Chelle (gogs81) joins the Orange Group

I am fairly new to following the Orange Prize. My goal is to incorporate a few winners into my yearly reading and to read a few off of the short and long lists as well.

From the winners I have read:
2002 winner Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2005 winner We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Added April 2012)
2006 winner On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Added July 2013)
2007 winner Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (added September 2013)
2008 winner The Road Home by Rose Tremain (added August 2013)
2010 winner The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (added July 2012)
2011 winner The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht (added January 2012)
2012 winner The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (added January 2013)
2013 winner May We Be Forgiven by AM Holmes (added March 2016)
2017 winner The Power by Naomi Alderman (added March 2018)
2018 winner Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

From the Short Lists I have read:
1997 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
1999 The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
2001 The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (added January 2013)
2004 Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
2005 Old Filth by Jane Gardam (Added February 2013)
2007 The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (added January 2012)
2011 Room by Emma Donoghue
2012 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (added June 2012)
2012 Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan (added January 2013)
2013 Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (read 2012)
2013 Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (added May 2013)

From the Long List I have read:
2003 The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
2004 The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2005 Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (added July 2012)
2010 The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2013 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Read 2012)
2018 Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2018)
2019 An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (2019)

2020 Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
2020 Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Winners:
1996 A Spell of Winter Helen Dunmore
1997 Fugitive Pieces Anne Michaels
1998 Larry's Party Carol Shields
1999 A Crime in the Neighborhood Suzanne Berne
2000When I lived in Modern Times Linda Grant
2001 The Idea of Perfection Kate Grenville
2002 Bel Canto Ann Patchett
2003 Property Valerie Martin
2004 Small Island Andrea Levy
2005 We Need to Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver
2006 On Beauty Zadie Smith
2007 Half of a Yellow Sun Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2008 The Road Home Rose Tremain
2009 Home Marilynne Robinson
2010 The Lacuna Barbara Kingsolver
2011 The Tiger's Wife Tea Obreht
2012 The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller
2013 May We Be Forgiven a.m. Homes
2014 A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing Eimear McBride
2015 How to be Both Ali Smith
2016 The Glorious Heresies Lisa McInerney
2017 Power Naomi Alderman
2018 Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
2019 An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
2020 Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Hi Chelle, and welcome! Looks like some nice reading in your future. :)

Hello Chelle; love your orange tidbit; it is REALLY Orange!
Of the books in your 'sights' I have read: Half of a Yellow Sun, The Lacuna and The Secret Life of Bees. I liked them all quite well but loved The Secret Life of Bees. That one just really spoke to me.
Good luck with your Oranges. See ya on the threads.

What a great bunch of reading you have in store! Welcome to the group, Chelle.

Also, I hope I'm not being nosey, but I'm curious how you pronounce your name. I like to be correct even if I'm talking to myself!

Thanks Laura :)

It's actually just short for Michelle, my friends are lazy and just leave the "Mi" part off :)

>6 ChelleBearss:: aha, thanks!

Hi, Chelle! Welcome! You have great reading ahead of you! ~Jill

Another great list of Oranges that I haven't read! I look forward to seeing what you read!

Hi Chelle! (Your name reminds me of a song by Michelle Shocked where she refers to herself as 'Chelle'!)

I loved The Secret Life of Bees (like our Miss Belva) and have had The Invisible Bridge in my sights for sometime. Whatever you choose, Happy Reading!

#8 Thanks Jill! Looks like you have a good group here!

#9 Thanks Lori! I have only picked one book for January so far, I think the rest will end up being random.

#10 Hi Cate! There is such a great list to chose from that it actually makes it harder to pick where to start!

Hi Chelle, it's good to see you here. I hope you enjoy your Orange January reading and look forward to hearing how you get on!

Hi, Chelle. I love that orange graphic too - very dramatic.
I've read a few on your proposed list and see a few that I haven't ever explored. My advice: If you want fun, go with The End of Mr. Y; if you want moving, consuming story (but not great style), go with The Invisible Bridge; if you want it all, go with The Lacuna! Anyway, enjoy!

Hi Chelle, good luck with the Orange reads ahead of you. I'm rarely disappointed in the books on the shortlist and, of course, the winners. I haven't read too many of the longlist books, but plan to make some progress in 2012.

