Tangledthread's 75 in 2011

January:
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh
Little Princes by Connor Grennan
Great House by Nicole Krauss

February:
Room by Emma Donaghue
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw
Mudbound by Hilary Jordan

March:
Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz
Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

April
Halting State by Charles Stross
Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kosteva

17 so far

Welcome to the challenge. I love the sculpture on your profile page. There are some zombie fans here that should find it classic!

Thanks. That sculpture used to be in the children's play area at the township park. It was taken down under the excuse that it had become unstable and was a safety hazard. I maintain it was probably deemed too scary for the kiddies....esp. since it was destroyed in the take down process.

Welcome!

April
16. Halting State by Charles Stross
17. Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kosteva
18. Death of a Maid by M. C. Beaton

Welcome to our friendly, well-read, chatty group~

April (cont.)

19. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
20. Death of a Gentle Lady by M. C. Beaton
21. The Autobiography of an Execution by David Dow

22. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale

I've been listening to this while painting the kitchen. It's an interesting exploration of the origins of detective work and the relationship of that development with the origins of detective fiction.

23. Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

Typical Anne Tyler: Lonely middle aged man meets up with younger, quirky woman. This time the man has suffered a concussion in an attempted burglary and suffers amnesia of the event. The pursuit of his memory leads "the chase".

I really used to like Anne Tyler, back in the days of Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. But now I wonder if she'd have anything to write if she took something for depression. This is probably my last Anne Tyler book.

24. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
25. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morten

Ugh....I have the flu. Are there any good recommendations for sick bed reading out there?

26. What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman

A very belated 'Welcome to the group!' from me. Sorry to hear about your flu. I hope it goes away quickly. Read something that takes no thought or a comfort read of yours. The flu is a great excuse for those kinds of books :)

Just finished What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman. Not his best story telling. If you haven't read this author, I'd suggest starting with The Bird Artist rather than this one.

Still reading The Forgotten Garden which is very good sick bed reading.

27. Bossypants by Tina Fey
28. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

At this rate, I'm not sure I'll make it to 75 for the year. Yikes, June is just around the corner!

Do not worry about the numbers! Just concentrate on the reads and having a good time with them :)

29. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

This really reminds me of very early Woody Allen for the 21st century.

#18: I did not care for that one. I think my sense of humor was just wrong for that particular book. I am glad to see you enjoyed it though!

I can't say that I really enjoyed it (Super Sad True Love Story)....it just reminded me of Woody Allen.
The one thing it did make me think about is how authors will write about current times, when people are so connected by so many devices: twitter and tweets, 4G devices, etc. Much of what I typically read takes place before the explosion of connectivity.

30. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Interesting so far.....

31. City of Thieves by David Benioff. I found this to be an engrossing story set during the siege of Leningrad during WWII. It is quick paced. However there were a couple of historical inaccuracies. For example he talks about an area being curtained off with sheets of plastic. Plastic was not the ubiquitous material during WWII that it has become since the late 1960's. During the war it would have been canvas, or at best rubberized canvas. There were a couple other things like that which didn't affect the storyline, but makes one think the author was a bit sloppy with his research and the editor was lazy or ignorant...or both.

32. A Singular Woman by Jenny Scott
33. South of Superior by Ellen Airgood

34 Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M. C. Beaton

This was in the car listening

35 The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

Join us for a read along at http://www.librarything.com/topic/118984

#24: I am joining in the group read for The Thousand Autumns too. I loved Cloud Atlas, so I have high hopes for this book as well!

36: Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft HC

Why are graphic novels so.......graphic? or maybe gory is the better word.

Glad you are joining us for Jacob de Zeut. I've passed the half way point and am really loving the book. I started it last November and it was the wrong time for that book for me. Now it seems to be a perfect fit.

#27: Good!

37: The Way of the River by BK Loren
This is an interesting memoir of a woman growing up in the late 60's - early 70's who falls into studying martial arts as a response to domestic violence in her home. It's written as vignettes that attempt to communicate the essence of her studies. I've found it very interesting because of the parallels to yoga, which I have studied for many years.

38. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

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39. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
Listening to this one as an MP3 book. Tracy Chevalier's books are usually good as audio books and this one is no exception so far.

40. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
After reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet as a read along, I wanted more of David Mitchell's writing. Was also spurred on by the other commenters on the read along thread who felt Cloud Atlas was the better book. We'll see. I'm just starting.

Am also still reading A Singular Woman. It's okay, but the author meanders in the writing and she cites people without it being clear (to me anyway) what the significance is in their relationship to Ann Dunham.

41. The Earth Hums in B flat by Mari Strachan

Just picked this up from the library and am starting it this evening.

#32: I love Cloud Atlas. I do hope you enjoy it!

#34. So far so good on Cloud Atlas. It seems like a great summer read.

I am glad to hear that you are enjoying CA. I never thought of it as particularly a 'summer' read, but whatever works!

Finished reading Remarkable Creatures} this afternoon and wrote a review. It is quintessential Tracy Chevalier. I do like the way she writes historical fiction about women. She has provided a website for the book which includes a page of fossils from the museum at Lyme Regis that inspired the book. Take a look at http://www.tchevalier.com/remarkablecreatures/index.html

Just occurred to me, I'm not sure if the remarkable creatures of the title are represented by the fossils or the two women lead characters of the book.

