaka. It was much easier to read than I thought - I got a real good translation. I recommend it 100%.

The 27. fairy-tales by Wilhelm Hauff are more famous than their author's name (at least in Austria and Germany) - maybe you've heard of Zwerg Nase (Dwarf Nose, or Little Longnose), Kalif Storch (Caliph Stork), or Der kleine Muck (The story of Little Muck). It was difficult to rate the book, because the stories are very nice, but my edition was really bad. The book includes only a few single fairy-tales, but Wilhelm Hauff wrote them connected under a "meta-story". And that's the actually interesting part. So, if you want to read Hauff's fairy-tales, choose the almanacs (they contain the whole story) and not just the single narratives!

If you want to read an exciting examination of the nature of Evil, I can recommend 28. Das Böse by Terry Eagleton. Eagleton uses different ways to approach this topic: The literary perspective dominates, but he includes also theoretical viewpoints by e.g. Hannah Arendt. I think that Eagleton describes many interesting ideas and explanations, but I don't agree with every single thought. Nevertheless it's a good source of inspiration, something you'll continue to think about for a while after having read it.

I read The Iliad a couple of years back but still have not read The Odyssey. Thanks for the reminder that I still need to get to the book!

Hi Stasia, I hope I didn't spoiler too much. I still need to read The Iliad. Maybe I'll get an edition from the same translator. Have you read other roman or greek literature? I was thinking about reading Aeneid, but in general I prefer the shorter works, the legends and myths. Ok, there's one exception - I loved the tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles which I read last year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, then I'll continue with my comments concerning my June-readings:
After I've finished the Persepolis-comics, I got curious about 29. Maus by Art Spiegelmann. Honestly, I can't quite remember my immediate reaction to the graphic novel. In general I think it's a legitimate and very interesting approach to a cruel and horrific part of the history. I know Spiegelmann chose animals as characters because it was easier to portray the cruelty that way. But at some points it bothered me - I can't really explain why. ...I realize that I should have taken notes after having read it... I just know that there a few points that I didn't like about the book - but I don't have it with me, so I can't look it up.

30. Contes provençaux edited by Ernst Kemmner is a small and nice selection of short stories written by French/Provençal authors.

The reason why I chose 31. Nick Cave's The Death of Bunny Munro was its cover. I didn't realize that the author was identical with the singer - I found it out at home, and as a consequence my expectations rose immediately. In general, I liked the idea of the father-son-story and the roadtrip-elements. But the final story just didn't "satisfy" me - it was just "not enough", something was missing. And it didn't help the story that Cave uses at least three swear words at every page - on the contrary! - the whole novel got some childish touch ("Oh, great, now I'm going use the word 'c**t' as many times as possible, just to shock the people, just to make my book interesting.") And no, I am not a prude, I just get bored by such a repetition. Almost unbearable was a scene at the ending of the book, where the protagonist finds himself in some kind of "spherical" situation (I don't want to spoiler). But there was also one thing I have to judge favourably: Nick Cave is able to describe the son's perspective in a very authentic and vivid way.
In a nutshell it's not a book you must absolutely read: For sure there exist many other stories like that, but way better written.

I did not like The Aeneid when I read it although granted, it has been a while. I loved Ovid's Metamorphoses though. Have you tried it yet?

Yes, I've read a few stories of Metamorphoses and I liked them a lot. But thanks for bringing Ovid back to my mind, I suddendly feel like reading him again!

I may have to dig out my old battered copy too!

Good morning everybody!

Because I don't have much storage room for my books anymore, I'm looking for a nice place for a few of them (I'm so proud - I'm ready to give away books instead of always buying them!).

If you are interested in one or several of the following books...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Forever by Judy Blume

- Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

- The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

- Der mit den Pferden spricht by Monty Roberts

- Wie ein einziger Tag by Nicholas Sparks

- Die Nacht des Eisbergs by France Huser and Bernard Géniès

- Ich wollte Hosen by Lara Cardella

- Shakespeare in Love by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...then just let me know (here in my thread, pm on my profile, or wherever you want).

I'm going to keep the books just for a week, so I should know until next Saturday, if you're interested or not. And I am going to eliminate/cross out the books that are already taken, so that you'll know the current status.

Are you willing to ship worldwide, Kathy, or are you restricting where you will ship to? Just curious.

> 64: Stasia, that's a really good question, which I'll have to consider the next time. Unfortunately I have to say that my book offers from >63 PersephonesLibrary: are superfluous. A friend of mine works for a charity and she can use the books.

I am really sorry if I've stirred up false hopes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And what did I read in July?

