Part 2 Arubabookwoman's 2011 Reading

My old thread is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/1049231

Reserved for pictures.

Walk around like a leaf.
Know you could tumble any second.
Then decide what you want to do with your time.

From The Art of Disappearing by Naomi Nye

first quarter

1. Leo Africanus by Amin Maalouf 4 stars
2. Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose 4 1/2 stars
3. I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Well 1 star
4. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison 4 stars
5. Big Blondes by Jean Echenoz 3 stars
6. The Double by Jose Saramago 4 stars
7. Ice Blink by Scott Cookman 3 stars
8. Zayni Barakat by Gamal al-Ghitani
9. Sunset Park by Paul Auster 2 1/2 stars
10. The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith 3 stars
11. Ripley Under Water by Patricia Highsmith 3 1/2 stars
12. Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
13. War Trash by Ha Jin

February
14. My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates
15. The Ice Cream War by William Boyd
16. Howling Miller by Arto Paasilinna
17. A World for Julius by Alfredo Bryce Echenique
18. Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross
19. No God in Sight by Altaf Tyrewala
20. Celtic Myth by Gienna Matson
21. School for Fools by Sasha Sokolov
22. Babi Yar
23. 1974 by David Peace
24. 1977 by David Peace
25. Nineteen-eighty by David Peace
26. Nineteen-eighty three by David Peace
27. Tides by Isidore Okpewho
28. Carry Me Down by M.J. Hyland

MARCH
29. The Boarding House by William Trevor
30. Tonio Kroger and other Stories by Thomas Mann
31. God's Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane
32. The Sky Unwashed= by Irene Zabytko
33. The Immaculate Conception--by Gaetan Soucy
34. I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammanti
35. Minotaur by Benjamin Tamuz
36. Tokyo: Year Zero by David Peace
37. Occupied City by David Peace
38. The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge
39. The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
40. Broken April by Ismail Kadare
41. The Safety Net by Heinrich Boll
42. Beyond Sleep by Willem Frederik Hermans
43. Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson
44. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis
45. The Guest by Hwang Sok-Yong
46. The Conquest of Plassans by Emile Zola
47. Garden Ashes by Danilo Kis
48. Barabbas by Par Lagerkvist

Second Quarter

APRIL

49. August 1914 by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
50. Novel Without a Name by Duong Thu Huong
51. Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So by Mark Vonnegut
52. Kolymsky Heights by Lionel Davidson
53. 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster
54. The Seducer by Jan Kjaerstad
55. Chronicle in Stone by Ismail Kadare
56. Stalemate by Icchokas Meras
57. Father Mouret's Transgression by Emile Zola
58. November 1916 by Alexander Solzhenitsin
59. The Skating Rink by Roberto Bolano
60. Last Night I Dreamed of Peace byDang Thuy Tram

MAY

61. House Mother Normal by B.S. Johnson
62. Wandering Star by J.M.G. Le Clezio
63. Mother's Milk by Edward St. Aubyn
64. The Life of Christ in Art
65. The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson
66. Neighbors by Thomas Berger
67. Season of Ash by Jorge Volpi
68. The Celebration by Ivan Angelo
69. The Women's Decameron by Julia Voznesenkaya
70. The Conqueror by Jan Kjaerstad
71. The Time of Light by Gunnar Kopperud

JUNE

72. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
73. So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell
74. The Garden Where the Brass Band Played by Simon Vestdyjk
75. Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead by Barbara Comyns
76. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
77. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeir
78. The Ice Trilogy by Vladimir Sorokin
79. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

JULY

80. Pilcrow by Adam Mars-Jones
81. Playland by John Gregory Dunne
82. This Way For the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Taudeusz Borowski
83. Commonwealth of Thieves by Thomas Keneally
84. Voss by Patrick White
85. The Twins by Tessa de Loo
86. Lottery by Patricia Wood
87. Exit Lines by Joan Barfoot
88. Icefields by Thomas Wharton

AUGUST

89. Camel Xiangzi by Lao She
90. Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago
91. The Commandant by Jessica Anderson
92. The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrere
93. Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block
94. A Burnt Child by Stig Dagerman
95. The Company by Arabella Edge
96. His Excellency Eugene Rougon by Emile Zola
97. Wanting by Richard Flanagan
98. The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey

SEPTEMBER

99. Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All by Christina Thompson
100. Max Havelaar by Multatuli
101. Shallows by Tim Winton
102. Birdbrain by Johanna Sinisalo
103. Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov
104. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
105. The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin
106. The Matriarch by Witi Ihimaera
107. Nelly's Version by Eva Figes
108. The Bone People by Keri Hulme
109. About the Author by

OCTOBER

110. Lantana Lane by Eleanor Dark
111. GB84 by David Peace
112. Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff
113. The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
114. The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
115. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
116. Everything Matters by Ron Currie

NOVEMBER

117. The Waiting Game by Bernice Rubens
118. Under Fire by Henri Barbusse
119. L'Assomoir by Emile Zola
120. On the Edge of Reason by Miroslav Krleza
121. The Journey by Jiro Osaragi
122. Comedy in Minor Key by Hans Keilson
123. An Error of Judgment by Pamela Hansford Johnson

DECEMBER

124. The Life and Times of Harriet Frean by May Sinclair
125. Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch
126. Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
127. The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
128. Under the Dome by Stephen King
129. The Enormous Room by e.e. cummings
130. Sitt Marie Rose by Etel Adnan
131. Siegfried by Harry Mulisch
132. So Much For That by Lionel Shriver
133. Zaat by Sonallah Ibrahim
134. Doc by Mary Doria Russell
135. A Family Chronicle
136. Somewhere Near the End by Diana Athill
137. A Love Episode by Emile Zola

I'm first?!? Happy New Thread!!!
I totally lost your last one last week after keeping up like a good lurker for the whole thing. I hope to follow in your June footprints with Matterhorn soon!

Hi Deborah. I'm looking forward to hearing about your impressions of Marlantes. I hope you're able to go.

I can totally relate to your comment on your last thread about trying 7 or 8 books but having nothing really grab you. I think part of my problem is Matterhorn was such a consuming read that nothing has come close to it since.

Unfortunately, my library doesn't have anything by Barbara Comyns but I keep hearing such great things about her on LT that I'm going to have to break down and look for something of hers to buy.

Happy new thread!

I forgot to congratulate you on reaching 75 books for the year. Way to go!

I missed your 75th as well. Congrats!

Checking in (and with bouncy guy too) - congratulations on hitting 75!

Congratulations, Deborah!

75 Books, well done, fantastic! Got to say I love that quick verse in your first post, just lovely and thought provoking. Now I have this images of little walking leaves in my head.

I love reading through the list of books read at the top of new threads! You've read some good ones this year, Deborah! Congrats on 75 (+ 4)!

Matterhorn is already on my WL - with a bullet and rising - great review and thanks for the additional information that added so much..

Pat--agree with you about finding a good book after Matterhorn. I'm starting to get in the groove again, but nothing nearly as good.

Thanks for all the congratulations. This will be one of my better reading years, at least in terms of quantity.

Kiwi--I love the idea of little leaves walking around in one's head.

I haven't started July's reviews until now. Here's the first one:

80. Pilcrow by Adam Mars-Jones (2008) 528 pp

I loved the first 2/3 of this book, in which John narrates his life story from toddler-hood until about age 13/14. The last third of the book dragged for me a bit, perhaps because I felt that many of the episodes were repetitious, and perhaps because my personal reading preferences do not include the subject of a young boy's first sexual experiences (homosexual in this case).

John's narrative voice is delightful, and his story is for the most part humorous, made all the more so by the fact that he is paralyzed. He was struck at an early age by a joint disease initially diagnosed as a form of rheumatoid arthritis, for which the doctor prescribed complete bed rest and immobility. (Ever try to keep a 3-year old still? John's mother does a valiant job of keeping him quiet and amused.) Several years later, the correct diagnosis of Still's Disease is made. The treatment for Still's Disease is the exact opposite of immobility--the patient should move as much as possible to keep the joints lubricated. As John states, "I had done nothing of the sort. I had been lying down on the job, and bed rest had let the disease's effects run riot through my body. Still's disease had taken away my power of movement without meeting even token resistance."

This book is in no way a downer, however, nor could it even be classified into the "disease of the week" genre. John is able to make even descriptions of his wallpaper amusing, and keeps us interested in reading about even the most trivial events in his life:

"By now it was a big thing if two wet leaves of different colours, one red, one yellow, happened to be plastered against the window....It was headline news if Dad hung up his trousers in the bedroom upstairs without taking the change out of his pockets, so that the coins rained down on the floorboards."

The characters around him are vivid and humorously real. On his mother:

"Mum hoarded the recipes from magazines, but was afraid to try them until she had scanned subsequent issues in search of corrections and misprints. She had once been tempted by a recipe for home-salted beef, only to read in a later issue that the amount of saltpetre had been overstated by a factor of ten, making it potentially toxic. We might all have been killed by a typographical error--except that I wouldn't have touched it. I alone would have been left alive to charge "Woman's Own" with manslaughter by misprint."

John's mother and her mother ("Granny") have certain unresolved issues:

"Granny was always a vivid figure to me, though not in the oppressive way she was to Mum. I stood up to her sometimes. I knew no better....I remember Granny squashing Mum flat one day just by rearranging the washing while she was out."

Granny's household was one in which, "there might as well have been a motto in cross-stitch over the fireplace, reading HOUSEWORK IS A SERIOUS ENTERPRISE, and a companion piece on the opposite wall declaring ANY FOOL CAN MIND A CHILD."

Granny's advice to John:

"What she did when she couldn't sleep, she said, and what I should do also, was to imagine herself being inside one of the cells {of a honeycomb} with a little brush, a brush as soft as a whisper. Only when my brush had done its work and the little chamber was perfectly clean and shining should I move onto the next chamber with the whispering brush. In this way the mind might be calmed and sleep invited. I liked the idea of polyhedral infinity, my mind as the empire of cells needing proper maintenance."

John's Dad to some extent was a man of the 1950's, perhaps disappointed not to have a son to do sports with, and to some extent jealous of the attention John received from his mother. "Dad always said I could wrap Mum around my little finger, which was a delicious image. I pictured a mother shrunken, made pliable, a plasticene woman I could wear like a toy ring or a sticking plaster." Yet his Dad is the one who believes John can have a "normal" future. When John said he might want to be an actor when he grows up and his mother throws cold water on that idea--

"Be realistic--what part could he play?
"'Well,' said Dad, 'he could be an old lady sitting in an upright wing chair in the corner.'
"'But what sort of role is that?' she pleaded.
"'Oh I would say that it's quite a good one!' he shot back. 'For one thing, he could direct operations like a general in battle....'"

John's world expands when he is sent to the Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, run by an expert in Still's Disease, although in those days, John says, "being an expert in Still's Disease didn't actually mean you knew very much." The doctor is also an expert in childhood leukemia, and half the patients are leukemia patients. Many of the children aren't quite sure which they are, knowing only that the leukemia patients usually die. The ward's bullies led by Wendy (who spoils "Peter Pan" forever for John) use this uncertainty to keep the other children under their thumbs. The treatment for the Still's Disease children consists of physical therapy by sadistic technicians. "Walking was an absolute passion and obsession of the establishment... Not to walk qualified as...a moral defect, but was no good telling that to my joints." Still, John keeps the story of his life in the hospital interesting and funny.

After several years at the hospital, John is sent to The Vulcan School for Disabled and Intelligent Boys. Its headmaster had been crippled in the war, and John says, "I was alerted to his disabled status, which was presented as a wonderful treat for me, as if he had let his legs be smashed by a tank just to make me feel at home."

It is at the Vulcan School that John begins puberty and his focus shifts to sexual fantasies about the various school masters on whom he develops crushes, as well as his plotting and maneuvering for some sort of sexual encounter with one of the boys to whom he is attracted. Admittedly, John's narrative tone continues to be engaging, light-hearted and self-deprecating. His descriptions of the travails of two boys with immobile joints, who have finally managed to find themselves alone and without supervision, trying to attain some sort of sexual touching can be amusing. However, I didn't enjoy this part of the book as much as I did the story of John's more innocent years.

The book ends with John's decision to leave Vulcan and attend a traditional boarding school. Pilcrow is the first of an intended trilogy. The second volume has been published, and I will probably read it at some point. The third volume is not yet published.

