Ellen's 75 in 2011 List - Page 2

Dubs, the handsome mascot at my place of employment.

Books Completed in 2011:

1. What is the What by Dave Eggers
2. The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan
3. Black Bodies and Quantum Cats: Tales from the Annals of Physics by Jennifer Ouellette
4. The Muse Asylum by David Czuchlewski
5. Savages by Don Winslow
6. Incendiary by Chris Cleave
7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
8. The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna
9. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petersen
10. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke
11. Regeneration by Pat Barker
12. Fool by Christopher Moore
13. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
14. The Enemy by Lee Child
15. Kingdom of Shadows by Alan Furst
16. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
17. Property by Valerie Martin
18. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
19. In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar
20. Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch
21. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
22. The Deep Blue Good-by by John D. MacDonald
23. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow
24. How to Read Novels Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
25. Push by Sapphire
26. City of Bones by Michael Connelly
27. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
28. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
29. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
30. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
31. The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar
32. Fresh Tracks by Georgia Beers (ugh)
33. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (wow!)
34. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
35. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
36. The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
37. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
38. Annabel by Kathleen Winter
39. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
40. I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
41. Emma by Jane Austen
42. lullabies for little criminals by Heather O'Neil
43. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
44. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
45. Close Range by Annie Proulx
46. Just Kids by Patti Smith
47. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
48. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
49. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
50. The Eye in the Door by Pat Barker
51. Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
51. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (my first audiobook)
52. The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
53. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
54. In the Woods by Tana French
55. Touch by Alexi Zentner
56. The Accident by Linwood Barclay
57. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
58. Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
59. Room by Emma Donoghue
60. From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus
61. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
62. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
63. The Grace of Silence: A Memoir by Michele Norris
64. Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
65. Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires
66. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
67. The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago
68. In Mad Love and War by Joy Harjo
69. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
70. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
71. The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
72. Foreigners by Caryl Phillips
73. The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey
74. Scenes from the Village by Amos Oz
75. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
76. The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst
77. The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
78. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
79. The Artist of Disappearance by Anita Desai
80. Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Well, I spent a lot of time getting a picture (and not really the one I wanted, but....) on here. Meanwhile, what I'm currently reading is The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey.

I'm just never going to have an elaborate thread. But I enjoy visiting others' elaborate threads. :-)

Ahh found you Ellen! Yes, the weather has been dreadful, hasn't it! I'm used to the constant drizzle that makes up Vancouver, but this really heavy rain is dreaful!!! I've seen you loading up the books byJosephine Tey.. I'll have to have closer look at them. Dubs looks just great and nice fall picture too!

How cool! You're workin' the 'continued threads' feature! Brilliant. I'll be doing that with mine too soon.

I hope you like The Franchise Affair, it was my first Tey and I think my favourite so far.

I'm not visiting threads tonight because so tired I could cry, but thought I'd say hi anyway. Now I'm off to cry. No, I'm not. Just kidding, but I AM off to bed. xx hugs!

eta: luv the mascot. Gorgeous pooch!

Ellen, I was trying to drop a star - a fancy one, but I don't know how! :) Sorry!

Have a great Thanksgiving, Ellen! Congrats on Page 2 and love the photo of Dubs!

Hi Deb, Ilana, and Mark! Thanks for stopping by. The Page 2 function just dropped itself in my lap -- and it was pretty easy. I'm practicing using HTML to insert images (Mark, I left you a present on your thread) so I can possibly make my thread more interesting (for me, as well as for my visiting friends!).

It's a very wet Thanksgiving day here. I went for a good centering run around the St. Martin's University campus and was lucky to be between the rainstorms. I've already managed to consume whatever calories I may have burned off (which is not, in fact, the point of my running) and the turkey dinner is not even on the table yet. We're going through my father-in-law's massive and idiosyncratic book collection, each of us claiming any in which we're interested and figuring out which to give to his meeting house, which he wants to take with him to the new assisted living apartment, etc. He just cracked us all up by saying, "we do have a lot of books!" He's 89 and has fairly far-advanced Parkinson's. It's good to see him retaining his sense of humor.

I woke up early this morning and read a couple of chapters of The Franchise Affair with my first cup of coffee. Abby (now the "Only Cat") curled up next to me and tried to convince me to spend my whole day there. :-)

Abby (now the "Only Cat")

Awwww... :-(

(couldn't find an icon that looks like the pout on my face right now, lower lip pulled out VERY far, I've even got a tear in my eye)

New thread! I'm here! I'm here! :)

Thanks, Ilana. I know you understand.

Hi Valerie!

Happy Thanksgiving, Ellen! It's this rain just dreadful. My dad came out for the week, and all it has done is rain. I tried to tell him that it was sunny (though cold) last week, but he doesn't believe me. :-)

Funny, I buy from TPB because it is an independent bookstore, and I was under the impression that University Bookstore was not--the exact opposite of you. I looked up the UB's history, and legally it is a trust run by a Board of Directors, but acts like a co-op. Huh. Didn't know that.

It must be bittersweet to go through your FIL's books. I'm glad he can find humor in the process of moving.

We may get a break tomorrow and have less rain. I hope you can enjoy it and have a good run!

My favorite thing about it being a holiday weekend is that I get to stay up reading (and checking in on LT) later than usual. I checked the SPL website and it looks like I'm about to have two books available, both of which I'm very anxious to read: The Sense of an Ending and Scenes from Village Life. I'm hoping they'll be available for pickup when I'm back in the city on Saturday. Meanwhile, I'm finding The Franchise Affair to be an enjoyable and easy read.

I'm committed to writing belated reviews of The Elephant's Journey, The Cat's Table, and Foreigners, but I need to be at home where I can look at some of the passages I flagged. I'll get to those this weekend.

Lisa, the co-op part is very nice. As a staff member at the UW, at the end of each fiscal year, I get credit equal to 10% of my total expenditures. This past July, my credit was over $120, which meant I got a few shopping trips in which I selected books and just said "I'd like to use my credit for these." I guess this gives me some idea of how much I spend each year on books.....

Oh, so very sorry to hear that you have just one cat... as someone who has had a dog for 19 years - we have our second dog, Daisy, now, I know how hard it is to lose a pet. Daisy ,the dog that we adopted from a shelter turned out to be already 8 years old when we adopted her, so she is already 11 1/2. But she is so affectionate and I swear half- human!