32. Seitenweise Erfolg is a collection of success stories of different bestsellers. It's quite interesting because there are different genres included. Moreover there are interviews with people who work in the book publishing business (editors, agents, etc.). All in all it's a light and snacky reading.

My 33rd book in this year was Die Vermessung der Welt by Daniel Kehlmann. It was a reread and I liked it as well as the last time I read it. Even though the story is based on historical facts it's not heavy at all. It's again a snacky and extremely entertaining reading.

I've already heard a lot about the crime novel 34. Tannöd by Andrea Maria Schenkel. She won the "German crime prize" (?) in 2006 and one year later she was accused of plagiarism. I also took a look at Peter Leuschner's documentation Hinterkaifeck – Deutschlands geheimnisvollster Mordfall (he accused her of plagiarism) and it's true: She didn't work out the story by herself, she copied partly word-by-word of Leuschner's book. The only "creative" thing she contributed was taking another narrative perspective (that's why I didn't give the book zero stars) - but all the hard work: creating interesting characters, reconstructing the story was already done by Leuschner. So, if you decide to read about the murder case of Hinterkaifeck - read the original and not the cheap copy!

35. Sven Regener's Herr Lehmann describes the life of Frank Lehmann (who's to his annoyance only called "Herr Lehmann" by his friends) months before the fall of the Berlin wall. He is kind of in the middle of a crisis, because soon he'll be 30 and everything around him seems to change. This pulls him out of his daily grind, out of his lethargy. I liked the humour of the book, and I would recommend it.

In her book 36. Vienna Eva Menasse writes about three generations of a Viennese family in the 20th century. I loved the first two-thirds of the book - it was fun and she made some interesting observations about the typical Austrian. That's the reason why I was even more disappointed when the last part got really long-winded.

Melinda Nadj Abonji won the German Book Prize with 37. Tauben fliegen auf . Abonji writes about a Hungarian family who emigrates to Switzerland. They try to assimilate and integrate themselves, but they still encounter racism. It’s a book about identity, home and foreignness. I first had to familiarize with Abonji’s style, because she works with super-long sentences. But after twenty pages I got into the rhythm, which is a mixture of spontaneous notebook writing (we called it “free writing” in school), and of an inner monologue.

Then I read 38. Die Habenichtse by Katharina Hacker – a book I can’t recommend at all. I didn’t like neither the story, the characters, nor the writing style. I wouldn’t say that the German Book Prize for this one was legitimate, but that’s just my opinion.

My last July-reading was 39. Daniel Glattauer’s Gut gegen Nordwind which is a modern day epistolary novel consisting of emails instead of letters. Emmi and Leo get in touch by accident – Emmi wants to cancel a magazine subscription by email. That’s how their email conversation starts. But afterwards it’s a continuous discussion about whether they should meet in “real” life, or not – and the whole story gets kind of repetitive. In general, I like the idea of an email novel, but I’m sure there would have been more to tell.

I don't want to wait again until the list has grown too long, that's why I "buffer" my readings of the first week in August:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arno Geiger's 40. Es geht uns gut is a novel about three generations/couples of an Austrian family. The story jumps from 2001 where Philipp clears up the house which he inherited from his grandmother to several important years in the past (1938, 1945, 1989, etc.). I also liked how Geiger embedded different text types, e.g. screenplay, conversation protocol, etc. In general it's a nice book, with some interesting aspects.

I don't think that I have to say much about Patrick Süskind's 41. Das Parfum . It was third ord fourth time that I read this book, and it's still great!

42. Kathrin Schmidt: Du stirbst nicht
This book was really interesting. It's about a woman who wakes up in the hospital after a stroke and she tries to get her life back (physically and psychologically). I liked the vivid and authentic narrative. Although the topic is a quite sad one, it's not unbearably tragic - there are always small funny scenes which ease it. The book is fiction and not a memoir, but still it reminded me about The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby at some points.

After the relatively serious books of the past weeks I just needed some "brain candy". A bookseller recommended Die Känguru Chroniken by Marc-Uwe Kling and my expectations were quite high. Unfortunately. It was not bad, and I even had to laugh every once in a while - but it didn't convince me on the whole.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next two books I am going to read are a) Die Mittagsfrau by Julia Franck and b) Der Turm by Uwe Tellkamp. And I think it's time for another Readathon!

I hope you have a great Readathon, Kathy!

#65: I read that there's a sequel for Gut gegen Nordwind, but I don't know if it's any good. I bought GGNW when it was out, read the first few pages, got terribly annoyed by both characters and their 'formal' writing ('Emmi, Sie'), then read the not so surprising ending and gave the book away to a friend (who absolutely loved it).