I'm still maintaining my starring system, such as it is, in 1/2 star increments and not using the decimal system. However, this is one book I wish I could rate between 3 1/2 and 4 stars. I'm giving it 3 1/2 stars, which is still a very good rating for me, and means that I thought the book was very good, it said something special to me, and I have no problem recommending it.

3 1/2 stars

What an interesting book, Deborah. I appreciate all the time you spent typing in quotes. They give me a good idea of the tone and style of the book. P.S. Glad to see you back!

Edited to add: I hope you add your review to the work as there are only two other reviews so far, and neither gives such a good sense of the book's tone. It sounds as though Darryl agrees that the beginning rates higher than the end.

Excellent review of Pilcrow, Deborah! I agree with Lisa, your review does capture the tone and style of the book. And, obviously we felt similarly about the last 1/3 of the book. The sequel is named Cedilla, and I'm planning to buy it later this month when I travel to London. It's a door stopper; the Faber & Faber edition checks in at 733 pages.

Thanks, Lisa and Darryl.

I succumbed to the siren call of my Border's going out of business sale today. I'm sorry to say I bought:

The Blindness of the Heart by Julia Franck
Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky
Fireflies in the Mist by Qurratulain Hyder
Heliopolis by James Scudamore
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
The Pale King by David Foster Wallace
Pedigree by Georges Simenon
How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton
Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke
The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville

What a terrific haul, Deborah! Congratulations.

Lucky you! I have the Peter Carey on my Shelves of Shame (doubly shameful as he is an Australian writer), never read any Kate Grenville (another Australian writer I think *blush*) and also have How Proust Can Change Your Life on the SOS. Nothing like a lovely fresh pile to get the heart racing!

I'm sorry to say

Now why do I think you're not really sorry?

Great haul!

Lovely!

Nice haul, Deborah!

Hi Deborah, I might have missed it because I lost your last thread but did you ever review Voss? I'm wondering because I have that one on my shelf. Congratulations on reaching 75 already! Now that I'm among the retired, I'm hoping to actually get to 75 this year :) Oh yeah, terrific haul too.

#19 i guess my Borders is going out of business too....maybe I need to go check it out. Looks like you got a few goodies!

Ahhh found your thread! I think I posted on your old one - back in 2010! ;)Thanks for visiting my thread. Indeed, I am enjoyingEmily, Alone. Such a touching interesting look into old age. I have to think of trying to find the first book that you mentioned.

By the way - so nice to meet another Deborah! I use vancouverdeb for the sake of brevity -but I've always gone by Deborah -never Deb or Debbie! I don't mind Deb too much - but never Debbie! :)

Thanks to all for visiting. I've since made a second trip to Borders, but mostly bought CDs. I did buy Doc, though--mostly on your recommendation Bonnie. I haven't reviewed Voss yet, but hope to get to it soon .

Prue and Megan--I've been concentrating on reading (and buying Australian and New Zealand books in preparation for my trip there in October. Of the books I recently bought at Borders, I've now read The True History of the Kelly Gang and The Lieutenant. Others I've read include The Commandant by Jessica Anderson, A Commonwealth of Thieves by Thomas Kenneally, The Fatal Shore, and Wanting by Thomas Flanagan. I still hope to read Come Ashore We Will Eat You (can't remember the exact title), The Bone People by Keri Hulme, Songlines by Bruce
Chatwin, and Shallows by Tim Winton.

Deborah--Thank you for posting. Are you in Vancouver, B.C.? I'm down here in Seattle.

I'm never going to catch up on my reading reports--I have all of July and August to do--but I'll give it a try.

81. This Way to the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen by Taudeusz (1959, 1976) 180 pp

These are a series of interconnected stories/vignettes inspired by the author's experiences in Auschwitz and Dachau. He was an intellectual, radical activist when he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where he arrived only a few short weeks after the Nazis instituted the policy to spare Aryans from the gas chambers. Taudeusz wrote that when a writer writes of his camp experiences,

"the reader will unfailingly ask, But how did it happen that you survived? Tell then, how you bought places in the hospital, easy posts, how you moved the 'Moslems' {prisoners who had lost the will to live} into the oven, how you bought women, men, what you did in the barracks, unloading the transports, at the gypsy camp; tell about the daily life of the camp, about the hierarchy of fear, about the loneliness of every man. But write that you, you were the ones who did this, that a portion of the sad shame of Auschwitz belongs to you as well."

And this is the perspective that Taudeusz brings to the story of the Holocaust--the "in-between": one who perpetrates evil, even as evil is perpetrated upon him, one who is imprisoned, even as he imprisons others. The stories, all narrated in the first person, are told in a matter-of-fact, detached way, in which the worst evils are simply "routine." One of the most chilling stories for me was the description of a soccer game among the prisoners in which the goalie, noticing first the line of people at the chambers, and then its disappearance, notes: "Between two throw-ins a soccer game, right behind my back, three thousand people had been put to death."

Tadeusz committed suicide in 1951, before he was 30, and three days after the birth of his daughter.

This book is on the 1001 list, and I highly recommend it.

4 stars

82. Playland by John Gregory Dunne (1994) 494 pp

Screenwriter Jack Broderick is working on a project in Detroit when he accidently comes across Blue Tyler, a 1930's child star idolized by millions who dropped out of sight in the 1940's. She now lives in a seedy trailer park, eccentric, perhaps even insane, and just a step above a bag-lady. Jack is intrigued, and wants to track down the story of her missing years.

This book vividly recreates life in glamorous Hollywood at its peak. It is grand in scope, and we see the stark differences between the public facades (and how they are maintained) and the private realities. The plot also encompasses the lives of the gangsters and mobsters who dominated Hollywood at that time, and who were squabbling for territory at the birth of Las Vegas.

Dunne is a great writer, and has perfect control of his plotting and voice in this fascinating novel. I highly recommend it.

As an aside, Dunne was the husband of Joan Didion. It was his death that was the subject of her best-selling The Year of Magical Thinking.

3 1/2 stars

83. The Twins by Tessa de Loo (1993, 2000) 392 pp

Twins Anna and Lotte are orphaned at an early age and are sent to live with distant relatives, Anna in Germany and Lotte in Holland. They lose touch with each other, and only accidently reunite when as elderly woman they meet at a Belgian health resort.

Their life experiences have been vastly different. The bulk of the book focuses on their World War II experiences. Lotte was involved with and risked her life for the Dutch resistance, while Anna, purporting to hate the Nazis, married an SS officer.

As the sisters exchange stories, Lotte is distant and wary of Anna, the twin she adored as a child. Lotte believes that she would have acted differently in Anna's place. While this is a story of reconciliation and forgiveness, those don't come easily to Lotte.

This book is on the 1001 list, and is highly readable. I especially liked the portion of the book involving the girls' early lives together with their adoring parents. However, when the novel turns to the sisters' war experiences, inexplicably it becomes mundane and ordinary. This book did not say anything that dozens of other books have not said better and more vividly. The book is not a bad read, just not a great one.

3 stars

84. Lottery by Patricia Wood

This book is a bit of a fairy tale, but nevertheless funny and poignant. It is narrated by 32 year old Perry, who hastens to say that he is not retarded--his IQ is 76, and to be retarded your IQ must be 75 or below. Perry lives with his beloved Gram, and is pretty much ignored (or worse) by the rest of his family, including his mother.

When his Gram dies and leaves him her house, his family cheats him out of his inheritance. He goes to live in an apartment over the marine supply shop where he is employed. He settles into his new life with his friends, the shop owner Gary, co-worker Keith, and Cherry, the pierced and tatooed Minimart cashier.

Then Perry wins the $12 million state lottery, and the vultures descend. Perry nevertheless muddles through, and comes out on top, frequently referring to things his Gram had taught him, about how to tell friend from foe, and who to listen to and who to ignore.

This is not an earth-shattering book, but it is pleasant and an excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed it despite its somewhat over the top fairy tale ending.

3 stars

85. Icefields by Thomas Wharton (1995) 275 pp

In 1898 Dr. Edward Byrne fell into a crevass on a glacier in the Canadian Rockies. As he dangled head down he glimpsed in the blue-green ice what appeared to be a human figure with wings. He is rescued and, haunted by this vision, spends the rest of his life seeking to solve the mystery of what he saw.

This book is beautifully and poetically written, and tells the story of Edward's life and quest in a non-chronological way. A wide array of characters cross paths with Edward in the remote area in which Edward studies the glacier. (The area is based on the Jasper National Park in Alberta). With its location and central event, this could have been treated as an action or true-adventure story. Instead, the author has quietly conveyed one man's search for meaning in his life.

This book won the Commonwealth Best First Novel Prize (Caribbean and Canada Region).

3 1/2 stars

86. Voss by Patrick White (1957) 442 pp

When Patrick White won the Nobel back in the late 1970's I read many of his better-known novels, including this one. I didn't have much of a memory of it, other than that it was my least favorite of those I read. I decided to reread it in preparation for my trip to Australia because I thought it might be the one of his novels which would provide the most direct feel of the landscape and nature of Australia.

The book is set in 19th century Australia. Voss is an explorer who wants to map the interior desert of Australia. (His character is based on an actual explorer/naturalist of that time period, Ludwig Leichardt). Before leaving Sydney, Voss meets Laura, a young woman who feels stifled by Victorian mores and the social niceties of the Sydney upper-classes. While Voss and Laura see each other on only a few fleeting occasions, they connect in a deeply spiritual way.

After Voss sets off, the novel is narrated in alternating sections, one detailing Voss's travails and torments in the bush and the other describing Laura's travails in Sydney society. Although separated by vast physical distances, Voss and Laura mystically feel each other's presence, and telecommunicate at crucial moments.

Despite its subject matter, this is not a physical novel. Most of the action takes place in Voss's head. White's writing is poetic, and at times mystical and esoteric. The lack of a fast-moving story and the difficulty of the prose may put off some readers, and this may have been the problem I had with the book the first time around, 30 years ago. Now, I highly recommend it.

4 stars

87. Exit Lines by Joan Barfoot (2008) 320 pp

This novel concerns the relationships among four new residents of the recently opened Idyll Inn for Senior Living. Sylvia, who suffers from arthritis, checked herself in after a recent fall. She is acerbic and suffers no fools. (She reminded me of Maude on the tv shows Maude and Golden Girls). George is a stroke survivor and feels he has been unfairly parked at the Inn by his daughter. Although the stroke has left him wheelchair bound and with verbal difficulties, his mind is still all there. Greta came to this country as a young woman, but still retains many of her emigrant ways. She suffers from a vague heart condition, and she is proud of her daughters for funding the expense of the Idyll Inn. Ruth is a retired social worker who also suffers from arthritis. She is recently widowed and is childless.

These four come together as a group. Some of them have had relationships in the past, and they learn new secrets about each other as they adjust to life in the Idyll Inn. Then one of the four asks the others to participate in his/her assisted suicide.

This book seems to fairly depict the mental and physical issues that accompany aging. The central conflict it raises--whether and when to end one's life voluntarily--is an important one, but one which the author handles with humor and warmth. Ultimately, the book considers what makes life worth living in a manner that is gentle rather than pedantic, and without ever forgetting that there are real people involved. Recommended.

3 1/2 stars

88. The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrere (2000) 191 pp

This is a true crime book written by a prize-winning French author. It is the story of Jean-Claude Romand who posed as a World Health Organization doctor. Despite never having graduated from medical school (he attended for a short period) he convinced his wife, friends, family and mistress that he was an important official at WHO. He frequently traveled around the world, allegedly in his capacity as a WHO official. His extravagant life-style was financed by taking the life savings of his parents, his in-laws, and others, supposedly to invest in high-yield ventures he was privy to due to his position.

After 18 years of maintaining this deception, things began to fall apart. Suspicions arose as to whether he really worked for WHO, and questions were being raised about the funds, now basically dissipated, he had appropriated to maintain his life style. Romand's response was to kill his parents (his father-in-law had previously died under suspicious circumstances when he began to request information about the funds he had placed with Romand), his wife and children. He then set fire to his house, almost killing himself as well. He survived. He was convicted of these crimes and is serving a life sentence.

The author became intrigued on reading Romand's story, and contacted him. He was granted access by Romand, and this is the book that resulted. Unfortunately, instead of being riveting and compelling, this is a mundane and prosaic account of the events described above. Carrere seems to have done little investigative research beyond talking to Romand (and there having been a criminal trial I'm sure there is a lot out there), and there is very little analysis or fleshing out of what Romand told him.