We too have had a lot of rain and grey skies and wind storms. It's been not too nice. I'll look forward to your reviews, but no pressure! ;)

#13. Wow, Ellen. The dividend buying trips must be lovely! It also sounds like you have two nice books waiting for you. I'm feeling trapped by my reading and reviewing at the moment. My hubby is taking dad and my daughter flying this afternoon, weather permitting, and I hope to get some work done.

Hooray! I just checked and Scenes from Village Life is ready for pickup at my local library branch. I'll pick it up tomorrow and hope to complete reading it for this month's TIOLI challenge #10 (Read a book originally written in a language that is NOT a lingua franca).

eta: It looks like I might get The Sense of an Ending in before the end of the month, but I'm still #3 in the queue for Everything You Know About Indians is Wrong with only one copy in the system. I was hoping to read that for Darryl's TIOLI challenge (Read a book written by a Native American author for Native American Heritage Month), but it seems very unlikely.

Ellen, at this point, I'm just checking for the new December TIOLI thread which could show up any minute (like, NOW?!)

Just think! A whole bunch of new challenges... exciting, no?

Ilana, I like the way you think! It's become such an important monthly ritual: as the last day approaches, I also find myself looking forward to the new set of challenges. It's one of my favorite things!

I stayed up a bit late to complete The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey. I gave it four stars as I thoroughly enjoyed it. My short review is here.

Finally wrote my review of Foreigners by Caryl Phillips. I may have to re-write this one a few times; it's a four-star read, but I'm finding the writing of a review to be challenging.

Foreigners is a novel constructed of three stories, each about a Black man who migrated to England, each of them in different circumstances and in different times. First is Francis Barber, a slave given to the writer Samuel Johnson in the 18th century. This story is narrated by a caring colleague of Johnson's who compassionately observes Barber at his master's funeral but rationalizes his failure to reach out to the now freed but unrooted "immigrant." He seeks out Barber many years later and describes the man's attempt to build an honorable life in the face of social isolation, marginalization, and neglect.

The second story is that of Randolph Turpin, the son of an immigrant from British Guiana who defeats middleweight champion Sugar ray Reynolds in the boxing ring in 1951. Turpin's own status as champion is short-lived and this story, which especially reads like non-fiction (they all do, but in differing voices), again illustrates the challenge of a Black man making it in England. Social isolation, marginalization, neglect ---- yep, they collude to undermine his ability to break out of the one-dimensional mold established for the boxer by privileged society.

Finally, the third story is of a young immigrant (stowaway) from Nigeria and his too-short life in Leeds in the 1950s. A target of abusive and degrading "entertainment" by local police officers, David Oluwale is found dead in a river and "Northern Lights" reads like a series of reports or interviews by anonymous citizens who knew him while he was living rough in the streets of Leeds. We are also provided excerpts from the trial of the two police officers charged with manslaughter in David's death.

I think this is an excellent novel with its dispassionate and paradoxically emotional exploration of being "other," of being a "foreigner" living on the margins of society. Phillips considers the different manner in which each of these men tries to cope with their situation, which can be and is considered by some to amount to their own contributions to their tragic endings. Whether they try to assimilate and adapt, or fight, or passively allow their detractors to abuse and torment them, the ending is basically the same. White society sees the men in unidimensional, stereotyped say; no behavioral route on their part will change the story.

It sounds depressing and, in fact, it is. It's also a beautifully narrated story with tremendous depth for a reader who's willing to go there.

Good review of Foreigners. Sounds terrific. You gotta Thumb! I had not heard of this title or the author. I should be getting my library copy of The Sense of an Ending anytime now too!

Hi Ellen, glad to hear that you enjoyed your Josephine Tey read. I am slowly working (& enjoying) my way through all her books.

Interesting review of Foreigners, and I'm glad you read it for me. ;-)

Great review of Foreigners. It sounds a wee bit depressing, but interesting. Ellen, you mentioned having a great visit to a bird sanctuary, and because we have so many birds around here, I put a short clip of the huge numbers of snow geese we have landing here right now on my thread. I tell you, it's like a scene out of The Birds by Hitchcock. They don't worry me ,but they really can mess up a field!!! ;)

Lisa, thanks for the thumb!
Judy, Yes, I'll be slowly mixing Tey in with my other reads now.
Ilana, Happy to help - anytime! :-)
Deb, well, yes, it was a bit depressing, and interesting. I'll come over to your thread to see the birds!

Between women's basketball on the telly and a good run in the rain today, I'm reading Scenes from Village Life and very much enjoying it. It may be headed for that elusive 5 star rating......

I went to Elliott Bay Books yesterday in search of a copy of a book (any book) by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and came home with a stack of acquisitions! I did pick up Petals of Blood and three of the books I purchased were on clearance. The only embarrassing part is that I bought a copy of The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst and it turns out I already have a copy. So, now I have two copies and I've not yet read either of them..... oh well.

Here's my haul from yesterday's self-indulgent shopping trip:

Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa (bargain book)
Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago (bargain book)
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago
Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Wild Child by T.C. Boyle (bargain book) and
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (already owned, perhaps negating the bargain books.....)

Ellen- Great book haul! I have only read Blindness by Saramago. I need to get to his other books. I have Wild Child on my WL but I do own the Hollinghurst title.

>28 msf59: Mark, I read Blindness a couple years ago and didn't love it, but I read The Elephant's Journey earlier this month and gave it five stars. I haven't gotten around to writing a review yet but it's definitely one of my favorite reads in 2011.

LOL! The Line of Beauty perhaps already owned! ;) I think I do that not infrequently! Glad you had a good haul of books yesterday! shhh but some how I own The Sense of an Ending both as a book and also on my kindle! ;)

Nice haul, Ellen. I have yet to read anything by Mario Vargas Llosa and need to rectify that. Do you have a suggestion where to begin? Saramago has written so many books. Maybe I'll try to make next year a Saramago year. Although it is a Dickens year too. Yikes.

Urgh! As if ONE copy of The Line of Beauty wasn't already a waste of space...

Congrats on the book haul, you did a fine job with all the rest! I just happen to hate the above-mentioned, so just ignore me. I'll be reading Blindness in '12 and not exactly looking forward to it...

32 & 32> I've only read two by Saramago and I disliked Blindness and loved The Elephant's Journey. I highly recommend the latter.

I've not yet read any by Mario Vargas Llosa but I now own three of his, so I guess that would be one of my categories if I were doing a 12-in-12 challenge.

Ilana, you cracked me up. I remember that you hated that book, and I don't think you were alone. I don't know why I feel compelled to give it a try, but clearly I do.

I'm almost done with Scenes from Village Life which is my first Amos Oz. It's wonderful.