I'll take a closer look at Es geht uns gut und Du stirbst nicht. I'm always glad to get some German recommendations, as I might find them in my library. Have you read Radetzkymarsch by Joseph Roth? I have it on my Kindle and started it a while ago, but somehow couldn't get into it yet.

>67 alcottacre:: Thanks Stasia! It's going on right here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/121600 - and it's again so much fun.

> 68: Hi Nathalie! Nice to hear from you! Indeed, the sequel is called Alle sieben Wellen, but I doubt that I am going to read that one. As you say it, the characters are really annoying - first this formal writing, and then how the always fight about "to meet or not to meet". I was also surprised by the fact that everybody else I know loved it! Can't really understand that.

If you tell me a few topics/genres/... you like to read, I'm sure that I'll have some more recommendations. No, I haven't yet read Radetzkymarsch, but it's waiting on my shelves!

My Readathon results for this weekend: I joined in during the second half (7 a.m. MEZ) and participated from Hour 9 to Hour 24.

Total actual reading time : ~ 8 h 55 min
Book read during the readathon: Die Mittagsfrau by Julia Franck (started it, but couldn't finish it)
Total of pages read: 295 pages (somehow I am reading very slowly at the moment...)

295 pages is still very good, Kathy!

Hi Kathy, I like your review of A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - I first heard about it years ago and did not think I would enjoy. But I'm reading positive reviews from several LTers, so it's something I have to reconsider.

>71 alcottacre:: Thanks, Stasia. It's always a small step to my 22500. :)

>72 lit_chick:: Hey Nancy! Nice to hear that you liked my commentary about The Hitchhiker's Guide. I'll keep an eye on your thread, because I would like to know your opinion about the book.

Last week I finished 44. Die Mittagsfrau by Julia Franck. I really liked the book. It starts with a woman leaving her little son at a train station in 1945 after WW2 was over. After this prologue we go back in time and the woman's life is told from the beginning. It's a great piece of history and I loved the authenticity as well as the narrative style. Definitely recommended!

After this serious book, I needed again something simply entertaining. That's why I chose 45. Milchgeld by Volker Klüpfel and Michael Kobr. At the moment the so-called "Bodensee-Krimis" (crime stories which take place near the Lake Constance) are extremely popular - and my brother as well as my parents recommend me these crime stories. I read the first book of a series and I liked it quite ...well, it was ok. The crime story itself was exchangeable - nothing special. The book mainly lives from the local colour and the eccentric inspector. All in all, it's a nice "brain candy" reading - nothing to reflect, no deeper meaning.
But I have to admit that I prefer Henning Mankells' crime stories about Wallander, or the Ripley-books by Patricia Highsmith.

#73: Has the Franck been translated, Kathy? It sounds like one I would enjoy.

Hi Stasia! Yes, in English it's called "The Blindness of the Heart". If you decide to read it, I hope that you'll enjoy it!

Well, I think it's time to write again. :) During the last two months a lot of things happend, e.g. I'm working for a book store (!) chain since septembre. Yay! :D It was a little bit difficult to balance everything (work, university, private life) out, but I continously get more routine. That was also the reason why I couldn't read anything in septembre. I had to get used to my new job, and had to finish a few papers. But I guess, it's getting a little bit better now.

So, I guess, I have to make up a few books....

AUGUST
I read 46. Culture Jamming by Kalle Lasn, 47. Im Zeichen des Marktes. Culture Jamming, Kommunikationsguerilla und subkultureller Protest gegen die Logo-Welt der Konsumgesellschaft by Andreas Völlinger and 48. Just do it! Die Subversion der Zeichen von Marcel Duchamps bis Prada Meinhof for a paper.
The books deal with new forms of revolution - on the level of signs - and they especially present "culture jamming" as new form of protest against the large corporations.
I liked the one of Kalle Lasn, because it didn't only explain the philosophy but also gave many tips about what you can do yourself.
The book by Andreas Völlinger gave a good overview about history, principles, philosophy, methods, and examples of culture jamming.
The last book was the catalogue of an exhibition and I liked the "collage" design of the catalogue.

After that I read Michael Köhlmeier's 49. Die Nibelungen . Köhlmeier is a really great narrator and in Austria he's famous for his vivid narrations of greek/roman myths, Shakespearean plays, the Bible, as well as the Nibelungenlied.

My 50th book this year was Naomi Klein's No Logo! which speaks for itself, I think. Definitely recommended.

SEPTEMBER... was a sad, sad month. Books read: Zero.