Carrere also injects his own persona into the narrative, and that technique doesn't really mesh here. There is no reason for Carrere to be placed in the story as there was in a book I read recently, The Other Wes Moore, which was also derived from the author's conversations with an incarcerated criminal.

Very disappointing.

1 1/2 stars

Thank you for the reviews of your recent reads, Deborah. I am sorry that your most recent read was a disappointment. I hope your next read is a better one.

This Way to the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen is already in the BlackHole. I just need my local library to get a copy of it. Voss is not a title that I am familiar with at all. I will see if I can locate that one too.

Very nice reviews, Deborah. Have you read The Vivisector by Patrick White? I bought it last year once it made the shortlist for the Lost Man Booker Prize, but I haven't read it yet.

Deborah, I always enjoy catching up with your reading because you read such a diverse group of books and write such interesting reviews of them. Like Stasia, I have had This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen on the TBR for many years, and am intrigued by some of the others too.

I'm going right now to take down from the shelf This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen and put it on my couch-side table. To join twenty others, but still it has a better chance this way. Thanks for the great reviews.

OK then, I will get to Voss sooner rather than later. It sounds right up my alley.Oh and The Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentleman is added to the pile.

Very interested to read your review of Voss, Deborah...Patrick White is of course revered here in Australia - though scores of anecdotes abound on what a bitchy old carmudgeon he was! (is carmudgeon the word I wanted? oh well, forgive if I made it up!). He evidently kept a lively dinner table, though! Will be VERY interested to hear what you make of the True History of the Kelly Gang which is at home in Melbourne...what is your itinerary for Australia, Deb?

Curmudgeon. Otherwise, no argument. :)

I love Patrick White but find him demanding, so I haven't read any since I joined LT. I think one of his would be a great group read, but I don't want to reread The Vivisector before I've read some of the others for the first time. It's one of my favorites though.
And I also own and have not read the Taudeusz. I need to stop buying and read more of what I already own. I also need to stop drinking Micky D's frappés, to clean house, and to inherit $1,000,000 so that I can travel to the U.K.

I'd be up for a group read of anything by Patrick White. I have The Vivisector, but I haven't read it, or anything else by him.

Hello Deborah - so what is your Australian itinerary? (Curious - not intending to stalk you!) You've domne some great Australian reading. Highly recommend In a sunburned country by Bill Bryson - funny and a great insight, I think.

Thank you all for your visits and comments. I have been extraordinarily lax in regard to my thread, and I'm going to try to remedy that. I'll be gone from 10/16 to 11/11, so I may have to exclude that time period from my new resolution.

Prue--In Austalia we're going first to Melbourne, then to Alice Springs, then a day at Uluru, then Cairns, and then Sydney. I would really have liked to get over to the West Coast (Perth), but I'm learning from my reading how very immense Australia is.

In New Zealand, we're going to Aukland, Rotorura, and Queenstown.

Anybody down under want to get together for a cup of coffee?

I'm more than 20 books behind in comments/reviews, and I'm making it my goal to get these done, however cursory that may be, before I leave.

I did want to list my Australian/New Zealand reading first:

--Commonwealth of Thieves by Thomas Keneally
--The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes
--The Commandant by Jessica Anderson
--Voss by Patrick White
--The Company by Arabella Edge
--Wanting by Richard Flanagan
--The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
--Shallows by Tim Winton
--The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
--Come on Shore and We Will Eat You All by Christina Thompson
--Birdbrain by Johanna Sinisalo
--In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
--The Matriarch by Witi Ihimaera
--The Bone People by Keri Hulme
--Lantana Lane by Eleanor Dark

I still hope to get to The Songlines and Carpentaria.

89. Camel Xiangzi (also known as Rickshaw Boy by Lao She (1936, 1981) 236 pp

This classic of modern Chinese literature is the story of the life of Xiangzi, who comes to Beijing as a youth, hoping to make his fortune as a rickshaw boy. More universally, it is the story of a life of poverty and the difficulties of overcoming the hardships and inequities that afflict the poor in most societies.

Xiangzi works hard and scrimps so that he can ultimately purchase his own rickshaw, rather than renting it. He is initially successful, but through a series of events loses that rickshaw. Over and over again, as Xiangzi appears about to better his life, circumstances intervene which push him to the bottom again. For the most part, he seems to accept these setbacks as his due, and he recognizes the futility of fighting back against the corruption of his society.

This was a touching book, as well as being informative and historically important. Although it involves a segment of the undersociety in 1930's China, it could just as well have been written by Zola or Dickens.

While Lao She was never a rickshaw puller, his parents were illiterate and worked menial jobs. He was well acquainted with poverty, and many of the characters and events in the book are based on people he knew in childhood. The book is written in simple prose, and ends thusly:

"Watching a skinny stray dog waiting by the sweet-potato vendor's carrying pole for some peel and rootlets, he knew that he was just like this dog, struggling for some scraps to eat. As long as he managed to keep alive, why think of anything else?"

Highly recommended.

4 stars

Deborah, I'd love to do an Auckland meetup.
How did you like Birdbrain, I had it out from the library earlier this year but never got to it. Wow, you've done a great deal of background reading for your trip, quite a few there that I've still to get to. One of my favourite reads set in Australia is A fortunate life, I did a university paper on human development around this autobiography, really fascinating study and a brilliant brilliant life story.

90. Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago (2005, 2008) 238 pp

As the New Year begins, Death decides to take a holiday. It takes a while before people notice that no one is dying--those on their death beds remain suspended in a near death state, those in accidents which should have killed them, remain alive maimed or horribly injured.

After brief rejoicing, people begin to realize that it might not be such a good thing if nobody ever dies: What happens to the funeral and life insurance businesses? What happens to religion without a heavenly afterlife to look forward to?

Fortunately, Death is not on holiday in surrounding countries, and people begin to take their near-dead across the border, where they die instantly. Neighboring countries don't like this, however, and a whole industry of smuggling people across the border to die develops.

Like many of Saramago's books, this book raises a "What if?" question about something that is not possible, and follows it through a winding path to consider issues important to the world today. It is written in Saramago's characteristic style. For the most part it is not plot driven, and initially there are no "main characters". But who could resist reading a book that begins:

"The following day no one died. This fact, being absolutely contrary to life's rules provoked enormous, and, in the circumstances, perfectly justifiable anxiety in people's minds, for we have only to consider that in the entire forty volumes of universal history there is no mention, not even one exemplary case, of such a phenomenon ever having occurred, for a whole day to go by , with its generous allowance of twenty-four hours, diurnal and nocturnal, matutinal and vespertine, without one death from an illness, a fatal fall, a successful suicide, not one, not a single one."

Recommended

3 1/2 stars

Hi Keri--I liked Birdbrain very much. The descriptions of the countryside were fabulous. I'm not a hiker (and never will be) but this book made me feel the strain and exhileration that can be experienced on these difficult treks.

I put A Fortunate Life on my WL after I read about it on tash's thread. I don't own it, and our library doesn't have it, so I doubt I'll get to it before I leave, but I do want to read it.

We are in Aukland 11/5-11/7, so let's PM about possibly getting together.

Darn, Deborah - you are arriving in Melbourne on the day that I am leaving! I shall just have to visit you on YOUR home turf... VERY impressed by your antipodean readings (you have read more than I have, I suspect!).

#49 Kerrie - A Fortunate Life was one of my father's favourite books - must be here at the farm somewhere - you have reminded me to get to it...
Deborah - you sahould be able to pick up a copy of A fortunate Life while you ae here - if you can bear our exhorbitant book proces!

91. A Commonwealth of Thieves by Thomas Keneally

I first heard of Thomas Keneally 25 or so years ago when I read his novel Confederates, a story about the US Civil War. I'm not a Civil War buff, and can't say I know its history in depth, but I was extremely impressed by this novel (not sure I even knew he is Australian). He is most well-known for Schindler's Ark, made into the movie Schindler's List.

In this book, Keneally writes of the first few years of Australia's early colonial history. He begins back in England with detailed discussions of the circumstances and events leading up to consideration of Australia as a penal colony, which was quite remarkable in light of the fact that almost nothing was known of Austalia at that time. Then the book leads us through the provisioning and preparation for the voyage, and quite vividly depicts the voyage of the First Fleet. Finally the book covers the first few years of settlement in Australia, through the time of the departure of Arthur Phillip, the first governor.

A Commonwealth of Thieves is quite readable and very well written. I found that Keneally's book frequently focuses on particular individuals, their circumstances and reactions to this strange new land. While the book uses much of the same source material as The Fatal Shore (which seems to be the definitive history on this subject) Keneally's book was to me somehow more personal, although admittedly more limited in scope. For that reason, I'd recommend it even if you've already read The Fatal Shore or think you know enough about Australian history.

Recommended

31/2 stars

92. The Commandant by Jessica Anderson (1975) 320 pp

This book is a novelistic account of certain events that took place in Moreton Bay, Australia in 1830. Moreton Bay, 600 miles north of Sydney, was the penal colony where convicts who were considered "more dangerous" were sent. Patrick Logan is the commandant at Moreton Bay, and this novel is told from the pov of his wife's sister Frances, newly arrived from England.

Certain prisoners from Moreton Bay who have returned to Sydney have made allegations of extremely harsh treatment of the convicts at the hands of Logan, and these allegations have been published in the Sydney press. Logan has sued the Sydney newspapers for libel.

Frances, Logan's sister-in-law, arrived in Australia with an idealistic outlook on what she would find. Before going to Moreton Bay, she befriends some of the more liberal members of Sydney society. When she arrives in Moreton Bay, and begins to experience the harsh life there, her viewpoint begins to change. I found this book to provide amazing insight into how those in charge of the convicts attempted to maintain a "civilized" society in circumstances where brutality was prevalent, both against the convicts and the aboriginal people. Frances's ideals are threatened when an event occurs that made me think of Adela in A Passage to India, a classic with similar themes. This is an outstanding novel.

Highly recommended

4 stars

93. Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block (1982) 296 pp

Thanks to Rebecca for recommending this series to me. I now want to read more about Matthew Scudder, the troubled private eye featured in the series.

The case revolves around the death of a prostitute, and also features a pimp named Chance, who is one of the most unusual criminals you are likely to meet. I didn't find the mystery aspect of the book to be particularly compelling, and it ended rather tidily. However, I think the book is more of a character study than a mystery. Throughout the book, Matthew battles, not always successfully, with his alcohol addiction, and that addiction seems to me to be very realistically and bravely conveyed. That along with the other interesting characters Block created in this book make me want to read more of the series.

Recommended

3 stars

Great reviews, Deborah, and I'll definitely be looking for Death with Interruptions, since I enjoyed my introduction to Saramago earlier this year, and The Commandant. And I'm glad you enjoyed the Matthew Scudder book, especially because the series is really very New York-specific (most of the places he talks about are, or were, real places) and I don't know how that translates. I agree with you that the books are more about character than about the mystery, and if you read more you will see continuing characters and how they develop and grow (or don't) over time, including Scudder himself. The alcohol addiction is also a continuing theme. Try to read them in order so you can follow the character development.

The latest series of the TV programme 'Torchwood' evidently pinched its premise from Death with Interruptions - that too began with the sudden cessation of death (in this case worldwide) and explored what would happen to society if this happened (economy in meltdown, the terminally ill/injured but not dead being categorised as second-class citizens and worse...). I've not read any Saramago yet, but am planning to read something while on holiday in Portugal next week.

I really enjoyed the only Saramago I've read so far, The History of the Siege of Lisbon, which might be appropriate for a Portugal visit!

As usual Deborah, you have succeeded in adding to my teetering tower. The Commandant , Death With Interruptions and A Commonwealth of Thieves are all added.

#58 There wasn't anything in my local library, but I've ordered The gospel according to Jesus Christ from Amazon marketplace, and hope it arrives in time. I'll have to follow up with the Lisbon book if I want to try any more.

Lots of great reading suggestions, as always. One question: I would like to read The Commandant, but I find it very hard to read about violence, especially torture. How graphic is the book?

>55 arubabookwoman:: Have you tried other Block? I find him an Old Reliable—Scudder is good and gritty, Bernie Rhodenbarr is unfailingly funny, even Evan Tanner is consistent.

Haven't read the other Blocks, because I love Scudder so much I'm afraid I'll be disappointed in the others. But I have a compilation of Block stories, Enough Rope, which I haven't read yet, which has stories about everybody. Maybe I'll give it a try.