I very much enjoyed Remarkable Creatures, the first Chevalier book I ever read, but it is certainly not going to be the last.

>38 alcottacre:. If you haven't read Girl with the Pearl Earring that would be a good one to pick up next. Then after you read it, check out the movie. The cinematography in the movie is one of the most intriguing I've seen.

42. Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I'm not typically a fan of short stories. However I am a fan of Kazuo Ishiguro's writing. His characters are so well drawn that we see in them all that they are unable to see in themselves. This is true for these five stories as well. The mingling of music, longing, and loss in these stories reminds me of the way he used the title song throughout the story in Never Let Me Go, another of my favorites. In the story "Come Rain or Come Shine" the story descends into a slapstick humorous scene that had me visualizing John Cleese playing the narrator's role.

#39: No, I have not read The Girl with the Pearl Earring yet. Thanks for the recommendation - of both the book and the film.

Book 43. The Arrival by Shaun Tan

What a beautiful graphic novel!!! And finally one that is not morbid and moribund. This is a must 'read' book for all ages to exercise the right brain's story teller.

#42: I so want to read that one, but my local library does not have a single Shaun Tan book. Arg!

#43. Well....as a substitute, here's an invitation into Shaun Tan's studio: http://play.sydneyoperahouse.com/index.php/media/1428-shaun-tan-invites-you-into...

Enjoy!!

Thanks for the link! I will check it out.

The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan Previously mentioned in post #33

This has been my nightstand book for the past few evenings. Very easy to knock off 50 pages before the eyelids seal themselves closed.

I currently have a number of books in progress which I've already listed:
- Am almost finished with A Singular Woman which I've been reading mostly while on the exercise bike at the gym.
- Am listening to The Dressmaker of Khair Khana while working at the looms and spinning wheel.
- Cloud Atlas is still in progress as my "sit down and fully pay attention" reading.

- And another nonfiction read in progress is Last Call by Daniel Okrent. We've all heard a lot of stories about the period of prohibition in this country, but this book researches exactly how a crazy idea like prohibition came to be added to the U.S. Constitution. Since things seem to be no less crazy now, maybe it's worth reading to see what history has to teach us. I won't add it as book 44 until I get further into it.

Hello, fellow Pitt alum! Based on the excellent books you've read this year I don't know why I wasn't following your thread, but I have you starred now.

Catching up: I loved The Glass Room, Room, The Lacuna, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, and Nocturnes. I also enjoyed The Gift of Rain, which I bought in London in 2007 after it was selected for the Booker Prize longlist that year; is it now available in the US? It doesn't seem as though Eng has written anything since then.

I'm curous about What Is Left the Daughter, and I've just starred your review of The Autobiography of an Execution.

As Stasia said, the number of books you read doesn't matter to any of us. I'm glad that you've joined this group.

Hail to Pitt!

>47 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl,

I take your comment on my book list as a great compliment, considering the breadth of your reading list. Not only is The Gift of Rain available in the U.S, but it's in trade paperback. Now that is a book that I would love to sit down and talk about with the author. We did it in my book group and I was frustrated that so many people missed understanding what I think the author was saying about East/West duality.

As far as What is Left the Daughter, I thought his book The Bird Artist was a much better book. I was suprised to learn that Howard Norman is a midwesterner and not from the Canadian Maritimes.

I just compared our libraries and noticed that you don't have Three Day Road in there. I think you might like it based on some of your other titles.

Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for the great reviews that you write.

Just reviewed Janny Scott's A Singular Woman. You can find it on the book page.

#49: Nice review! Thumbs up from me.

#50 Thanks!!

Book #44 Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones.
Book #45 The Art of Joyful Living by Swami Rama

Two very different books! Silver Sparrow seems to be falling in line with the same type of book as The Earth Hums in B-Flat, but in the first few pages seems to have better writing. Will have to review B-flat after the weekend.

Art of Joyful Living?...what can I say, I've been practicing yoga for about 20 years. Though I don't fall hook, line and sinker for some of the spirituality, some of the philosophy makes a lot of sense in living a balanced life.

You remind me I have The Arrival home from the library and need to get to it soon.

>48 tangledthread: I'm glad to learn that The Gift of Rain is available stateside. I agree with you; I'd love to hear or read an interview with the author, Tan Twan Eng. I hope that he continues to pursue a writing career, as it doesn't seem as though he's written anything since The Gift of Rain was published four years ago.

The Bird Artist sounds interesting, so I'll look for it at Bordres this week. Three Day Road sounds right up my alley, so I'll look for it, as well.

Thank you for your kind compliment! I need to write my reviews more promptly than I have been this year, though.

#53 Hope you enjoy The Arrival as much as I do. I went out and purchased my own copy to keep on the coffee table when I was done with the library copy!

#54 Good luck finding things at Borders. The parking lot was overflowing yesterday. I managed to get in there today and bought the last copy of The Hypnotist.

Just finished reviewing The Earth Hums in B-flat which can be found on the book page.

New thread started here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/121071