I'll second Peggy's recommendation for The Lacuna!

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht
Read for 75 books in 2012, Orange January/July, 12 in 2012:Category #6) Who?: Authors I have not read before

Author stats: Female/Serbian-American
Pages: 338
Genre: fiction, historical, mystery
Medium: trade paperback
Acquisition: January 2012
Date Completed: January 4, 2012
Rating: 4.5

Natalia had a special relationship with her grandfather; friend, confidant, conspirator. Many years they spent together taking walks to the local zoo to spend time at the tiger enclosure, or spending hours reading out of The Jungle Book that he always had in his pocket throughout his life.

Natalia becomes a doctor, like her grandfather, in an unnamed Balkan country that has seen many years of war. While on a mission to help orphans in a neighbouring country she finds out that her grandfather has died, supposedly while enroute to visit her. While on her way to try and find out what happened to him and get his personal belongings back, the reader is treated to flashback stories from his youth and throughout his amazing life.

"Everything necessary to understand my grandfather lies between two stories: the story of the tiger's wife, and the story of the deathless man. These stories run like secret rivers through all the other stories of his life --- of my grandfather's days in the army; his great love for my grandmother; the years he spent as a surgeon and a tyrant of the University. One, which I learned after his death, is the story of how my grandfather became a man; the other, which he told to me, is of how he became a child again."

The story jumps from present day to flashbacks without defined lines and without any difficulty to follow the route Obreht was taking. She writes an almost magical tale of love and mystery, but while there is graphic content that had me wincing she still had me entranced. I loved how she left many things open for the reader to draw their own conclusions. I was amazed to read the author bio afterwards and find out this was her debut novel at the young age of 26! Amazing work for such a young author.

eta: spelling fixed

Nice review, Chelle! I have this to read and have been a bit put off by mixed reviews but yours does make it sound enticing. I also remember being tempted by Citizenjoyce's review last year.

Hi Michelle! May I call you that!Thanks for the great review of The Tiger's Wife. It's one of the few 2001 Orange Contenders that I have not read....

I loved The Tiger's Wife too, when I read it last year. Like you, Chelle, I didn't find the flashbacks and various plotlines difficult to follow, but I know that is one of the criticisms of the book. Personally, I loved how the seemingly unrelated stories about various people all fit together in the end.

Thanks Dee. I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first but I really got into it yesterday and finished 200 pages of it in one day. Didn't want to put it down towards the end

Hi Deb, You can call me Michelle, Chelle, Shelly, or gogs ... whatever one pleases you :) Hope all is well in your world, hope to see you back on LT more when life slows down for you.

Cait, the stories and how they related was one thing that bothered me at first, until she made her point. There were a couple times, like the story of Luka and the music, where I thought "how is this relevant', but of course it all makes sense with a little patience.

Awesome review, Chelle! The Tiger's Wife is on my list for this year - hopefully sooner than later.

The Tiger's Wife was one of my top five reads in 2011. I thought it was, well....magical!

Thanks Nancy! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. Now I have to figure out what to read next ...Too...Many...Options!!

Linda it really was magical! I loved the story of the deathless man

OK, so now I am convinced to add The Tiger's Wife to this years reading, although I was previously not in a hurry to read it. Thanks for the enticing review.

Just as soon as I finish Fall on Your Knees, I'm jumping into The Tiger's Wife. Thanks for more encouragement!

Nice review and I will be keeping The Tiger's Wife in mind as I work my way through the Oranges!

Great review, The Tiger's Wife just got nudged a few spots closer to the top of the wishlist.

10) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
Read for 75 books in 2012, 12 in 2012:Category #7) Morbid thoughts: 1001 Books to Read Before I Die , 1001 Books to read before you die, Orange January/July

I won't be posting a review about this novel as I didn't enjoy it. I can see why others would like it and I can understand why it won the awards that it did; interesting story, strong characters, insights into human nature, love and violence, etc. However, all that said I just did not like it.