Oh Deb, Deb, Deb - despite just earning 3 1/2 stars from you, I caught the BB on Death with Interruptions - especially as I have not read any of Saramago. I am very fond of Lawrence Block, but am knee deep in the frozen north of Scandicrime at the moment (blame Paul for that!). Did you read In a sunburned country - I had tears of laughter when he describes listening to the cricket commentary on radio.

Your remarks about Death with Interruptions brought Saramago to mind, so I picked up and have nearly completed The Elephant's Journey. It is a lighter read than the typical Saramago, or at least of the ones I've read. I was thinking it might be an easier introduction to his writing style, i.e. minimal paragraphs, lack of capitalization, scant use of punctuation (except for the comma). But then again, I jumped right into the deep end with Blindness, and it started a love affair with his works.

Hi Prue--I'm really sorry to miss possibly seeing you, but a vacation in Vietnam sounds fabulous (couldn't imagine 30 years ago that I'd ever be saying something like that).

Even though I gave 3 1/2 stars to Death with Interruptions, in my rating system that means it's v.v. good, highly recommended, and that it had something extra that "spoke" to me. 3 stars means v. good, recommended, but didn't have that something extra that spoke to me personally. In both cases, however, they're not books that I would go out of my way to reread in the future. So I thoroughly encourage you to read Death with Interruptions. My favorite Saramago so far, by the way, is The Double. My review is on the book's home page.

I did read In A Sunburned Country, and loved it. Lots of valuable information given in a humorous way by someone whose fears (of snakes, spiders, crocs (salties), sharks, and jellyfish) I thoroughly empathize with).

Hi Genny--Thanks for visiting--hope you are enjoying your vacation in Portugal. (This does seem to be the time of year for vacations, doesn't it?)

Hi Bonnie--That wedding day must be bearing down on you. It'll be a great day, I know--and best wishes to your daughter, new son-in-law, and whole family!

Lisa--There is very little (that I recall) overt or graphic descriptions of brutality or violence in The Commandant

And hi to Tad and Rebecca.

94. A Burnt Child by Stig Dagerman (1948, 1950) 264 pp

"When we ourselves deceive a person we can understand it quite well, since every naked action has an escort of ornamental explanations; but that we ourselves may possibly be deceived is inconceivable, just as inconceivable as the fact that we shall die one day. We can only conceive of others dying and getting burnt."

This is an incisive psychological study of four individuals: Bengt, a student, his fiancee Berit, his father Knut, and his father's mistress Gun. The novel opens with the funeral of Bengt's mother (Knut's wife). Bengt is deeply, and somewhat dramatically, grieving, and is angry and disturbed at what he perceives to be his father's lack of "appropriate" emotion. When Bengt inadvertently learns on the day of the funeral of the existence of Gun and her relationship with Knut, Bengt vows to "avenge" his mother.

The story is told in alternating chapters, one told by an omniscient narrator, and the other in the first person by Bengt (usually in the form of letters Bengt writes to himself, as his mother had recommended for when something was bothering him). Over the course of a year we follow the emotional ups and downs of these four characters, as Bengt learns that things are not always as they seem.

Dagerman's widow (he committed suicide in 1954) states, "Stig never invented anything in his books, you know. He may have embroidered incidents a bit, mixed two or three real-life people together or even changed thei sexes sometimes; but everything he wrote about actually happened to him." And, everything in this book felt absolutely true and real to me, and I will definitely be reading more by Dagerman.

Highly recommended.

4 stars

95. The Company by Arabella Edge (2000) 369 pp

This novel is based on the 1629 shipwreck of the Batavia off the western coast of Australia. It is told from the point of view of Jeronimus Cornelisz, a young man fleeing Holland after allegations of his participation in Satanic rites. Jeronimus believes himself superior to other men, and destined to be king.

After the shipwreck on coral islands offshore, the captain and some of the crew of the Batavia set off in a small boat to seek rescue. Jeronimus begins to manipulate the remaining survivors, enslaving many and killing those who do not do his bidding. His reign of terror lasted for 40 days, until miraculously the captain and crew were able to return with rescuers. Jeronimous was condemned to death and hung. Two of his supporters were dropped ashore on the Australian mainland and were never heard from again.

This book won the Best First Novel Commonwealth Writers Prize. It's definitely well-written and a fascinating take on an intriguing historical event. However, I felt that the evil and depravity of Jeronimus was overblown to the extent that it almost became caricature. I kept visualizing a sneering villain in a black cape with an audience hissing at him.

I've purchased another book, The Accomplice on the same subject, since I'm interested enough in this event to learn more.

2 1/2 stars

96. His Excellency, Eugene Rougon by Emile Zola

This continues my reading of Zola's Rougon Macquart series. In this novel of political intrigue, Zola takes on French politics during the time of Napoleon. We first meet Eugene as a high-ranking government official, and follow his life and career as he sinks to disgrace, and then rises to power once again. True and incisive portraits are drawn of both his political allies and his political enemies, many of whom, according to the forward, are based on historical figures. And this being Zola, wouldn't you know it, there's a woman behind the scenes manipulating Eugene's downfall.

I wasn't looking forward to reading this book, since I have absolutely no knowledge of this era in French history. However, I found the book to be very readable and compelling despite my lack of background knowledge. The politicians are egomaniacs grasping for power, maneuvering and calaculating their every move. This is definitely a novel of character, rather than event, and I highly recommend it.

4 stars

97. Wanting by Richard Flanagan

This is another book I've read in preparation for my Australian trip. This is a fictionalized account of Sir John and Lady Franklin's time in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), and of Lady Franklin's efforts many years later to clear Sir John's reputaion after he went missing in his attempt to find the Northwest Passage.

While in Van Diemen's land, Lady Franklin adopts Mathinna, a young aboriginal girl, in a grand experiment to determine whether science and Christainity can be imposed on savagery. This part of the story is devastating, as Mathinna is wrested from her family and relatives, and then a few years later abandoned by the Franklins when they return to England. Her life is tragedy from beginning to end.

Mathinna's story is told in parallel to the tale of Charles Dickens, who is asked by Lady Franklin to write something to debunk the rumor going around that the members of the Franklin expedition had resorted to cannibalism. Dickens's rebuttal was basically that only savages do that. Dickens became intrigued by polar expedition, however, and wrote and staged a play about the Franklin expedition.

The connection between the two threads of the novel felt so tenuous to me that I never felt I was reading one novel. The two stories are bound only by the character of Lady Franklin, and it was like reading two historical novels in the same book.

That being said, the section of the novel about Mathinna was absolutely haunting and will stay with me for a long, long time. For this reason, I recommend this book despite what I see as a major defect.

3 stars (Mathinna's part alone would be 4 stars)

98. Come On Shore and We Will Kill You and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story by Christina Thompson

This is the memoir of an American woman (a PhD. college professor) who marries a Maori (day laborer). I think the author was trying to say something about the collision of cultures, as well as throwing in a bit of New Zealand history. However, this is not a successful book. It almost reads as if the author married her husband as a research project. She frequently muses on what Seven's (her husband) reaction will be, as he experiences some quirk of behavior or custom foreign to the Maori culture. While they've been married 20+ years, the book gives us no clue of their inner lives, and how they've navigated the real differences that separate them. (She's and educated professional, with interests in art, classical music, etc. He has (barely) a high school education, has no interest in the arts, and frequently chooses not to work). There's also very little of substance or depth about New Zealand and Maori history.

Not recommended.

1 1/2 stars

99. Birdbrain by Johanna Sinisalo (2008, 2010) 217 pp

Heidi and Jyrki are a Finnish couple hiking in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. They are lovers, but don't actually know each other very well. Jyrki is a strong outdoorsman and hiker, Heidi, not so much--she's just trying to maintain credibility with Jyrki. The story is told is alternating sections from Heidi's point of view and Jyrki's point of view.

While the story of Heidi and Jyrki is a good-enough story, the real star of this book are the descriptions of the landscape and hiking. For those who know the area, Heidi and Jyrki hiked the South Coast Track in Tasmania, the Queen Charlotte Track in New Zealand, the Kepler Track in New Zealand, and Grampian's National Park, Hall's Gap in Australia. The internal portraits of Heidi and Jyrki as they challenge the landscape and elements seem absolutely authentic. Along the way, we also learn a lot about the kea, a mountain parrot living on the South Island of New Zealand.

While the gorgeous and remote setting of this novel frequently is at the forefront, this book is in no way just a travelogue or adventure story. We are instead experiencing Jyrki and Heidi's experiences, their on-going internal monologues, and the changes they undergo. The ending is satisfactorily ambiguous.

Highly recommended.
4 stars

100. The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (2000) 365 pp

I absolutely loved this fictionalized biography of Australian folk hero Ned Kelly. This is a Booker Winner that is definitely worthy of the prize.

Ned Kelly was an outlaw, viewed by the police and some citizens as a hardened criminal, a heartless monster. To many however, he was a persecuted Irishman who was forced into some of the actions he took. His story is written in the first person, in prose that on the one hand is semi-literate and on the other hand poetic. It begins:

"I lost my own father at 12 yr. of age and know what it is to be raised on lies and silences my dear daughter you are presently too young to understand a word I write but this history is for you and will contain no single lie may I burn in Hell if I speak false."

The true Ned Kelly left behind an "justification" in his own words, "the Jerilderie Letter" which was discovered in the 1930's. This letter is an interesting read in and of itself, and as confirmation as to how well Carey captured Ned Kelly's voice.

Highly recommended.

4 1/2 stars

Lovely reviews. The last two books sound particularly interesting. Thanks for sharing your Australia/NZ reading with us.

Agree that these are lovely reviews. The first one, A Burnt Child, sounds interesting too.

Hi arubabookwoman I completely agree with your 'Kelly Gang' review, Carey's other works are interesting as well, I enjoyed his Illywhacker and Oscar and Lucinda.
Will chase up A Burnt Child, thanks for the review.

Fabulous reviews, Deborah. I'll move The History of the Kelly Gang considerably higher on my TBR list, and add A Burnt Child and His Excellency, Eugene Rougon to it.

We're off! May not be back til mid-November. I'm very excited about probable meet-up in Aukland with Kerry (avatiakh) and Leonie (kiwinix)! (Is this the first Northern Hemisphere/Southern Hemisphere meet-up for the 75 group?

Have a wonderful trip, Deborah. I can't wait to hear about it.

Have a great trip!

Bon voyage! Take pictures at your hemisphere crossing meet-ups. I wish I could come in your carry on, but I'm sure there will be too many books and quilting projects for me to fit...

Have a fantastic trip!! Wish I was home already to show you round Wellington... next trip.

>71 arubabookwoman: wow, sounds like a flop that one!

Great (and a great many)reviews! Id love to meet up with you, but I see Christchurch isnt on your itinerary, maybe if you are driving through it could still happen? Let me know!

Well, I missed your Bon Voyage party. Your trip down under sounds like a dream come true. I'm looking forward to hearing about the groundbreaking meetup. I hope someone remembers to take pictures! Have a wonderful trip, Deborah. I look forward to hearing more about it when you return.

I missed it too, but I wish you a splendid trip all the same and joy in the meet-ups! Be safe!

Hope you are enjoying your trip to the Southern Hemisphere!

My copy of Saramago's The Gospel according to Jesus Christ arrived 10 minutes before my taxi to take me to the airport for my Portuguese holiday, so that was excellent timing. I read it while enjoying the Algarve sunshine and will definitely be looking out for more Saramago. My library does not have a copy of The History of the Siege of Lisbon, but they do have The Double as well as Blindness and Seeing so there are some options without me spending more money!

hi- hope your trip is going great

TESTING

Here are photos from the Auckland meetup


L. to R. Leonie (kiwinix), Lisa (kiwiflowa), Deborah (arubabookwoman) and Kerry (aviatakh)

Okay--Now I've learned to post photos! There's no stopping me now, my thread will be full of photos.

I'll be back after lunch with updates on my reading and travel.

Welcome home, Deborah! I hope you had a marvelous trip. Keep those photos coming - I love seeing fellow LT friends, and I'm hoping to see some trip photos too (hint, hint).

Great to see the photos! And welcome back!

Great photos, and well done in learning how to post them - it's very satisfying, isn't it! But have you discovered how to change the size? I'd love to be able to see people's faces more closely, if possible. If you type 'width=number' (try something like 150 or 200 for 'number') before you type 'src=', you should be able to vary the size - if you wish, of course.