On my bus ride this morning, I finished the penultimate story in Scenes from Village Life. I might have been able to complete the last story before the bus deposited me at work, but I needed to digest "Singing." One sentence in the last paragraph was like a knockout punch: "I had no further reason to turn my back on despair." I think you need the context of the series of stories to understand why that sentence took my breath away, but take my breath away it did. Whew.

Now, on to providing positive leadership for my institution of Higher Ed for the day......

I completed Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz this evening. Loved it.
Dropped it off at the library and picked up The Sense of an Ending and The Stranger's Child, both of which have been on hold for a while. I don't know if I can fit either of them into a December challenge, but I want to read them while I have them, so TIOLI may have to wait.

I don't think I've read a book that I couldn't fit into a challenge since sometime in the spring of 2011.......

I also put The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman on hold --- it will be a stretch for me.

I'm usually not a fan of short stories, but if both you and Darryl recommend Scenes from Village Life so highly, I'll have to give it a go.

Well, The Stranger's Child just looks so long!! Let me know what you think of it, if you get to it. I'm still on my so called Flavia- a -thon. Escapist fun reads! ;) Just about finished A Red Herring Without Mustard

>36 labfs39: Lisa, although Scenes from Village Life is a series of short stories, they are set in the same village and the characters show up in multiple "stories" --- so, for me, it falls somewhere between a novel and a series of short stories.

I completed Scenes from Village Life last night and I'm still mulling over the final "story," which was an outlier. Dystopian in tone (heck, downright dismal), it wasn't clear to me who was narrating it of what the time frame was. Still, Oz's message seemed pretty clear.....

I started The Sense of an Ending last night. It pulled me in pretty quickly.

>37 vancouverdeb: Deb, yes I had the same reaction to The Stranger's Child, but since I'm currently reading my 75th book for the year (cheers in background), I feel comfortable settling in with a longer read for early December. I do still have a few that I hope to get to for various TIOLI challenges, along with Petals of Blood for the Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Author Theme Read.

I seem to be on a more serious reading run (The Franchise Affair being the exception), and will need to mix in at least one escapist novel for December. :-)

Congratulations on 75! You deserve an escapist novel after your achievement. What do you like to read for pure escape?

Congrats on getting to your 75th, Ellen.

Thanks for the congrats, Lisa and Judy.

My purest escape would be Lee Child or John D. MacDonald. I also like Donna Leon or other similar mysteries. I read fewer of these than I used to because I'm trying to exercise my brain and expand my horizons, but those will always likely be my go-to when I need a complete mental break. Not mental breakdown. :-)

eta: I'm anxious to try Graham Greene as I think he may fall into the fun escape reading category.

Ohh Congratulations, Ellen, on getting to Number 75!!! As you can see on my thread - I'm in an extended escapist read a thon!!!;) Once I finish I am Half -Sick of Shadows I hope to get back to something that will expand my horizons - though I cannot say that Flavia and her adventures have not expanded my horizons!;)

Cheers for reaching 75! :)

Congratulations at hitting 75 books, Ellen!

I'll also be interested to hear your thoughts on The Stranger's Child. I can't decide if it'll be one for me or not. I keep taking it off, and then putting it back on, my wishlist!

Still, Oz's message seemed pretty clear.....

You'll have to share with me what that is, because I wasn't able to make it out on my own. And the sentence you quote completely escaped my attention, so I'm glad you brought it up here.

I think it's great that you want to read books and make up your own mind on them despite the fact that I some people HATE don't necessarily like them. ;-)

I discovered Lee Child this year, and yes, he's the perfect escape, especially as I listen to the audio version and can float along the narrator's voice. He does a good job too. Donna Leon, I started reading a couple of years back (maybe more) and I quite like her, but I've just never really felt gripped by any I've read so far. I have several more in my piles here that I'll get to eventually. Have given them a break for a while so maybe when I try again I'll feel differently about them? I like... but can't seem to LOVE, is all.

Ilana, I completely agree that Lee Child is more gripping than Donna Leon. Her novels (and I've only read a couple of them) are enjoyable and fun, but they don't suck me in and refuse to let go. :-)

I'm working on framing the message I got from Scenes from Village Life. Truly, the last story was an enigma and, perhaps, I just tried to make it make sense.

I completed The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes this evening. I gave it four stars. I liked it a lot, but I wonder if men, on average, resonate more intimately with the narrator and the narration. There are some passages that I'll quote this weekend (time for bed now...).

SEVENTY-FIVE completed! Hooray for me! :-)

#76 will be The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst.

One more day of my work-week and then I'm looking forward to putting up holiday lights, reading, going for a run, reading some more.....

Ellen- Congrats on 75!! Yah! I'll be picking up my copy of The Sense of an Ending soon and plan to start it over the weekend. I have not yet read Hollinghurst.

Congratulations on 75 Ellen! Too bad it had to land on such a terrible book though. ;-)

I might give Hollinghurst another chance with The Swimming-Pool Library eventually, but that would only be because Samuel West does the narration on the audio version!

Hooray for reaching 75, Ellen. I'm going to have to fit The Sense of An Ending in somewhere eventually.

Whew, yesterday was quite a day. I worked ten hours straight through, running from meeting to meeting, and only took a couple of pee breaks. I was pretty tired last night so after dinner I didn't even read; we (re)watched one of our favorite brain-candy movies.

On my bus ride in, I was reading The Stranger's Child and thinking I might have to invoke Nancy Pearl's rule for giving up on a book. But on the bus ride home in the evening, tired as I was, the characters started coming together a bit and I found myself enjoying it. I'll continue to read it today but reserve the right to bail if I don't find it to my liking. It's a library book and my reading time is too precious.

Thanks for the congratulations, everyone!

A few passages that I particularly liked in The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes:

Regarding youth: "In those days, we imagined ourselves as being kept in some kind of holding pen, waiting to be released into our lives. And when that moment came, our lives -- and time itself -- would speed up. How were we to know that our lives had in any case begun, that some advantage had already been gained, some damage already inflicted? Also, that our release would only be into a larger holding pen, whose boundaries would be at first undiscernible."

Regarding history and responsibility for a war (in the words of Adrian Finn): "It seems to me that there is -- was -- a chain of individual responsibilities, all of which were necessary, but not so long a chain that everybody can simply blame everyone else. But, of course, my desire to ascribe responsibility might be more a reflection of my own cast of mind than a fair analysis of what happened. That's one of the central problems of history, isn't it, sir? The question of subjective versus objective interpretation, the fact that we need to know the history of the historian in order to understand the version that is being put in front of us."