OCTOBER

I started with Uwe Tellkamp's 51. Der Turm already in August. Now I can confirm, what I already assumed before: Books with a maximum of 600 or 700 pages are no problem at all. But if the number of pages exceeds that, I really have difficulties to finish that book. In February I started for example "War & Peace" and the first 600 pages were a piece of cake. But then I struggled.
The same thing with Irving's "Until I find you" - I read the first half, then after a few months the second half. Well, now that I know this for sure, I can plan my readings differently.
BUT.... BACK TO THE BOOK: Tellkamp won the German Book Prize with his novel about the last years of East Germany. There are three main characters: the surgeon Richard Hoffmann, his son Christian, and the uncle of Christian - Meno.
I just loved the book! Ok, maybe you have to ignore sometimes the extremly artistic parts written by Meno himself (diary extracts, written in italic), but I loved the whole story about Meno's nephew Christian and his personal development, Richard's story (I don't want to spoil to much) and the literary aspects represented by Meno and his environment.
Loved the atmosphere, the style (except Meno's diary) and the story. Definitely recommended.

After that I read 52. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. I expected a little bit more when I read it's about a journey on the river Amazonas into the rainforests. But maybe that was unfair, because I immediately associated something like "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.
Well, but what/how is "State of Wonder"? On the first page a female scientist learns that her male workmate died in the jungle. She's hired to find out more about his death. So, there's one part about human relationships, and later it becomes a discussion about the possibilities and power (and sometimes arrogance) of science. It's not a book you must read, but I wouldn't advise you not to read it. (Ok, that was quite complicated... I hope you understand, what I wanted to say :) )

I loved the comic 53. La vieille dame qui n'avait jamais joué au tennis & autres nouvelles qui font du bien by Zidrou - and the title says already everything: "The old lady who never played tennis and other stories that make you feeling good".

Ok, ok, I couldn't resist the hype and I read 54. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
I liked the female protagonist and that it's written in her perspective (such a nice change to the current popular female characters in YA-books, e.g. the whimpering twiligh girl). Then I liked the media-critical aspects. It's written in an exciting manner.
Hm, but I didn't give the whole 5 points, because I am not yet sure about the attitude: "Ok, we kill each other, even though we know that it's wrong... we have to make it a show... etc."
But on the other hand this is a good point, too - because I still think about the book and it's different topics.

Ok, now you're up to date again. :) Have a nice Sunday, and some calm holidays.

Welcome back! And congratulations for the new job!
And you read some interesting books. Der Turm is one I have been actively avoiding so far - I just can't help myself, I have problems with modern German literature. It's either trashy or (if the critics liked it) it tends to be bleak and a little artificial. But I guess I'll have to read this one at some point, as it covers an important part of our history. And maybe I'll be as pleasantly surprised as I have been with Boell's books.

And then there's Das Nibelungenlied... It's quite embarrassing. I read The Aeneid, The Divine Comedy, Beowulf and Paradise Lost, but somehow never got to this important work. Maybe something for my 2012 reading plans.

The Hunger Games is a book that received such raving reviews that it's scaring me off a bit. But it has always been somewhere on my tbr, maybe it's another one for 2012. By now it should be available in my library.

So, my first year in the 75-books-challenge ends. I was a little bit surprised that I didn’t reach my goal of 75 books, and read “only” 63,5 books. But I guess, that almost a book every week is not that bad. :) I want to close this thread with my overall impression of my first real “LibraryThing”-Year (“real” in the sense of participating a challenge):

First I have to say that the LT-threads were just too many. At the beginning I tried to visit as many threads as possible and to sort out from time to time. But still it would have been necessary to visit the page EVERY DAY FOR SEVERAL HOURS – and I just don’t have the time to do that. I’m sorry – I just lost the overview and gave up.
At the beginning of the year I asked you how you can read several books at the same time. I tried it out and chose different “reading spots” for different books.
But both – the feeling that I need to comment and read on LibraryThing on a daily basis (which directly influents the amount of books I can read), as well as to read several books at one time, just made the whole thing more stressful than it should have been.

But I have already found a solution for that, and I hope that I can be more active on LT during the whole year. :)

These were the main two points of the negative side. But of course there was a lot of positive stuff, too. I participated at several readathons – I loved it and I will definitely continue with that next year. It was also great to follow your discussions and to read other opinions about a book. And in general, I just like(d) the atmosphere, so you can’t get rid of me that fast. :)

I am really looking for the new year and all the books that are just waiting to be read!
I wish you and your families all the best for 2012! See/Read you then!