Great photos Deborah. I love your description "first northern Hemisphere/southern hemisphere meet up of 75ers;" I think it probably is.

Hi Deborah - it was great getting together with you when you were downunder. Hope to see more photos of your trip soon.

#92: Genny> if you 'right click' the photo and open in new tab, you're able to see a larger picture (not that I'm recommending it!).

#94 Thanks Kerry, actually I found that you can left-click on the photo and it takes you to a larger version on PhotoBucket.

So Deborah, ignore my plea for larger pictures - sorry, I didn't realise you'd inserted them as a link like that.

Lovely to put faces to names!

Deborah

Many thanks for posting the lovely photos of your meet up!

These meet ups are wonderful!!!!

It was so nice of you to share the pictures of your international meet-up, Deborah. I'm sure it was lots of fun.

Me with a few iguana friends in Fiji



Sunset in Fiji



Snowstorm in mountains between Queenstown and Milford Sound, NZ

View from out hotel room in Queenstown



Sydney Harbor sunset

Sydney Harbor


Waterhole at Uluru



Uluru

Desert/dry salt lake near Alice Springs

Thanks to all for the good wishes on our trip, and for the welcome back. It well exceeded our expectations. I especially loved the outback. Uluru is awe-inspiring, and I could visit it over and over again. We also saw a stunning exhibit of recent aboriginal art, which I love, in Melbourne. I had wanted to bring back a piece of aboriginal art, but my husband and I are the kind of people who take weeks to make up our minds about a significant purchase, so it didn't happen.

The opera house in Sydney is so well-known and so often photographed I didn't think it would be a major event to see it, but it is almost as impressive in its way as Uluru. There seemed to be peek-a-boo views of it all around Sydney (just like Mt. Rainier in Seattle). My husband being an architect was especially interested in it.

New Zealand is as beautiful as you would expect if you've seen The Lord of the Rings movies. We had a massive snow storm (see above) on our way from Queenstown to Milford Sound. On the way I also got to see a kea, a bird that figured prominently in one of the last books I read before the trip, Birdbrain by Johanna Sinisalo.

Now I've got reviews/comments to do on the books I've read as far back as September. (I didn't actually get a lot of reading done on the trip--we were kept busy all day and into the night).

Books awaiting review:

101. Max Havelaar by Multatuli
102. Shallows by Tim Winton
103. Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov
104. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
105. Motel Life by Willy Vlautin
106. Nelly's Version by Eva Figes
107. The Bone People by Keri Hulme
108. About the Author by John Colapinto
109. The Matriarch by Witi Ihimaera
110. Lantana Lane by Eleanor Dark
111. GB84 by David Peace
112. Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff
113. The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
114. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
115. Everything Matters by Ron Currie
116. The Waiting Game by Bernice Rubens
117. Under Fire by Henri Barbusse
118. L'Assomoir by Emile Zola
119. On the Edge of Reason by Miroslav Krleza
120. The Journey by Jiro Osaragi

Hi Deborah, it's so good to see you back. It looks as if you had a beautiful time. Along with the southern-hemisphere meet-up in between, I guess you have plenty of good memories (and photographs).
I look forward to reading your reviews, especially Max Havelaar since it's a Dutch classic that's almost always ranked first in the list of classics. I don't know most of the other ones, so I'll be interested to hear which ones I should put on my wish-list.

Thanks for sharing those lovely photos with us, Deborah! Your trip sounds wonderful. I look forward to several of your reviews, particularly In a Sunburned Country and The Bone People.

I'm looking forward to your review of Kolyma Tales which I've had on the TBR since reading Gulag by Anne Applebaum, which cites it and quotes from it.

Thank you for posting more photos; they are lovely. I can't believe the snow picture belongs with the others. What a change in climate.

I too have read In a Sunburned Country, which frightened me off Australian beaches for a year (not that I ever got to go) :-P and The Bone People. I will be particularly interested in your comments on the latter, as I found that book to be an emotional/ethical challenge.

I too have Kolyma Tales in the wings.

Starting to catch up on reviews. Some of these will be very brief, since I read these books so long ago. :(

101. Max Havelaar by Multatuli (1860) 337 pp

Multatuli (a pseudonym) served as an official in the Dutch East Indies from 1838 to 1856. He was dismayed by the corruption, violence, and oppression he saw. He was ultimately dismissed from the civil service, and returned to Holland, where, under a cloud of suspicion, he wrote this fictionalized account based on his experiences in Java. The book created a sensation upon its publication in Holland, and is an important work in the canon of Dutch literature.

The story is not narrated directly. Instead, the novel opens when a smug and hypocritical coffee trader in Holland is given a manuscript by an apparently destitute childhood friend. Unable to understand the manuscript, he calls for assistance in transcribing it. The manuscript details the experiences of the civil servant Max Havelaar, who as an idealistic colonial official attempted to make changes to the disgraceful practices he encountered, but who is ultimately dismissed in disgrace. Episodes in colonial Java alternate with tales of Droogstoppel, the Dutch coffee trader.

This book is obviously important as a historical document relating to Holland's colonial history, and as an example of the power of literature to initiate or further societal changes, as for example Uncle Tom's Cabin. And while Max and his family are sympathetic, and Droogstoppel and his ilk provide some humor, I was never fully engaged with the book, and found that it proceeded very slowly.

Recommended for those interested in the historical events, and those interested in reading Dutch classics.

3 stars

Hi Monica, Lisa, Darryl and Rebecca--Will try to get to those reviews asap! :) Lisa--I had the same reaction to the Australian beaches that Bill Bryson did (and to all the poisonous spiders, snakes, and the "salties" (man-eating crocodiles) he described, but fortunately never came across). The one thing I regret now is that because of my fear of sharks I only went to the inner barrier reef, not the outer barrier reef. They told us that the sharks by the outer reef were "friendly," but I probably would have done as Bill Bryson did, and gone in the water for about 5 seconds, and then sat on the barge the rest of the day, hot and sunburned.

102. Shallows by Tim Winton

This was one of my Australia reads, and one I don't remember much about. It is set in a small town in Western Australia (where we didn't go). The town's only industry is the processing of whale meat and other whale products from migrating whales caught offshore. Queenie, a life-long resident, impulsively joins some Green Peace-like protestors, and becomes alienated from her husband and other townspeople. There is also a shark-fishing contest going on in the town at the time of these events.

The book provided some interesting insights into the particular type of whaling practiced by the whalers in this town, and into whale-processing. There was also a lot of information into the tactics and motives of protest groups similar to Green Peace. In this case, they were not so honorable as one would like to imagine. And, the book provided a lot of information about scary sharks.

This book won the Miles Franklin Award. I have liked other books I have read by Winton better However, this one, although unexceptional, provided an interesting few hours.

3 stars

As an aside to this book I have to mention this personal story--the one time our 21 year old son contacted us while we were on the trip was when he read that an American had been attacked by sharks off the coast of Australia. He knew we were on the coast at the time (Cairns), and as far as he was concerned there were only two Americans in Australia. So we had a worried email from him to PLEASE get in touch. This was followed shortly after by another email saying that he found out that the American was from Texas so he knew it wasn't us. (He didn't know that the shark attack had occurred 3000 miles away across the continent). But--he warned us--we had better be careful because, after all, there are SHARKS in Australia.

103. Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov (1980) 508 pp

Varlam Shalamov was one of Stalin's victims. He spent the years 1937 until 1951 in the Kolyma, Siberia prison camps. According to the foreword to this book, the 6 foot tall Shalamov at one point weighed only 90 lbs.

I'm here quoting extensively from the foreword, since I think this information is important to an understanding of the stories in Kolyma Tales:

"By his own admission, Solzhenitsyn barely touches on Kolyma is his writings. He asked Shalamov to co-author his Gulag Archipelago with him, but Shalamov, already old and sick, declined. Nevertheless, Solzhenitsyn writes: 'Shalamov's experiences in the camps was longer and more bitter than my own, and I respectfully confess that to him, and not to me was it given to touch those depths of bestiality and despair toward which life in the camps dragged us all.'

"The British Slavist Geoffrey Hosking summed up the differences between Shalamov and Solzhenitsyn well:

'Like Gulag Archipelago...this volume constitutes a chronicle and indictment of labor camp life. Yet anyone who comes to it with Gulag Archipelago in mind is likely to be very surprised. Outwardly at least, Shalamov's work is about as different from Solzhenitsyn's as it is possible to imagine. Where Solzhenitsyn constructs a single vast panorama, loose and sprawling, Shalamov chooses the most concise of literary forms, the short story, and shapes it conciously and carefully, so that his overall structure is like a mosaic made of tiny pieces. Where Solzhenitsyn writes with anger, sarcasm and bitterness, Shalamov adopts a studiedly dry and neutral tone. Where Solzhenitsyn plunges into his characters' fates, telling their story from a variety of subjective viewpoints, Shalamov takes strict control of his discourse, usually conducting his narrative from an undivided viewpoint and aiming at complete objectivity. Where Solzhenitsyn is fiercely moralistic and preaches redemption through suffering, Shalamov contents himself with cool aphorisms and asserts that real suffering, such as Kolyma imposed on its inmates, can only demoralize and break the spirit.'"

I love the description of this book as a "mosaic made of tiny pieces." Each of the stories is a tiny gem, each is peopled with characters who have no idea whether they will be dead or alive the next day. As a character in one story states, "We understood that death was no worse than life, and we feared neither. We were overcome by indifference." These are not people inspired by hope. They do what they have to in order to stay alive one more day, one more hour. There is no moralizing, no lesson stated, no shining example of courage or inspiration. Whatever the action or inaction of any prisoner, each reader must react to the stories in his or her own way.

Highly recommended.

5 stars

Wow. I was wondering what to read next. Now I know: Kolyma Tales. Fortunately I already have a copy. Thanks for a great review!

ETA: I hope you post your review, as there are only 4 one or two line reviews currently posted. Not really helpful.

I am looking forward to reading it too, but probably won't be for a while.

Hi there, great to see that your travels went far and well. Did you have a fab time? Sorry we couldn't meet up- I see you flew past pretty quickly.

Looking forward to review of Once Were Warriors - the film is one of the most intense and challenging Ive seen.

Hard to resist you 5 star review for a 5 star book Deborah. I loved your story about your son's panic but I also have sympathy for him too.

Hi Deborah, just found your thread again! It was brilliant meeting up with you and the others thank you so much for taking time out from your busy holiday to have a coffee with us!! I'm also terrified of all the dangerous spiders, insects, animals, reptiles found on land and in water in Australia.

Hi Deborah, glad to see you got home safely and the photos of your trip are great. I really enjoyed meeting you and it has to be a first to have an international meet-up like that. And I admire you for catching up with your reviews, I'm behind with all of November and have decided to just skip that month as far as review go.

Hello to all, and thanks for visiting.

I'm behind more than 25 reviews, but am determined to complete them all before the end of the year. In the last two years (as long as I've been on LT) I've posted my comments on every book I've read). Since I'm going back to September, some of my comments may be brief and/or vague.

104. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

Since I've been back from Australia I've been conducting a survey of sorts by asking friends and family whether they know who the Australian Prime Minister is. My brother-in-law knew that the Prime Minister is a woman, but that's the closest anyone came to answering the question.

So I tell them that the Prime Minister is indeed a woman, Julia Gillard. Also that she is unmarried and lives in the official residence with her boyfriend, who was her hairdresser when she met him. He is now known as "The First Bloke". While we were there, the Commonwealth Heads of Government held their meeting in Perth, and The First Bloke hosted a barbecue for the spouses of these heads of government. Perhaps most radically, the Prime Minister is an atheist.

Now someday in the US we may have a female president, and perhaps even an unmarried woman. I very much doubt she could live (openly) in the White House with her boyfriend. And I'm positive that unless things change radically, the US will not elect an atheist for president. Unfortunately, the Constitutional wall between religion and state has long crumbled.

All this is by way of introduction to this wonderful book about Australia. It begins with an anecdote about the Prime Minister in 1967, who went swiming one day, and just disappeared. Bryson notes, "That seemed doubly astounding to me--first that Australia could just LOSE a prime minister (I mean, come on) and second that the news of this had never reached me."