"When you're young -- when I was young -- you want your emotions to be like the ones you read about in books. You want them to overturn your life, create and define a new reality. Later, I think, you want them to do something milder, something more practical: you want them to support your life as it is and has become."

You can find my review (finally!) of The Elephant's Journey here.

Ilana, a warning --- bedbugs come up in the novel (but not in my review). :-)

Hi Ellen! Though I am reading Out Stealing Horses at the moment, your passages from The Sense of Ending have piqued my interest... and I've got the book both on my kindle and in physical form ;) You know how these things can happen every now and then:) I'm glad that you are enjoying The Stranger's Child. Off to read your review..

Loved your review Ellen—that's a thumbs up from me. I think elephants are pretty miraculous creatures. But then, I think that about most animals (except for bed bugs grrr)

Ellen- Excellent review of The Elephant's Journey. Bravo! I've only read one Saramago, Blindness, this one looks like it might be my next by him.

Hi Ellen, just saying hi and congratulations on reaching the magical 75!

Great review of The Elephant's Journey, Ellen. You hit the nail on the head when you say you can read it at any depth you wish. Some of Saramago's books are so allegorical that it's difficult to read it as a story, but more as a philosophical treatise. I've thinking of The Cave in particular. EJ is interesting and entertaining. Thumbs up!

Great review, Ellen; I never thought anyone could persuade me to try Saramago...but you've succeeded.

Very busy for the next couple of days and then off ony our trip. So, a very Happy Holiday Season to you and Miss Abby.

Deb, Ilana, Mark, Leonie, Lisa, and Gail:
Thanks for stopping by and for all the kind words about my review of The Elephant's Journey. I don't know if I'll ever enjoy another Saramago as much as I did this one, but I'm glad I've tempted a few folks to give it a try.

Life has been so incredibly hectic over the past week. Not bad, jut busy. I'm way behind on checking threads and my reading (oh that!!) is going quite slowly. I'm still enjoying The Stranger's Child but it's not a "can't put it down" sort of read.... I did check in on the "Orange January" thread(s) a little earlier and got completely overwhelmed with possible reads for January (isn't it just the 5th of December??). I'll get over that and will choose 3 or 4 that I can actually fit into the month, along with a shared read of The Secret River by Kate Grenville (I'm not forgetting you, Mark!).

Meanwhile, back to this month's reading! :-)

DP (sitting on the couch reading) just commented to me: "if you spend so much time on LT reading about reading, how will you ever get to the actual reading?"

Smart aleck.

Stopping by to say hi! As to your being a psychologist , Dave tells me that Susan, Spenser's girlfriend is a psychiatrist - but I'm not sure not having read them myself . Interesting profession that you are in! Do you have a private practice, of work in a particular area, such as a friend of mine , who worked as a particular capacity, and that is with people who had permanent physically injuries and needed vocational counseling and practical counseling as well. Because she herself has a permanent inherited physical challenge that keeps her in a wheel chair, it was really a calling for her.

And yes, indeed, how does one get any reading done if we are busy reading the threads! ;) I've been a bit busy with family birthday's - the nerve of some people having children in December! ( guilty! ) !;)

Hi Deb. I work in Higher Ed so my focus is college student mental health and college student development. I grew up on a college campus (Dad was a professor) so, like your friend, it was pretty much a calling for me.

Interesting ,Ellen. Student mental health is so important. There is so much pressure in during college/ university, and people are at very age that mental illness can makes it's presence known. BTW checked with my husband - Susan is indeed a psychologist! ;)

DP does have a very good point... I like it A LOT here, but I often think I should really cut back my time on LT so I can do things like read, not to mention all the stuff I've neglected (like artwork). *sigh*

Hope you're well.

I would comment, but I'm too far behind in my reading!

Well, today was an incredibly busy day at work. Then a wine-tasting at our neighborhood wine shop, dinner at the nearby pizzeria, then back on the computer to finish a document for work. It's the last week of classes, next week is finals week, then we get a little break. Of course, then I'll have budget reports to write, proposals for next year.....

Not complaining, just feeling like December is going to be a tough month for reading. I'm still enjoying The Stranger's Child even though I feel like it's slow going. Hopefully I can finish it this weekend. I'm kind of ready to crack open The Ghost Road which is sitting on my bedside table (and it's a library book so time is limited).

Isn't that just the problem with library books! I have an Early Reviewer book that just arrived, so I'd like to get to it right away, but I've also got a book that I've been waiting for finally arrive at the library for me. I found a lot of good books at the library too... The Stranger's Child which is on my shelf,but unread, is a long book... best of luck!

I finally completed The Stranger's Child. My review is here. I gave it three stars. In some respects, the novel deserves more stars than that; in others it deserves less. Three is a compromise.

Before going to sleep last night, I started The Ghost Road, which is a shared read with Lisa (and others?). I'm looking forward to this third book in Pat Barker's trilogy.

Re: Real Life. It's been a very hard week (and my reactions to Hollinghurst's novel may have suffered the consequences). We've had several crises to manage and I really felt the impact of being a "lean" organization. Most of the time, we have just enough to meet the demand for services; when one or two major crises develop, we don't have the bandwidth to respond as effectively as I'd like. I'm ready for that February vacation we have planned....

I feel like I'm perpetually behind in my reading. What I mean is, for example, I purchased and planned to read The Secret River by Kate Grenville for the Monthly Author Read thread --- for November. I still haven't gotten to it. I avidly followed the interesting discussion of this year's Booker nominees as the long-list was reduced to a short-list and finally to a winner. I put several of the novels on hold and have now read a couple of them (loved The Sense of an Ending and Pigeon English, The Stranger's Child, not so much), but that discussion has long since moved on.....

I've made a list of just three books I want to read for Orange January and I actually already OWN those three. Maybe that will help me participate in the moment......

Ellen- Sorry to hear RL has been a hassle. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday. A couple of us will be reading the Secret River, the middle of next month, if you want to tag along.

A thumb up for your review of The Stranger's Child. I might get to it eventually but I think I'll wait until it comes out in paperback, at least!

Looking forward to hearing about your Orange reads.

Yes, Mark -- The Secret River is on my Orange January list! It will be fun to participate in a GR for that one.

72> Thanks for the thumb!

I'm about halfway through The Ghost Road and so far it's my favorite of the trilogy. Rivers and Prior continue to be complex, interesting characters. The second in the trilogy gave us more insight into the psyche of Rivers, the psychologist whose job it is to treat young men experiencing various forms of shell shock - with the ultimate goal of getting them back to the front. This one continues to explore his history and his motivation, as well as the bitter determination of Prior, one of his (favorite) patients. The Eye in the Door was a more subtle work, but I'm greatly enjoying this one.