I agree about Inheritance of Loss. I had a very difficult time getting through that book. I appreciated the writing but I'm not anxious to read another Kiran Desai

I also agree about Inheritance. But I do LOVE your book cover. :)

28 I could totally see why the book won awards, but it just didn't work for me

29 I think that cover is why I bought the book many years ago, but I've picked it up and tried to read it a couple times and put it down again. I now know why lol

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Read for 75 books in 2012,
12 in 2012:Category #11) Grape Vine: Books found from recommendations on LT,
Orange January/July
5*

It's always amazing when you pick up a book and from the first page in you don't want to put that book down. It's even more amazing when the book covers a horrible ugly topic that would make anyone want to shy away from that book, but yet it still somehow draws you in. This was the way I felt about We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Told in epistolary form with Eva writing letters to Franklin about their life and their family and how it all went wrong. Eva wasn't sure if she wanted children and after she had Kevin she realized that she felt nothing. Even moments after his birth when she was given Kevin to hold she realized that she didn't feel the feelings that she should have ... and the feeling was mutual from Kevin. From day one he was a screaming, plotting nightmare of a child. But could she have known what he would eventually become? Could she have prevented murder?

This book is torture for anyone who wants kids, isn't sure about wanting kids or has children that aren't grown up. Recommended to those that can handle tough, gritty situations and not recommended for pregnant women!!

"This book is torture for anyone who wants kids, isn't sure about wanting kids or has children that aren't grown up." And this is why I think Kevin might be the Orange Prize winner I never read! Nice review though.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Read for 75 books in 2012,
12 in 2012:Category #9) Chunky Monkeys: Books over 500 pages long
Orange January/July
3.75*

I have seen many amazing reviews and glowing recomendations for this novel and if I hadn't seen all those wonderful reviews I probably would have Pearl Ruled this book at page 50. This is very hard novel to get into due to Mantel's choppy writing in the beginning, the dense subject matter and many, many characters to keep straight. Not to mention the way Mantel keeps refering to Cromwell as "he" in places that could be confused with other characters. I think this would be much more enjoyable to someone who has a good grasp on the history behind the novel.

It took much effort and will power (and some peeks at the tutored thread hosted by Chatterbox and Smiler69) that I stuck through it. It took me six days to finish the first three hundred pages but after about two hundred pages the story starts to flow smoothly. I gobbled up the last three hundred and fifty pages in one night. Once I got a handle on the characters and the style of writing then the story really took hold for me. By the end I realized that I had really enjoyed the book and especially the way Mantel makes Cromwell funny in a deadpan sort of way. "If Anne were my wife, he thinks, I'd go out for the afternoon. She looks haggard, and she cannot stay stil; you wouldn't trust her near a sharp knife."

I really look forward to picking up Bring up the Bodies!

"If Anne were my wife, he thinks, I'd go out for the afternoon." That was one of my favorite lines in the book as well.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Read for 75 books in 2012,
12 in 2012:Category #6) Who?: Authors I have not read before
Orange January/July
4*

I found this novel hard to put down, which was what I desperately needed right now!
Jackson Brody is a private investigator that has been approached by three different people looking for his help to bring to a close three quite old events. Two sisters are looking to Brody helplessly to solve the thirty-four year old disappearance of their baby sister; a father is in need of closure after the ten year past murder of his favorite daughter; a woman wants help finding a missing person twenty-five years after her sister murdered her husband.
I loved the way Atkinson wove these very different families and stories and brought Brody's own history into the story. I ended up guessing the ending in only one of the three stories and I was quite intrigued by the ending. I will be picking up the rest of this series at some point

I really like this series. Atkinson does such a great job of bringing the stories together. And of course, Jackson Brodie. The was a BBC 3 part movie shown on PBS that covers the first three books.

I loved this book too! I need to finish the series at some point.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Read for 75 books in 2012,
12 in 2012:Category #9) Chunky Monkeys: Books over 500 pages long.
Orange January/July
3.5*

I am amazed that there are so many awesome books out there that start terribly. Award winning books that are an absolute bore for far too long before turning into something worth reading. The Lacuna was this way in my opinion. Terribly slow to begin and had me wondering what the story could possibly be about that was worth reading. At least one hundred pages went by before I actually cared about the story line but thankfully by page 300 or so it became a book I didn't want to put down.

I find this novel extremely hard to summarize without giving away much of the plot. It's a complex and complicated book with quite a point to make. I found that it took most of the book for some of the points from the beginning to make sense.

One quote stuck with me after I closed the book.
"Why does a person spend money on a stamp, to spout bile at a stranger?"