However, as Bryson notes, the average American knows very little about Australia (other than perhaps that it began as a convict colony). He confirmed this apparent lack of interest in Australia with a check of the New York Times index. He found that in 1997 (just before the Olympics in Sydney), there were 20 articles that focused primarily on Australia. In the same year, there were 150 such articles on Peru, and 120 on Albania. It was worse in 1996, when there were only 9 articles on Australia, and 1997, when there were 6, placing Australia on level with Belarus and Burundi.

And Australia is a broad, varied and fascinating country. Bryson writes knowledgably and humorously about the country and its people. For example, on Australia's west coast there exists a colony of stromatolites, the world's oldest living species, the size of an English county, and which was unknown until slightly more than 20 years ago!

One thing I liked about Bryson was his acknowlegement that he feared Australia's sharks, its "salties" (vicious crocodiles) and the numerous poisonous snakes and insects that inhabit the continent. No intrepid explorer he! Just my type of traveler.

This book is much more than a travelogue. The only problem I have with it is that now that I've been to Australia I want to reread it. Even if you have no plans to travel there (and even if you are Australian), I highly recommend this book.

4 stars

105. Motel Life by Willy Vlautin

This book is the story of two brothers living on the fringes of society in Reno, barely scraping by; the kind of people you might briefly wonder how they got where they are if you were to see them on the street. One of the brothers, Jerry-Lee is simple-minded, and Frank had promised his mother that he would look after Jerry-Lee after her death. When things get bad, Frank tells Jerry-Lee stories about the wonderful future that awaits them some day. Jerry-Lee believes these fantasies; Frank realizes their impossibility. When Jerry-Lee is involved in a hit and run accident, the two brothers go on the run.

In a lot of ways, this novel echoes Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. It is unremittingly bleak and despairing, yet as a character study of the two brothers and their relationship, it is a beautiful book.

Recommended.

3 1/2 stars

106. The Matriarch by Witi Ihimaera

This story of a Maori family and its history is one of the books I read in preparation for the New Zealand portion of the trip. Unfortunately, I was only able to get through about half the book. The book is permeated with Maori phrases (even some paragraphs are written entirely in Maori), as well as Maori myths and history which seem to assume a background knowledge I didn't have. I was therefore unable to engage with this book, although I think this was my fault rather than the book's. Now that I've been to New Zealand (where Maori culture was a large portion of our tour), I will try this book again.

107. Nelly's Version by Eva Figes 218 pp ( 2002)

This novel opens as a woman is checking into a country inn. She suddenly finds herself unable to remember anything, including her name. She randomly chooses a name, Nelly Dean. When she gets to her room she discovers that she has a suitcase full of cash, and no idea where it came from. She fears that this circumstance might place her in danger, and she senses that perhaps she is supposed to simply wait for the next development.

We follow Nelly as she wanders through the village over the next several days, unsure whether she recognizes the faces and places she encounters.

This book is not a mystery/thriller. Rather it is a psychological exploration of the mind of a disturbed woman, and we begin to wonder whether everything we read exists strictly in Nelly's mind. The book is fairly easy to read, and it is compelling, although the style verges on the edge of surrealism, which I sometimes find difficult to read.

Recommended

3 stars

108. The Bone People by Keri Hulme (1984)

This book came out of the blue to win the Booker Prize (it also won the Pegasus award), and it is definitely deserving of those honors. Like The Matriarch above, it incorporates Maori myth and history, and it is peppered with Maori phrases. There is a glossary, although it is somewhat limited. However, this book is so skillfully written that I did not find this intrusive or detrimental to my immersion in the novel.

The novel is the story of three damaged souls whose lives intersect. Kerewin Holmes is a part-Maori wealthy woman who has built herself a tower by the sea. She shuns any human contact, and lives as self-sufficiently as possible, eating from her vegetable garden and fish she catches herself.

Into her life comes Simon, a small boy (6-8 years old?) with silver-colored hair and green eyes who is a mute. Simon had washed ashore several years previously after a mysterious shipwreck. Around town, Simon is known as a difficult child and mischief-maker, as he wanders the streets rather than attending school.

Through Simon Kerewin meets Joe, a factory worker, who is also part-Maori. Joe and his wife had unofficially adopted Simon. Joe is now widowed, but remains Simon's guardian. Joe has problems of his own, including alcohol abuse and violence.

Many readers have said that they had difficulty reading this book because of the style in which it is written. The first few pages are dream-like, and seem not to make sense, and indeed are difficult to follow. However, as soon as the main narrative began, I found the book to be enthralling, the prose flowed, and I devoured the book. There are frequently shifting povs, and the style is somewhat stream of conciousness, consisting primarily of interior monologue, but the book is highly readable.

Without getting into spoilers, as Lisa stated at 106 above, the book presents emotional and ethical challenges. There are a few scenes that are graphic and almost unbearable to read. Kerewin and Joe are deeply flawed individuals, and their actions damage themselves and others. However, they (and Simon) and their stories will stay with me a long time.

Highly recommended.

4 1/2 stars

#122 - Great review! It's one of my favorite books of all time. I think it's time for a re-read.

109. About the Author by John Colapinto

I read this book because it was chosen by my book club. Its main character, Cal, who hopes be a writer, comes to New York City after college. He makes ends meet by working in an indie book store. Unfortunately, he prefers night life and the club scene to seriously concentrating on his writing.

His roomate Stewart is a studious law student, always locked in his room clicking away at his computer. Stewart's only entertainment seems to be listening to Cal's stories of his exploits. However, after Stewart is conveniently killed when hit by a car, Cal discovers that Stewart had a secret life. He finds the transcript of a novel Stewart has written, and it's based on the stories that Cal had related of his life. And, it's also very, very good.

Cal wastes little time pondering the ethics of his actions, and is able to get the novel published with himself as the writer. The novel is a great best-seller, and Cal becomes rich and famous.

Things get complicated when Cal discovers that before his death Stewart might have sent a copy of the manuscript to his girlfriend. Things begin to go really bad when, after underhandedly retrieving the manuscript, Cal decides to woo Stewart's girlfriend and eventually marries her. The novel descends into shoot-outs, and drug deals, and murders. Up til then, it apparently was intended to be humorous, and the author tries (unsuccessfully) to maintain the humor even then.

My book club thought that the book was funny, and liked Cal, who most thought was a basically decent person who got himself into some difficult situations. I thought Cal was stupid, and if not evil, ready to harm (in ways that could perhaps bring about death) innocent people to achieve his ends. I was unable to see the humor during most of the book. In addition, I found the plot to be inane. Maybe I would have enjoyed it in a John Belushi movie, but I didn't care for something this over-the-top and illogical in a book.

Not recommended.

1 1/2 stars

Excellent review of The Bone People, Deborah! It's one of several books at the very top of my TBR list, and I'll definitely read it next year.

I also enjoyed your review of In a Sunburned Country; I'll add it to my (future) wish list.

I have In a Sunburned Country and the Bone People in my TBR pile and plan to read them both next year as a self inflicted challenge to read Bill Brysons books and read NZ books. Your reviews have made me more enthusiastic :)

110. Lantana Lane by Eleanor Dark (1959)

This charming Australian book presents a slice of life portrait of the families living along rural Lantana Lane. No one of the families or characters takes precedence, and there is no plot as such. Neverthless, I loved this book.

The book opens with a somewhat philosophical essay which may put some readers off. It is tongue-in-cheek, however, and well-worth reading:

"Now when men pry into mysteries they are called scientists, but when women do the same thing they are called inquisitive, and if we are to reprobate the inquisitiveness which began the search for knowledge, we cannot but view with some reserve the scientific genious which has so stubbornly pursued it, even into the dreadful fastness of the Atom. Eve's husband was clearly a bloke with a sluggish intellect and no ambition; we have her and her alone to thank for the fact that we now know enough to blow ourselves into small pieces. But in common justice we must bear in mind the disadvantage under which she laboured. She was not really at all inquisitive about atoms; her curiosity was directed towards quite different matters. And being entirely innocent of knowledge, she could not possibly be expected to know that all knowledge interlocks, and that fiddling with one bit disturbs the whole cohesive structure. Of course the Creator of the garden knew this very well, having just spent a solid week designing and manufacturing parts for assembly into a working model; and to see one's uniqued achievement endangered by a pair of ignorant meddlers (particularly when they have been created, merely as an afterthought, to preserve the status quo) is enough to make anyone curse."

One of the chapters describes "Meat Day." This is the day the residents take turns to go into town, pick up the mail, and do errands and shopping for all the residents of Lantana Lane. Most of the residents have difficulty managing everything they have to do when it's their turn. Gwinny, however, is an expert. That's because her mind works like this (she is watching a tennis match:

"Yes, I said I'd go to the cake stall with Aunt Isabelle (purl 5, knit2) but really need a third (I must get home in time to press Gally's trousers for tonight), and Alice can't help this year of course (knit 2, slip 1, pass slipped stitch over), so I asked Edith, Tony you better call the dogs away from the tea things (repeat this row 3 times), and she said she could come in the morning, it's thirty-love, Marge, that ball just got the line, but she has a dentist's appointment in the afternoon, look, love, Keithie's playing with a cow pat (that's two rows), Myra, the jeep just went down the Lane, so Aub should be here soon, pick up that cardigan, Lynette, it's getting trodden on, so I'll try to find someone else (three rows). Hi Sue, it's to the other side, your ad. Ken, how about lighting the fire for tea, no the games are five-four, Biddie, you served first (decrease once at the end of the next and every alternate row fifteen times) but it's a bit hard because everyone is doing something else (that cow in the Lane looks like Griffiths' Blessing), you'll find the tea in the in the biscuit tin Henry (purl 5, knit 2 together, make 1, wool forward, knit 1, purl 5, knit 2 together, turn) that was a let, Marge, I heard it touch, children come away from the tank, but I expect we will manage if we have to, yes, I brought some milk, Dick, it's on the bench in the shed, Myra, you're serving from the wrong side, yes you are, it's thirty all (knit 2, slip 1, wool round the needle, knit 1, purl 3, knit 1, repeat 3 times), it just means I can't leave the stall, see, because Aunt Isabelle gets the change mixed, Ken, don't let the children go near the fire. (I hope Tristy remembers to pump some water for the washing...)

"Gwinny can keep this sort of thing up indefinitely, and think nothing of it. She is never confused, she never forgets anything, and nothing escapes her notice. She is the only person in the Lane who is really equal to meat-day."

Gwinny is only one of the many characters who intrigued and enchanted me. Eleanor Dark is a respected Australian author who has also written a trilogy about Australia's early history, which I would like to get my hands on and read.

Highly recommended.

3 1/2 stars

Kerri and Daryl--thanks for the compliment. But what I want to know Daryl is whether you knew who the Australian PM was.

Lisa, I think you will really like both of the books.

111. GB84 by David Peace

As anyone who has followed my thread might have noticed, this has been quite the David Peace year for me--I read The Red Riding Hood Quartet, and his two novels about post-war occupied Japan. GB84 (not to be confused with Murakami's latest, 1Q84) is a novel in which Peace tackles the miners' strike in 1984 Great Britain. This was the strike by which Margaret Thatcher hoped to break the unions. The novel alternates a documentary style with extremely emotional stories of those involved with and touched by the strike.

While the book is fiction, Peace intensively researched this event. The characters range from the rich owners to the working poor; from the strikers to the scabs, from the highest union officials to deep within Margaret Thatcher's government. While it can be argued that the novel favors the strikers, its sympathies are sometimes ambiguous, and Peace does not hesitate to depict the violence and crimes perpetrated by the strikers (as well as that perpetrated by the government).

As in the previous novels I have read by Peace, his writing style is sometimes difficult to read, but this book is so important that it is well-worth the effort to read it.

Highly recommended.

4 stars

112. Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff (1991)

Another book I read for the trip. This one portrays the underbelly of modern Maori life, through the compelling story of one family, Beth, Jake, and their children, who live in a government housing estate occupied soley by Maoris. Beth occasionally has good intentions, but usually slips back into the morass of drink, drugs, poverty, spousal abuse, incest, and the prevailing desparation permeating their lives. By far the most haunting are the children, who are abused and basically left to raise themselves.

The book is written in a unique style--there is no dialogue and virtually the entire novel is presented through the interior monologues of the various characters, including the children. This may take some getting used to, and the book can be difficult to read, both in terms of style and subject matter.

The book was made into an excellent movie of the same name, which I saw years ago.

Highly recommended.