Well, Ellen,, I am making my way through A small furry prayer. On my thread you can see my thoughts, though I stilll have 100 pages to go. While it's fairly interesting, it heads in a lot unexpected directions, only loosely related to animal rescue. It's okay but not that great. I don't really feel a passion on the part of the author for animal rescue , but rather just something he is writing about from the view of investigative reporter, with a lot of other stuff added in!!

Glad you are enjoying Ghost Road. I'm not so sure I've got the correct touchstone there!

Ellen, I'm sorry to hear that things are difficult these days. Hope the pressure is alleviated before you get your holiday so that you can enjoy the time off and leave work behind for a while.

I was one of those mystery people who wanted to join you for The Ghost Road. I couldn't wait to start on The Elephant's Journey, but now I'm thinking maybe I should join you right away? I was quite wrapped up in the first two books and only read them originally after putting The Ghost Road on my wishlist, several years ago now. It's really slow going for me these days as far as print books go, probably because I don't give myself enough reading time. Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter ended up being a slog in the end, and so is The Haunted Bookshop, though I'm pushing myself to finish that one too, if only to complete one more TIOLI read.

You said a couple of days ago that you're always behind on your reading, and rest assured that you are far from being alone in that respect, especially around here. There are books I purchased several years ago and which I intended to read "right away" which are now buried along with all the other great stuff in my tbr. The key is to concentrate on what we happen to be reading at any one moment and not think about all the other books on our shelves. Easier said than done, I know, but it's good to remind ourselves that books don't have feeling and therefore don't feel hurt or annoyed, no matter how long it takes us to give them our full attention.

Hugs.

Ilana and Deb, thanks for stopping by and for the kind words. It helps to know that others "get it."

I'm home today with a sick cat. She's not very sick, but I need to monitor her and wait for a call from the vet regarding the blood tests. I know I'm being overly concerned and, truth be told, I'm taking some advantage of a lightly scheduled day at work. I will pay for this next week, when I have to slog through a couple of aversive projects, but for today I'm staying with Abby. It also means I'll get to read more than usual.

I'll certainly complete The Ghost Road this morning; it's an excellent read. Ilana, it's hard to say whether you should read it first or stay with your original plan to read The Elephant's Journey next. They're both excellent, in my book (ha ha), and neither is particularly long. I signed up for reading Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter this month, but I don't know if I'll get to it.

One thing I may do with my stay-at-home day is "organize" the TBR pile. Like, shouldn't all my books by Mario Vargas Llosa be together? :-)

I hope you enjoy your day off, Ellen, and that your furry friend feels better soon. I started The Ghost Road yesterday and am almost 1/2 way through. It is a fast and easy read so far, less philosophical than the others. I've learned a little more about Dr. Rivers (although I had forgotten the names of some of his family & friends, so it took me a minute to get mentally caught up), but Billy Prior has so far been at the status quo. I keep waiting for more to happen. It's good to know that you're enjoying it, I'll look forward to it getting better.

I so envy you your reading time. I'm caught squarely in the grip of the holiday season and am stressed out with shipping times, my nephews' wish lists, and trying to think of something to give my mom. Argh!

Hi Ellen, I'm another one behind in my reading of both books and threads this month. The Pat Barker trilogy has been on my radar (and WL) for several years now. Maybe in 2012, although I've been saying that too much lately. ;-)

I enjoyed your review of The Elephant's Journey. Wasn't that a great book? I'll definitely be reading more by Saramago next year. There I go again!

Your job sounds interesting. We had an incident at Missouri State a few days ago when an obviously overwhelmed student barged into a final exam and threatened the professor and ended up banging his (own) head against the wall. Fortunately, nothing terrible happened... but I do feel sorry for the students who are under such stress. That's why I audit my lone class each semester!

I hope Abby gets better soon. Sending lots of TLC for the two of you.

78: I agree that The Ghost Road is the least philosophical (and least subtle) of the three, and so far it's all about Rivers. That's being okay with me because I was interested in his history and motivation throughout the first two novels. But it will be interesting to see if we get any more real depth to (in? of? for?) Billy before the end of the tale. Regarding holiday shopping and deadlines, I'm in flat-out denial. I did buy some stocking stuffers yesterday.....

79: Hi Donna! Thanks for the kind words. I'm propped up in bed with the laptop and Abby is at my feet. She's not worrying/licking the spot on her leg that had gotten so raw, so that's good. Basically, I'm taking a day of leave in lieu of putting an Elizabethan collar on her for a day! I recommend the Regeneration Trilogy (definitely one to read in order, I think) and yes, I agree that The Elephant's Journey was a special read. The incident at Missouri State sounds all too familiar. The stress is tremendous, and too many college students have simply not learned good coping skills and have very low tolerance for frustration or "failure" -- by which I mean not complete failure, but the normal failure of everyday life.

Time to feed the birds and rustle up some breakfast for myself. :-)

Ellen- I read Regeneration a few years ago and would like to get back to the other 2 books. Should I reread the 1st? Or not?
Sorry to hear about the kitty!

Hi Mark. It was several months between my reading of the first and my reading of the second. I do think it's helpful to have some memory of the characters, but the novels stand alone, as well.

I just completed The Ghost Road about ten minutes ago. I know there is some controversy over whether this is the best of the three (it's the one that won the Booker). Much of its emotional power comes from the accumulated knowledge we gain of Rivers and Prior -- and the accumulated devastation of the war -- though the trilogy. In my opinion, this novel alone is good. As a finale for the trilogy, it's great.

I figured out how to stay caught up on threads and get some reading in while I'm at it: stay home from work. Huh. Simple enough.

>81 msf59: My vote would to definitely read them in order. It follows many of the same characters, and I found that Ghost Road didn't re-explain who is whom (see #78 above).

I figured out how to stay caught up on threads and get some reading in while I'm at it: stay home from work. Huh. Simple enough.

I hate to burst your bubble Ellen, but I'm a stay-at-home as you probably know and I can never manage to stay caught up with threads and get some decent reading time in, and never mind getting anything else done in the day. Which is why I keep falling behind on the threads and struggling to keep up all the time. I will have to make some kind of resolution not to keep griping about this in 2012, since obviously everybody here has the same problem. And as far as problems go, that's a pretty good one to have, obviously.