Recommended to those that have a lot of patience for slow moving books.

Whenever I hear/read that someone is starting The Lacuna, I always say: "Stick with it." It does have a slow beginning but a worthwhile ending. =)

Well It's January once again and time to revive this thread! Over the next couple days I'll be figuring out which books I'll be able to fit in this month!

Hi Chelle! Thought I'd stop by and say hi and Happy New Year! I admit, The Lacuna was one of Barbara Kingsolver 's books that I simply could not seem to get through. Maybe one day....

I plan to read at least one Orange this month, but as yet I'm sure which one it will be. I've had a couple of busy days , and my current book is going very slowly, mainly because of the holidays being busy! Great to " see you."

I love Kingsolver and have read pretty much everything else she has written but I have never been able to get very far with Lacuna. I am determined to read it this month though!

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge: Prize winners (Booker or Orange Prizes),
Orange January/July
4.5*

Madeline Miller tells the tale of The Iliad through Patroclus' point of view and in my opinion does a superb job! I listened to an audio version that was narrated by Frazer Douglas and I could listen to him talk all day! Such a fine job of narrating a very interesting story.

Good to 'see' you again Chelle. I actually know another Chelle.
I loved The Lacuna and am awaiting my number to come up in the queue at the library for The Song of Achilles. Have been anxiously waiting to read that one.
Happy Orange reading this year. :-)

#43 I really enjoyed that one too.

I'm glad that you enjoyed The Song of Achilles, Chelle; it was one of my favorite novels of 2012.

9) The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge: Canadian Authors,
Orange January/July
1001 Books to read before you die
Booker Prize
4.5*


12) Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge: Prize winners (Booker or Orange Prizes),
Orange January/July
Booker Prize
4*

When my number finally came up at the library for The Song of Achilles I sat down and read it straight through in two days. I loved it. It was a 4 1/2 star read for me as it was for you. Great minds and all that ;-)
I have yet to read The Blind Assassin but it is on my list for 2013.
Half Blood Blues is perhaps the best book I have read this year. I loved the reading of that one so very much. A 5+ star read for me.
You picked some really good ones. Glad you had a good Orange January.

21) Old Filth by Jane Gardam (3.5*)
Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge: Authors that are new to me
Orange January/July

This isn't normally the type of book that I would enjoy but I found Gardam really managed to make me stick around for the ride. Doesn't quite live up to the hype that I've been seeing about it, but I did find it quite enjoyable and I'm glad that I read it. Nice solid read!

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (4.5*)

Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge: Canadian Authors
Orange Prize Shortlist
Booker Prize Shortlist
Atwood April


Orxy and Crake reads like a mixture of science fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction and Atwood herself calls it speculative fiction. Call it whatever you want, I'm calling it awesome! Atwood has an amazing mind and this book is full of her creativity and wit.

Snowman, also know as Jimmy in his past life, is struggling to survive in a world that has been destroyed by plague. The only company that he has are the Children of Crake, human-like creations that have been created by Snowman's old friend Crake to live harmoniously with each other without hatred or lust. They bring Snowman food and he teaches them about the world that they have been thrust into.

Snowman narrates through flashbacks to his childhood and the time prior to the plague and the present, where he is running out of food and has limited protection from the hybrid predators, like wolvogs, rakunks and pigoons, that were released from captivity during the plague.

As you can imagine from this terribly written review this is a very difficult book to summarize without giving away too much information about the plot. If you like science fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction or speculative fiction then I recommend this book to you!

You are reading some of the really good Oranges this year. I started out really good in January but when I began reading this year's long list, it quickly became rather mediocre. I loved The Light Between Oceans and I quite enjoyed The Forrests but the others I've read have been likeable; nothing special.

Wondering what you are planning to read in Orange July? It's almost upon us.

Hi Belva
I actually have no idea! Hopefully I'll be able to fit in at least one this month

I will look forward to seeing which one you choose Chelle.

Updating my thread with this years long/short and winner:

Read in 2012

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn


Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Read in May


Life after Life by Kate Atkinson (4*)

Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge:Books from my Kobo eReader
Orange Prize Shortlist

I think I am going to try and read On Beauty this month as long as my hold at the library comes in! :)

On Beauty by Zadie Smith (4*)
Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge: Prize winners (Booker or Orange Prizes)


This was my first novel by Zadie Smith and I found it very enjoyable and really easy to get into. I will be grabbing White Teeth as soon as possible.