3 1/2 stars

I think that's it for today--I'm to mid-October, and 19 more to go! I know you can hardly wait. :)

Love your review of The Bone People, I also loved the book. I want to read David Peace's Red Riding Quartet, I've seen the film adaptions and know that the books will be good. I have a copy of his The Damned Utd but that's about football.
Lantana Lane has been on my tbr pile for a while and I do have an Australia category in my 12in12 challenge for next year.

Hi Deborah, I admire you for posting all these wonderful books after your dream vacation. I am a big fan of The Bone People. I've read it twice and still have questions about it. Not an easy read, but so worthwhile.

A belated thank you for posting pictures. Your groundbreaking meet-up looked like fun. You know, I never thought of iguanas as jewelry yet it works for you!

Sooooo, when's the next big trip? ;-)

oooo a new batch of books hit the wishlist... David Peace and Lantana Lane - those bits you quoted have hooked me!

Golly, Ms. Deborah! You make everything sound so compelling. I own both Lantana Lane and The Bone People, and I'm having to slap my hands to keep myself from flinging my current reading aside to tackle them both. Kolyma Tales is now solidly on my wishlist. (I've actually read a couple of *Gulag*.)
I also love the pictures of the meet-up - you all have lovely, interesting faces - and the other pictures and comments too. And, no. I didn't know who the Prime Minister of Australia is, but I know Patrick White and a bunch of Virago Australian authors and Sean McMullen. So there.

But what I want to know Daryl is whether you knew who the Australian PM was.

No, definitely not. And, considering that The New York Times has been my main source of news during my adult life, followed by National Public Radio and The NewsHour on PBS, along with Bryson's analysis of the NYT Index, that may not be a surprise. Prompted by Bryson's comment on the dearth of articles about Australia in the NYT Index, I searched the online edition of the NYT, and there were several articles published late month about Australia that mention Julia Gillard. So, I'm left to conclude that I haven't been paying attention to the articles about Australia in the NYT, which I've subscribed to daily since 2000.

I also looked at the list of prime ministers of Britain, Australia and the UK on Wikipedia. I was familiar with nearly all of the British PMs from Neville Chamberlain to David Cameron, most of the Canadian PMs starting with Pierre Trudeau, but the only Australian PM I was vaguely familiar with was Kevin Rudd, Gillard's immediate predecessor. I'll admit that my knowledge of Australia and New Zealand is minimal, although it has increased recently, thanks mainly to the Aussies and Kiwis on LT.

Wow, Deborah. It is so interesting to catch up with your reading.

I am especially interested in the David Peace, since it was you who stimulated me to read The Red Riding Hood quartet, which is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. But I am also interested in several others, including The bone People, In a Sunburned Country, and Once Were Warriors. Lantana Lane sounds fun too. You certainly made the most of reading related to your Australia trip!

ETA I did know who the Australian PM is, but that's because I know several Australian LTers and it's come up in our online conversations. I certainly didn't know it from the New York Times or NPR news.

Just echoing all the comments Deborah, as I am busily fighting off all the book bullets (unsuccessfully, I might add). I will definitely get to The Bone Peoplein 2012 and now I have to also get to David Peace. Amazing reviews.

>122 arubabookwoman: >125 kidzdoc: >126 kiwiflowa: >137 brenzi: I'm joining you all in reading The Bone People next year, and Genny, I read the first and last bits of your review as I dont want to have any pre conceived ideas of the plot. But what I read was great.

Cloud Atlas had dream sequence obscurely written bits in it that was kind of hard to read, and I found that if I just read it and let it wash over my brain I got the gist of it. It was a challenge to try not to take each word literally.

Good going on your reviews!

Deborah, your reviews are so well written and I think I've just added all of these books to my list. I enjoyed the tale of the first bloke, I didn't realize that was how he was referred to, very cool.

I remember LOVING Lantana Lane - I've done all right in my Australia reading as I have a bro residing in Canberra (for the last 30 plus) and have been there on a visit, wish there could have been more visits.....

I'm working on getting a photo of grandson Boden here. In the meantime, here's the link. I will be back soon with more reviews.

http://photobucket.com/bodenm

Deborah, I can see the shot on photo bucket and I think he has your eyes! Utterly cute and scrumptious.. I'm still trying to figure out how to put photos on threads. I can get them to the gallery now but the thread post is a mystery for 2012..

Well my daughter will be visiting this week, so perhaps I'll get the photos on the thread then. In the meantime, you can link to photobucket if you wish.

Kerry and Lisa--beware of the Red Riding Hood Quartet. It is difficult to read in more ways than one. I reviewed it earlier this year if you want to check it out.

Donna--yes it was a great meet-up. It would be even more fun if they (or other "downunderers") could get to Seattle sometime.

Hi Peggy--I think you will really like Lantana Lane, The Bone People, and Kolyma Tales, although they are very different sorts of books.

Hi Darryl--I think the recent NYT's references to Australia were due to the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Perth. As you know, they voted to allow first born daughters to succeed the throne.

Rebecca--I hope you get to some of the books. I'd be very interested in your take on them.

Hi Leonie--Thanks for the visit. Boden is indeed scrumptious, and very snuggly. I will miss him immensely when he moves next year.

Lucy--when you visited Australia, did you get to visit anywhere other than Canberra? Any chance of going again? I've really enjoyed my Australia/New Zealand reading, and have still more in my library and on my wishlist for 2012.

Bonnie--yes do get to The Bone People in 2012. Are you snowed in up there yet?

Megan--I think you'll also like The Bone Peopl--lots of fascinating things about Maori culture. Are your little ones getting excited for Christmas?

Well, now time for some more reviews--I am truly determined to complete them by the end of the year.

The next several books were read on my Kindle while I was on my trip--I chose them because they were undemanding, and perhaps not unexpectedly I found them for the most part mediocre or worse.

113. The Silent Land by Graham Joyce

When the book opens, a young married couple on a ski vacation are caught and buried in a massive avalanche. They dig themselves out, but when they return to the village it is a deserted ghost town. They think that perhaps the village has been evacuated, but when they attempt to leave the village, the roads prevent them from doing so. They decide to make themselves comfortable and wait for rescue--there is plenty of food and wine, a warm fireplace, and luxury suites to choose from. Then some eerie and unexplainable things start happening.

While this book has received many positive reviews, I found the ending to be a cop-out, something so obvious that you will think of it early on, but dismiss it. There is little character-development, and I found the characters dull and unlikeable. There's also lots of gratuitous sex scenes.

Not recommended.

1 1/2 stars

114. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (2010)

Larry Ott and Silas Jones were childhood friends in a small Mississippi town. Now, 20 years later, Silas is the town sheriff and Larry ("Scarey Larry") is the town outcast, having been suspected in the disappearance of a teenage girl years before (although he was never charged). Now another girl has disappeared, and Larry is the prime suspect.

The book travels backwards and forward in time, and is told from the points of view of Larry and Silas. I found this somewhat artificial at times, because there are things that Silas and Larry totally omit from their earlier narratives that are crucial to the plot. Their failure to mention these things was not very credible, although mentioning them early-on would have killed the book.

All in all I found this "mystery" to be not too much of a mystery. I did enjoy some of the characterizations, especially that of lonely and despised Larry. And I thought the author did a decent job of portraying rural Mississippi life.

2 1/2 stars

115. Everything Matters by Ron Currie Jr. (2009)

Junior Thibodeaux is born with the knowledge that Earth will be destroyed by a comet in 36 years. Through-out his life, he is accompanied by voices, somewhat akin to a Greek chorus. We are led to believe that he is not schizophrenic; however, on the rare occasion he tries to explain his knowledge to someone, he is dismissed as a nut.

So the novel is supposed to be an exploration of the issue of whether knowing your date of death would you live your life any differently? How would you react if you knew that the world would end soon? "There is no escape and never was, that the moment two cells combined to become one they were doomed."

I've had this book on my wishlist a while because I thought this was an interesting concept. However, the book veers wildly off-course into real insanity. For example, Junior's older brother becomes a cocaine addict at the age of 9 (totally unnoticed by his parents). When the brother has a stroke (again as a very young boy), his brain is damaged, and he is mentally challenged the rest of his life. Nevertheless, he becomes a millionaire as a superstar baseball player, even though he has to have a full-time attendant to make sure he remembers to eat, and gets to the stadium on the right day. And when Junior's father gets cancer, Junior goes to work and discovers a cure for cancer. After being cured, however, his father is immediately killed in a car accident! And Junior's one-time girl-friend gets kidnapped by government agents/terrorists, and gets her finger chopped off. You get the picture I hope.

The book was never intended as an apocalyptic thriller, and I never expected that. But I did believe I would find believable characters and thoughts to ponder. I won't be reading the other Ron Currie book I had on my wishlist.

Not recommended

1 1/2 stars

116. The Waiting Game by Bernice Ruebens

After following Kerry's Bernice Ruebens journey, I wanted to read this new-to-me author. While this is probably not her best book, it's the one I came across first, and it's also a "genre" I've been interested in lately--life in an old folks' home.

This book is full of wickedly funny characters. Lady Celia keeps herself in style by running a thriving blackmail business on the side. Mr. Cross keeps a running tally of deaths as they occur, and revels each time someone dies before him. The residents all have hidden pasts and current eccentricities. Even the matron has some secrets.

This was a fun read, and I'll be looking for more books by Ruebens.

3 stars

117. Under Fire by Henri Barbusse (1916)

This book, which is included on the 1001 list, is one of the most influential of all war novels. It contains powerful and graphic descriptions of war's horror, insanity, and, sometimes, boredom and drudgery. The descriptions of life in the trenches, and the saturation shelling that resulted in a de facto scorched earth policy, are visceral.

The book focuses on a unit in the French army. Each of the many characters has a segment in which he "stars", as we learn his backstory. Through the character under the spotlight, the book explores one or more particular aspects of the life of a soldier in the trenches. In one chapter, for example, Barbusse describes the various soldiers ("poilus") as they load up their packs to go on the move, and must decide what to take and what to discard. This section reminded me so much of The Things They Carried (one of my favorite books), that I can't help but wonder whether Tim O'Brien was familiar with this book.

I read this on Kindle, and I highlighted so many phrases and paragraphs, that I'm sure I've got half the book underscored. One of the less graphic descriptions of the dead on the field:

"Around the dead flutter letters thathave escaped from pockets....Over one of these bits of white paper, whose wings still beat though the mud ensnares them, I stoop slightly and read a sentence--'My dear Henry, what a fine day it is for your birthday!' The man is on his belly; his loins are rent from hip to hip by a deep furrow; his head is half turned around; we see a sunken eye; and on temples, cheek and neck a kind of green moss is growing."

Highly recommended.

4 stars

118. L'Assommoir by Emile Zola

Continuing my read of all the Rougon McQuart novels, L'Assommoir was a reread for me. In fact, this was the first book by Zola that I read (many, many years ago). I loved it then, and it led to my reading several of Zola's better-known novels. However, this time I wasn't as impressed.

Gervaise and her husband Coupeau are intially content and successful--she owns a laundry and he is a roofer. When Coupau is injured and no longer able to work, he descends into alcoholism, destroying Gervaise's laundry alsong the way. Eventually, Gervaise follows him into alcoholism and into abject poverty. Their daughter Nana (who exhibits many of the characteristics that will make her an extremely successful courtesan in the novel Nana soon to follow) runs away.

Somehow rather than being a strong account of alcoholism and poverty of the underclass of Paris, I found the book somewhat simplistic on rereading it. In fact at one point, I wondered whether the free Kindle edition I was reading was an abridgement. It wasn't. I thought, for the first time since starting this series, that Zola's characters were written as symbols which he is using to illustrate a thesis.

This book is an important part of Zola's work, and I definitely recommend reading it. However, if you are only going to read one or two novels out of this series, there are better ones to choose.

3 stars

119. On the Edge of Reason by Miroslav Krleza (1938)

"As far as I could gather until I was fifty-two, no one ever heard a discouraging or malicious statement about me. I was, in fact, quite nameless and invisible, so discreet that nobody ever took notice of my existence."

Then the protagonist of the short novel speaks the truth about an important industrialist--that he is a murderer. His utterance becomes the "fatal experience" that turns his life upside down.

This novel is a Kafkaesque attack on conformity. While the protagonist has opportunities to recant what he said, and slip back into polite society, he chooses not to, although his comfortable life falls apart.

On an intellectual level, this book was an interesting read. However, on an emotional level I never connected with the main character or with the book as a whole. The plot and characters took second place to "the point" of the story. I need more than a "lesson" from a novel.