I started The Ghost Road last night as I said I would and am just a few chapters in. She certainly gets things off with a bang, and I admire her ability to... well, her fearlessness about mixing in such graphic sex and somehow managing not to make the thing crude. Or something. I can't find the words, probably because I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say.

I was lurking on my own thread earlier today and saw you offered to help with the Steinbeckathon, and my answer is: YES! I'll take you up on that. Basically, I get anxious at the very thought of organizing anything, anything at all (which is how I know I'm still not quite 'cured'—not that I expect to be anymore, this far down the line), but anyway, I feel lame about taking you up on such a silly thing, considering you're such a busy woman and I'm essentially a slacker, but truth is, as it stands, I was just giving up on the whole idea because just the thought of having anyone depend on me to come up with a plan and stick to it had me running for the door. Or had me in a fit. Or something. So yes. I'll try to make a more helpful response to your comment on my own thread and we can take it from there. I've just gotten super anxious writing this one paragraph. So yeah. Sheesh. Get a grip Ilana. :-s

Hope Abby is doing much better today and mommy doesn't have to worry anymore.

I completed The Graveyard Book in the wee hours this morning (insomnia - sigh). It was a fun read and I'll probably give it 3.5 or 4 stars. I'm not generally an avid fan of YA lit or kiddylit, but this was quite fun and just what I needed this week. Thanks for the recommendation, Mark!

I have no idea what I'm actually giong to read next. I got The Artist of Disappearance from the library, so I'll probably read that (it's a novella, should be quick) even though it doesn't fit into any TIOLI challenges as far as I can see. Books that I want to read in December that do fit into challenges are Petals of Blood and Half of a Yellow Sun. I have a ferry ride to Victoria planned for early tomorrow morning. Three hours of reading time! Hooray!
***************************

Abby got a clean bill of health from the vet. We need to change her food and keep an eye on her high-normal glucose and thyroid levels. She's just fussy these days and I am more and more convinced it's loneliness since we lost Edgar. She's happy as long as she has a lap to sit in.....
***************************

Ilana, we'll make the Steinbeck-a-thon happen! I've never organized any kind of group read, and have barely participated in them, but I'll put on my thinking cap and respond on your thread and we can develop a plan. One thing I know I have learned on LT is that folks are compassionate and kind. We don't have to be American Lit professors to pull it off.

I started reading The Artist of Disappearance this evening on the bus. Seven pages in, it's got a lot of promise....

Went to the "boutique" pet shop to get canned foods for Abby to try. She really likes her dry kibble, but this is a transition we have to get through. Jasmine, in the shop, was quite helpful and gave us some free samples to try out on the little tuxedo princess. Then it was to one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, a little French bistro. Yum. We have to get up very early to catch the ferry to Victoria for a one-night getaway. Books included. :-)

Ellen- I'm glad you enjoyed The Graveyard Book. Thanks for the help on the Steinbeckathon. It's to much work for one or 2 people. I may have inspired the idea but I think Ilana ran with it.

Hi Ellen, glad to hear you cat is OK. A Steinbeckathon sounds very interesting, I will keep my ears to the ground for that one.

Ellen, it looks like the Steinbeckathon is definitely taking shape. I retweaked the scheduling, which you'll find posted on both Mark's and my threads. If it passes your muster, then we're all set to go! Whoever it is came up with the idea first, you're the one that made it come together, so thanks for that. xx

Hey everyone. Back from a quick trip to Victoria, BC, where I managed to purchase only one book (but two pairs of shoes). It was a relaxing and fun two days.

I completed The Artist of Disappearance on the boat back to Seattle. It's three short novellas (or three long short stories), all set in various locations in India in roughly the current time. The first of the three I found to be quite forgettable.

The second one, "Translator Translated," was more intriguing. It concerns a somewhat marginalized and isolated English professor who translates a collection of short stories by an indigenous writer to apparently great acclaim. However, in her subsequent attempt to translate a novel by the same author, she encounters a significant literary and ethical dilemma. Her choice is interesting; the eventual outcome feels contrived and unsatisfying. Still, this story has stayed with me and I found myself thinking with somewhat raised consciousness about the English-language-centric dynamics of literature.

The final "novella," "The Artist of Disappearance," was my favorite. A hermit living in a burned out ruin of a house (and there's more about that) almost encounters mainstream society in the form of a trio of documentary filmmakers: not Hollywood, but capitalist story-seekers nonetheless. This beautiful little story explores the meaning of being in isolation and of being in connection, and of owning one's story. All three of Anita Desai's novellas richly evoke character, place, and time and they're definitely worth reading.

Gasp! Only one book from Victoria!; ) And you say you are contributing to the BC economy!;) It sounds like you got some interesting reading in on the ferry at least. I'm glad the weather cooperated, but I supposed you are used to out weather since it is also yours! I've just been busy with Christmas get togethers and this week I still need to shop...I do have a book on the go, but most of time is spent getting organized for Christmas just now.

Just copying the Steinbeck-a-thon list for anyone who'd like to join us in 2012!

January: Cannery Row (208*) - Ilana/Smiler69**
February: The Wayward Bus (288) - Mark/msf59
March: The Winter of Our Discontent (304) - Lynda/Carmenere
April: The Moon is Down (112) - Linda/lindapanzo
May: The Grapes of Wrath (496) - Ellen/EBT1002
June: Of Mice and Men (112) -
July: East of Eden (640) - Ellen
August: The Red Pony (112) - Ilana
September: In Dubious Battle (384) - Mark
October: Tortilla Flat (224) - Ellen
November: Travels With Charley and The Pearl (256 + 96) - Ilana
December: Sweet Thursday (288) - Mark

* approximate # of pages
** names indicate who will be heading up the threads and group reads (blanks are still tbd).

Hi Ellen, I'm glad you enjoyed your weekend in my home town of Victoria. I will heading over there on the day after Christmas to spend some time with my Mom and the rest of the family.

I will surely be joining in on a few of your Steinbeck reads - Travels With Charley, and perhaps re-reads of The Pearl and The Red Pony. Should be fun.

Well, how embarrassing. I went to a small gathering at our neighbor's house last evening and had a wonderful time -- and this morning I'm actually hung over. I don't think that's happened in a decade. Well, maybe not quite a decade, but it's a very unusual experience for me at this stage of my life. Not all that pleasant, I must say.

It also means I didn't do any reading last evening. I've read just one chapter of Petals of Blood and really hope to get more into it later today.

I'm a bit focused on planning for the first part of 2012 and realize that I'm going to have to keep a list if I'm going to stay organized. Here are the things to which I'm committed so far:

January
Wolf Hall - Orange January
Bel Canto - Orange January
The Tiger's Wife - Orange January
Cannery Row - Steinbeck-a-thon
Snow - Reading Globally (Europe IV - Turkey + The Balkans)
and possibly Swamplandia! - Orange January

February
The Wayward Bus - Steinbeck-a-thon
I Am a Cat - Author Theme Reads (1st Quarter Mini-Author: Soseki Natsume)
Deep River - Author Theme Reads (Year-long: Shusaku Endo)

March
The Winter of Our Discontent - Steinbeck-a-thon
Silence - Author Theme Reads (Year-long: Shusaku Endo)

April
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (Dickens GR)

I need to find some places to add in some Narrative Nonfiction after the lively discussion over on Darryl's thread and the "Books on the Nightstand" podcast about same. I'm not sure exactly which works I'll be reading.

Ellen- I love your January reading list! I wish I could join you on Bel Canto. Maybe, if you start it later in the month. I'm starting off with The Invisible Bridge, (which is a chunkster) and then the Secret River, which might be a G.R., I'm not sure yet.
I read and enjoyed Swamplandia earlier in the year.

96: Mark, I read The Invisible Bridge earlier this year and it did take some time to read. I thought it was good but not great. I have The Secret River in the pile by the bed..... I would like to try to read it with you and others in January..... we'll see how the month goes.

Updated list for Steinbeck-a-thon:

January: Cannery Row (208*) - Ilana/Smiler69**
February: The Wayward Bus (288) - Mark/msf59
March: The Winter of Our Discontent (304) - Lynda/Carmenere
April: The Moon is Down (112) - Linda/lindapanzo
May: The Grapes of Wrath (496) - Ellen/EBT1002
June: Of Mice and Men (112) - Brit/weejane
July: East of Eden (640) - Ellen
August: The Red Pony (112) - Ilana
September: In Dubious Battle (384) - Mark
October: Tortilla Flat (224) - Ellen
November: Travels With Charley and The Pearl (256 + 96) - Ilana
December: Sweet Thursday (288) - Mark

* approximate # of pages
** names indicate who will be heading up the threads and group reads (blanks are still tbd).

We have every month covered with a facilitator now, and I've purchased the books for the first three months.

I'm about 50 pages into Petals of Blood. I also came down with a cold today so my concentration is not what I'd like and this novel requires some focus. It's very good, so far!

I'm going to develop some confidence in posting images in my thread as we head into 2012 (which will be my second year on LT).

Hmmm, about that "Click to look inside"....

You need to remove the "click to look inside" piece of the image code so if you remove "_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_"

from the code

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417MEQM4DWL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticke...

you get

"http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417MEQM4DWL._BO2,204,203,200.jpg

which gives this



Or even easier go to the book cover page and copy the Image address that doesn't have the click to look inside

Can't edit the post and I'm no good at resizing images. I still hope this helps:)

Calm - that helped a lot! Thank you for stopping by and for giving me the tip.
Love the kitty pic on your profile, by the way.

I'm home today with a nasty cold. Abby thinks it's her Christmas present. I'm moving back and forth between sleep, LT, and reading Petals of Blood which has captivated my attention. It would be easier to read if my eyes weren't weepy and my brain full of cotton, but even in that condition, I'm very much enjoying it.

Here are the things to which I'm committed for 2012 so far:

January
Wolf Hall - Orange January
Bel Canto - Orange January
The Tiger's Wife - Orange January
Cannery Row - Steinbeck-a-thon
Snow - Reading Globally (Europe IV - Turkey + The Balkans)
and possibly Swamplandia! - Orange January

February
The Wayward Bus - Steinbeck-a-thon
I Am a Cat - Author Theme Reads (1st Quarter Mini-Author: Soseki Natsume)
Deep River - Author Theme Reads (Year-long: Shusaku Endo)

March
The Winter of Our Discontent - Steinbeck-a-thon
Silence - Author Theme Reads (Year-long: Shusaku Endo)
The Worst Hard Time - Narrative Nonfiction Group

April
David Copperfield - Dickens GR

I need to find some places to add in some Narrative Nonfiction after the lively discussion over on Darryl's thread and the "Books on the Nightstand" podcast about same. I'm not sure exactly which works I'll be reading.

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan has been on my TBR shelves for years. I'll read it in 2012 for the Narrative Nonfiction group. I read The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Egan in 2011 and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ellen- Sorry to hear you are sick. Bummer. Hope you recover quickly. A big holiday coming up, you know?
I'm glad you are considering doing some Narrative Nonfiction. NFF is redhot with me right now. The Worst Hard Time might be my favorite read of this year. I NEED to get a hold of the Big Burn. I might have to quit work and read full-time!

107: I might have to quit work and read full-time!
I'll join you!

If only someone could pay us to read! Wouldn't that be perfect?

Ellen, sorry to hear you've not been well today and hope you get better very soon.

I may very well join you for The Worst Hard Time, which I've been meaning to get to nearly all year.

This "narrative non-fiction" term is really confusing me. As far as I can tell, a lot of non-fiction would seem to fit into that category.

Ilana, I think you're probably right that a lot of NF would fit into this category, especially anything that those of us who tend more toward fiction would probably read. Did you listen to the Books on the Nightstand podcast? I thought it was helpful, but as I consider your point, I think it would be helpful if someone could identify some examples of NF that do NOT qualify as "narrative nonfiction." Maybe I'll raise that point over in the newly developing NNF group or thread or whatever it is.

I had planned to take today as a vacation day. Ha. It's going to be a sick day. I have to get to the UPS place and the grocery store, and I was hoping to go to Elliott Bay Books to get a present for our little grand-nephew (no, really!), and swing by the library to drop off some books for DP. We'll see how the day goes. I may spend it propped up in bed reading my book!

Take care of yourself, Ellen. Tea and a book sound like just the cure for what ails ya!

Examples of non-narrative non-fiction,

History of the Balkans, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by Barbara Jelavich
Estonia and the Estonians by Toivo Raun
The rape of Nanking : the forgotten holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang

As a historian, I have lots of examples :-)

Sorry to hear you're not doing so hot again today. I've slept in most of the day and now have my feet up and moving as little as I can. Only stirring to take Coco out for walks and making myself tea and whatnot.

You're right that most of us fiction readers are likely to be drawn to non-fiction that is of the narrative type. I'd guess most of my non-fiction fits into that category. Probably most of my art books wouldn't fit in there, and I can see how a lot of history books might not fit either, the ones that tend to be the drier kind.