3 stars

120. The Journey by Jiro Osaragi

This is a realistic novel of Japan during the United States' post-war occupation. Taeko is a young woman who has taken a job and is self-supporting, as she tries to move away from the traditional role of a woman in Japanese society. She begins an affair with Ryosuke, who is engaged in making his fortune with some shadey deals with the occupying forces. He is also involved with an older, married woman, who is engaged in the same sorts of business activities. While Taeko continues to pine after Ryosuke, she ignores a young professor, who dearly loves her.

That's the extent of the book. I didn't really get any feel for post-war Japan. While well-written, I don't think the book ever moved beyond the soap opera stage. There's nothing wrong with that if that's what you feel like reading at the moment. I wasn't, so I can't say I enjoyed the book. However, you might.

2 1/2 stars

I'm amazed you kept on with the Currie!

When we went to Australia we got around quite a good bit, Canberra, Sydney and up to Brisbane where we toured around the coast and then inland to Alice Springs. We were among the very last tourists allowed to climb up Ayer's Rock, so that tells you how long ago I was there! We got up at about 4 a.m. the only ones in our tour group (access was very much under control) who wanted to bother. It was so windy I had to lie down on top, but it was worth it, watching the sun come up, just being there. I loved the coast area up around Brisbane. And I am sorry we never went further north or west or even to Melbourne. I do hope to go back sometime fairly soon, in fact.

Wishing you all the very best Deborah!

Merry Christmas, Deborah! I look forward to your excellent reviews next year, even though they are extremely dangerous to my TBR reduction plans.

Happy Holidays, Deborah!

I finally had a moment to catch up on your thread, and how much I've missed! Lots of book bullets: Lantana Lane (what a hoot the quotes were!), some more Bernice Rubens, and Under Fire. Glad you liked In a Sunburned Country, I think it's my second favorite after A Walk in the Woods.

Hope you had a nice holiday--Boden is getting so big!

Well I'm pretty sure I won't get to review the rest of my 2011 books, but I at least want to get them on this thread, with a few comments if possible.

121. The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville--another book loosely based on true events/characters in Australia's early history. I liked Jessica Anderson's The Commandant so much more. 2 1/2 stars

122. An Error of Judgement by Pamela Hansford Johnson--A young and content couple crosses paths with Settler, a (somewhat) sociopathic but esteemed physian who manipulates people for his own amusement. I read this because it was on Anthony Burgess's list of the best books of the 20th century. I did not like it at all. I found the characters, their circumstances and the plot hopelessy dated. It did not transcend its time, and remained mired in the late 50's/early 60's. 2 stars

123. Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson (1947)--This is a beautiful little book, a study of ordinary people in extraordinary times. As the novel opens, Wim and Marie, a young Dutch couple, have agreed to harbor and protect a Jewish man. Unfortunately, after a short time hidden in their house, the man dies of natural causes. Now they must dispose of the body of someone who does not legally exist. The novel moves back and forth in time, through the ironies and bittersweet "comedy" of their lives--the man dies a slow and painful death while escaping death in the concentration camps; Wim and Marie, once the "hiders" must become the "hidees". And there is the comedy of all the issues that come up in their circumstances--what about the cleaning lady, the milkman, the mailman?
Keilson himself was a German Jew who survived the war in hiding in Holland. After the war he became a psychiatrist who specialized in treating children who had suffered Nazi persecution. He died last year at the age of 101.

124. Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch--this is the story of three elderly and reclusive brothers, one of whom is feeble-minded. They live simple and eccentric lives, until the oldest brother dies in his sleep. The three brothers had slept in one bed, and soon the two survivors are being investigated for murder.

The story is narrated from multiple points of view (all three brothers, their sister, their nephew, their neighbor, his wife, and the sheriff). These narrations also switch between first person and third person. I'm not sure why so many narrators were used, and I was often curious as to why the author chose the narrator he did to move certain plot points forward.

However, I found the book interesting as a character study of three outsiders--how they got that way and why they stayed that way.

3 stars

125. Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke (2005)--this is a fictionalized account of a blood-selling scandal that occurred in a small rural community in China. As the government issued calls for blood, a number of blood collection points were set up by unscrupulous people. No sanitary precautions were taken, and people were allowed to sell their blood as frequently as they wished. The villagers were happy because they received small payments which allowed them to better their lives in small ways. The owners of the collection sites grew fabulously wealthy. Everyone was happy for a few years, until a huge percentage of the villagers found themselves infected with AIDS. At first the government downplayed their plight, promising cures and so forth. Ultimately the villagers are betrayed by the government as well.

This was an interesting glimpse into the perils of the rapid development of China.

3 1/2 stars

126. The Glass Room by Simon Mawer--I read this for my December RL book club. It has been reviewed many times on LT, so I won't repeat the plot or the characters. I thought it was an acceptable book, but not outstanding, as many reviewers have rated it. I was also disappointed when I viewed the actual house on the internet after reading the book--but that had nothing to do with my rating of the book.

3 stars

127. Under the Dome by Stephen King--I gave up on Stephen King many years ago because I didn't like the supernatural/horror elements of many of his books, and I also thought he was long-winded. (I think The Stand was the last book of his I read.) But I do like dystopian novels, and I'm willing to accept a premise that is a little out there, as long as the bulk of the book rings true. I found that to be the case in Under the Dome and I'm glad I read it.

The book begins when an invisible dome descends on a small Maine town, isolating it from the rest of the world, and breaking up families whose members may have been away in neighboring towns. The plotting is impeccable, and I continued to rapidly turn the 1000+ pages. It was hard to believe that the action takes place over about a week--less than the time it might take to read this book.

The good guys are REALLY good, and the bad guys are REALLY bad (I admit to sometimes wondering if such evil people could exist, but I lead a fairly sheltered life). I would describe the book as a Lord of the Flies for grownups, as the restraints of a civil society rapidly erode once the town is cut off.

Recommended, if this sounds like your kind of thing.

3 1/2 stars

128. The Enormous Room by e.e. cummings--I read this book because it's on the 1001 list. It's cummings's barely fictionalized account of his experiences as a conscientious objector ambulance driver in France during WW I. Through a series of mistakes, he is jailed as a traitor, and most of the book takes place in his prison cell.

3 stars

129. Sitt Marie Rose by Etel Adnan--

"Look at them! These four men set upon that passing bird...She was, they admit, a worthy prey...She was a woman, an independent woman, gone over to the enemy and mixing in politics, which is normally their personal hunting ground. They, the Chabab, had to bring women back to order, in this Orient, at once nomadic and immobile. On the Palestinian side, they dealt with crimes similarly. The stakes were different, but the methods were the same."

This novel takes place during the 1975 civil war in Lebanon. Marie Rose is the childhood friend of one of four Christian men who capture her when she ventures into her old Christian neighborhood. She now has a Palestinian partner, and lives in the camps and helps the refugees. The four men must decide whether to release her or kill her.

Each of the four men, and Marie Rose narrates a section of the novel. Is this a war of ethnicity, of religion, of the sexes, of the old ways versus the new ways? These questions are examined in prose that is lyrical and disturbing. This short book is worth a read.

3 1/2 stars

130. The Life and Death of Harriet Frean by May Sinclair--this is another book I read because it was on the 1001 list. It's a short book, and relates the life of a woman, who was adored by her parents, and spends the rest of her life trying to be a "good" girl. I don't remember much about it, so it must not have made an impression on me. Sorry!

131. Siegfried by Harry Mulisch--this book poses the question of what if Hitler had a son? It takes that jumping off point to explore an issue that has puzzled many--why was Hitler so evil? I liked the part of the book imagining the war-time life of Hitler, as Eva Braun bears him a hidden son. I found the philosophical musings by a fictional present-day narrator sandwiching the story less interesting. I like Harry Mulisch as an author very much, and recommend his book The Assault over this one, although this one raises some fascinating points.

3 stars

132. Zaat by Sonallah Ibrahim--this is the story of an Egyptian woman--her life, family and friends--who lived through the reigns of Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat, and Mubarak. She is a humorous character, and her adventures and misadventures are amusing. In alternating sections, snippets of newspaper accounts that appeared over the course of the time period covered by this novel are included. Both Zaat's story and the newspaper articles convey the corruption and ineptitude of the powers that be in Egypt over this time period.

3 1/2 stars

I have been busy clicking away to my tbr list on good reads. I've only read Stephen King's The Stand but have noted 'Under the Dome' for as a possible future read. Comedy in a Minor Key has also been noted.
I just bought a copy of The Lieutenant in a bargain bin but will probably read one of her earlier books instead. I did so enjoy The Secret River, you might like to look at Searching for the Secret River which is about how she came to write the book. I've added The Commandant to my list of books to look out for.

133. Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill--as I've retired and am getting older, I've been attracted to books with the theme of aging--I've read several novels this year set in old folks' homes. This memoir was supposed to be a contemplation on aging by Diana Athill who was in her 90's when she wrote it. I expected a reflection on the good and bad things about aging, with a dollop of the wisdom I've heard comes with old age. There are portions of this book that meet that description, but I found that most of it was about her earlier life, which was unconventional indeed. For example, she continued to live with a former lover for years after their affair ended, in fact to well into old age. He took other lovers, including a very young woman, who when she left him and married and had children, treated Diana and the ex-lover as parents and grandparents (as did they her). Weird. This book has had fairly good reviews, but I found it to be only so-so.

2 1/2 stars

134. So Much For That by Lionel Shriver--the husband has wanted for years to throw up his job and move to a third-world country and live leisurely and cheaply for the rest of his life. So one Friday, he quits his job and buys one-way tickets to an African country. Then his wife comes home, and tells him she needs his health insurance--she has just been diagnosed with a virulent form of cancer. This could have been a touching story, an inspiring story of courage, an informative story, a polemic on the state of health care in our country. Instead, it was merely the story of some whiney, uninteresting characters. I abandoned it half-way through.

1 1/2 stars

135. Doc by Maria Doria Russell--this book has been around LT a while, and I'm sure most of you know it to be a fictionalized account of the life of Doc Holliday. His friends, Wyatt Earp and the Earp brothers also play prominent roles in the novel. I was quite annoyed at the beginning of the book--couldn't stand all the "sugah"'s and "darlin'"s in the dialogue, and felt the portrayal of Doc as the consummate Southern gentleman to be a bit overblown. But I persevered, and found myself quite liking the book.

3 1/2 stars

136. Family Chronicle by Vasco Pratolini--This is a fictionalized account of the author's relationship with his brother. It is written as a document directly addressed to his brother. Their mother died giving birth to the brother. Through a series of circumstances, the brother is unofficially adopted into a much wealthier family, and grows up with all the advantages. For years, the author resented his brother, subconciously blaming him for the death of their mother, and resenting his more comfortable circumstances. This book is an explanation and an apology of sorts. I liked it.

3 1/2 stars

And finally the last book of the year--# 137

137. A Love Episode by Emile Zola--the latest in my read of the Rougon Macquart series. This one features a single mother and her insanely jealous young daughter. The mother falls in love with a married man, and of course it all ends badly. There are some beautifully lyric descriptions of Paris in this book.

3 1/2 stars

So I wish you all a peaceful and contented new year.

In 2012 I hope to concentrate on reading "Classics in Their Own Country", a year-long theme read in Reading Globally. I'll continue with the Rougon Macquart series. And I also intend to make 2012 a year of rereads, as I revisit some of my (remembered) favorites and some classics I read many, many years ago.

I'm so glad you persevered and wrote snippets for each book. It was enough to add Comedy in a Minor Key and The Enormous Room. I've never read anything about cummings' life, but like his poetry. I also made notes of a couple other books: Zaat, Sitt Marie Rose, and Dream of Ding Village. I'm glad Doc turned around a bit for you. I enjoyed it quite a bit and am looking forward to the sequel.

Happy New Year!

Thanks for all these mini-reviews, Deborah. As I put my end-of-the-year favorite reads list together, I realized that you influenced me to read several of them, including the Red Riding Quartet, Matterhorn (Lisa's recommendation too, too), and Ice Trilogy, and that many of the books that I hope to get or that are on my TBR are also a result of your recommendations. Thank you! I will be continuing to follow your reading with great interest in 2012.

I also enjoyed Comedy in a Minor Key and I was interested in your review of Dream of Ding Village because I was disappointed by the Yan Lianke novel I read a few years ago, Serve the People!.

Great reviews Deborah and Happy New Year! Looking forward to catching up with you on the 2012 group.