Hope you've been getting plenty of R&R and didn't do too much running around!

I hope you are feeling better, Ellen. I am just dropping by to wish you the best for the holiday season. I will look forward to catching up with you in January when I return.

Merry Christmas, Ellen!

Merry Christmas Ellen!!

Wishing you all the very best Ellen! xox

It's a slow read (partly because of my cold and partly because of the holidays) but Petals of Blood is a remarkable novel. I'm over halfway though and the rhythm of the narrative was initially a bit uncomfortable for me; as I've gotten used to it and allowed myself to "go with it," I'm finding it to be a powerful and moving work. It's one for which I will definitely write a review when I complete it.

Merry Christmas, Ellen!

Happy Boxing Day Ellen!

I spent Boxing Day tucked up in bed and on the couch. The cold I had before Christmas really socked it to me - and I relapsed big time. The only good part of this is that I was able to read a lot and I completed Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. This was a remarkable novel of a small village in post-Independence Kenya. Three wealthy owners of a Brewery are murdered and four individuals are arrested under suspicion. Their interwoven stories, going back 12 years from the time of their arrests, unfold and are the story of a village in this era of Kenya's history. I'll write a full review later this week, but it's at least a 4.5-star read.

Thanks, everyone, for the holiday wishes --- and for the adorable boxing kitten, Ilana! :-)

I'm going to start Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tonight. If I can complete it by midnight on Saturday, I'll count it for my last read of 2011 and my last TIOLI challenge. Otherwise, it will be my first read of 2012 and will count toward Orange January!

Hope you feel much better soon Ellen. Do you have a bit of time off work to get back on your feet?

Glad you enjoyed your latest book so much. Half a Yellow Sun is one of those books that just might stay on my shelves for a while, but I'll be looking out for your comments once you're done with it.

Well, sheesh, another day at home sick. I'm getting pretty tired of this. BUT, it has meant more time reading and more time on LT. Someone on another thread (Mark, perhaps?) referred to LT as a "time suck," which it definitely is. But it's one of my favorite time-sucks out there.

I'll be continuing to read Half of a Yellow Sun today which I'm finding quite enjoyable. I have a feeling it's about to get rough..... P said she started it last year and had to put it down, but her threshold for gritty content is lower than my own.

I also plan to make some notes and spell out my planned reading for January. It does keep shifting, especially with TIOLI coming out. I'm trying to decide what I want to read for Madeline's challenge - something set in one of the Southern states mentioned in MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. I'm normally a fan of Southern lit, having grown up in Florida and having roots in Tennessee, but I'm feeling a bit overbooked for January.....

Sorry to see you are home sick Ellen, but at least you have a good book to spend time with! I am hoping to get to Half of a Yellow Sun in January for the Orange January thread. Looks pretty great! Hope you enjoy it!

Feel better!

I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling miserable, and am sending you powerful "get well!" vibes.

Thanks, Chelle and Roni. Thank goodness for OJ, a cuddly cat, and a good book! And cough drops.... :-|

In order to accommodate some TIOLI reads, I'm switching around my early 2012 plans. Now, I think this is what I'm doing:

January
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Challenge #1
Wolf Hall - Orange January and Challenge #6
Bel Canto - Orange January and Challenge #6
The Tiger's Wife - Orange January and Challenge #6
The Worst Hard Time - Narrative Nonfiction Group and Challenge #11
Cannery Row - Steinbeck-a-thon and Challenge #1
Swamplandia! - Orange January and Challenge #10

February
The Wayward Bus - Steinbeck-a-thon
I Am a Cat - Author Theme Reads (1st Quarter Mini-Author: Soseki Natsume)
Deep River - Author Theme Reads (Year-long: Shusaku Endo)
Snow - Reading Globally (Europe IV - Turkey + The Balkans)

March
The Winter of Our Discontent - Steinbeck-a-thon
Silence - Author Theme Reads (Year-long: Shusaku Endo)

April
David Copperfield - Dickens GR
The Moon is Down - Steinbeck-a-thon

Whew. I finally wrote my REVIEW of Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. This was a really challenging book to review. I gave it 4.5 stars and I highly recommend it. Reading it was much easier than writing a review. :-)

Hi there Ellen!
STARRED !


Better late than never?
Congrats on 75!
Sorry this cold has been a nasty one and getting you down - at least (like you say) you have time to read and cuddle with Abby.

You are inspiring me to try a little organization for my 2012 reading. May need a few more sticks of dynamite well placed nudges to get started. I'm usually a moody reader. I read what moves me at the moment. But I need a NY resolution I can break ;-)

Glad you found me, Cee! So far, 2012 is looking waaaay more planned than any year ever before. We'll see how well I stick with it. Like you, I like to read what I'm in the mood to read.

Ellen- Sorry your cold is still dragging you down! Hopefully, you are starting to feel better. I like your January To-do List! It's impressive and good luck with it!

Ellen, poor dear, I certainly hope you get all better soon, though perhaps you are better by now?

I've been spending a lot of time trying to finish up my 2011 reads so I can start the new year with 'fresh' books.

I see you organizing your reading year, which is tempting me to do the same. I've already mapped out the various group reads that are already set between this group and 12/12, plus the Steinbeckathon of course—for which I will try to read all the books we've chosen save for Grapes of Wrath which I loved reading this year and want to re-read eventually, but maybe not so soon. Then there's a selection of books that some of you chose for me of course. Beyond that, I'm not sure I want to define my choices, other than I'm going to really try to read from my shelves as much as possible (we'll see how that goes...)

In theory (and in fact, really), I'm still working my way through Half of a Yellow Sun. It's a wonderful novel but I'm having a hard time sticking with it ---- partly this dastardly cold, partly the holidays, partly too much actual work to do, and partly just, well, the novel is dragging a bit for me. I spent two hours at the auto service place today (we had nails in two of our tires -- how does that happen????) waiting and waiting and waiting...... I had my book and thank goodness for that, but I was really bored and restless by the time they were ready to give me my keys and send me on my way.

I think part of it is having been laid up for a week or so. My legs are *twitchy* for a run! Perhaps the day after tomorrow. (*cough* *cough* --- still.)

ETA: Oh, and part of my slowness is that we rented "Victoria and Albert", the A&E production, and watched it over the past couple of evenings. Very nice.

I've added my list of completed books to the first entry in this thread so I can edit my profile with only my favorite reads of the year.

Ellen, this is my final go-round on the 2011 group, I wish you a very Happy New Year! See you in 2012!

Happy New Year Ellen, see you in the new 2012 group.