The Road Home by Rose Tremain (4*)
Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge: Prize Winners

This was a book that I had a bit of trouble getting into for the first 40 pages but once I got in I didn't want to put it down. Lev is a wonderful character and I didn't want to put the book down because I needed to find out what happens to him in the end. I can see why Tremain won prizes with this nove

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (4.5*)
Read for:
75 Books Challenge for 2013,
2013 Category Challenge: Prize winners (Booker or Orange Prizes)
1001 Books to read before you die
Orange January/July

I really enjoyed this novel even though I don't know much of the history behind the book. As with any book based on conflict it will pull at your heartstrings quite a bit! I was impressed with Adichie's story telling abilities. She made the history portions seem completely part of the story and if you didn't know that this was based on true events you could believe that this was a complete work of fiction.

May We Be Forgiven by AM Holmes
Read for:
Orange January/July

2018 Longlist for Women's Prize in Fiction:

🌺H(A)PPY by Nicola Barker
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon
Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig
🌺Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
Sight by Jessie Greengrass
🌺Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife by Meena Kandasamy
Elmet by Fiona Mozley
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert
🌺Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
The Trick to Time by Kit de Waal
🌺Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

(🌺ones I am most interested in.
🌼ones I have finished)

Interesting choices! I haven't read any so I think I need to get going.

The four I would like to start with are:
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

The rest I haven't taken a look at yet but will try to soon.

Those are the four I've read! I actually listened to all of them except Home Fire which I read as a paper book. Enjoy!

>62 Yells: Hi Yells! I also need to get going! I just started Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and it's interesting so far!

>64 raidergirl3: Hi Raidergirl3. Good to know the audios were decent! I'm thinking of trying some on audio as well.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge 16 - A book about mental health
Women's Prize for Fiction
I love when I have expectations of a book going into reading it and get blown away by how wrong my initial judgement is. When I picked this up I thought it was going to be fluff about about a very odd female who’s strict routine is affected when she inadvertently lets a man into her sheltered life. That is the basics but it is so much more. Eleanor has secrets in her past that are still affecting her everyday life and she isn’t as simple as she seems.
4* and highly recommend

I loved Eleanor Oliphant so much. I agree, my expectations going in were exceeded. I thought the friendship between Eleanor and the guy was so wonderful.

I can't wait for that one to come in at the library.

I am just finishing Sing, Unburied, Sing and I am a little underwhelmed. Beautiful writing but the story isn't quite capturing my attention. A Boy in Winter was good though.

25) The Power by Naomi Alderman
2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge 15. A book about feminism
75 Books Challenge for 2018

This was a five star read for me and it sucked me in from page one. The premise of what would happen if women ruled the world isn't a new idea but Alderman writes it in such a creative and thought provoking way.
I don't often read literature that is based in feminism as I find that sometimes it can be very "women are good, men are bad", but I loved the way that Alderman shows that power can corrupt man and woman equally.

“The shape of power is always the same: it is infinite, it is complex, it is forever branching. While it is alive like a tree, it is growing; while it contains itself, it is a multitude. Its directions are unpredictable; it obeys its own laws. No one can observe the acorn and extrapolate each vein in each leaf of the oak crown. The closer you look, the more various it becomes. However complex you think it is, it is more complex than that. Like the rivers to the ocean, like the lightning strike, it is obscene and uncontained.”

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
75 Books Challenge
ROOT challenge
Women's Prize for Fiction 2019 Longlist
Pop Sugar Challenge: 28 - a book recommended by a celebrity you admire (Opera's Book Club)

I wasn't sure, originally, if I was going to be able to read it as it had two strikes against it in the first few pages. I found it very annoying that the pages were rough cut and uneven and the first few pages were full of clichés. I put it down for a few days and picked it up as an ebook instead and that made quite a difference. I was at 16% after putting the kids to bed and ended up staying up until 1am to finish it! It's not often anymore that I will risk being exhausted when the kids wake me up!
5🌟

2021 Pop Sugar Challenge:8) A book that has won the Women's Prize For Fiction (2018)
52 Book Club 2021 Challenge:Mar 8-14 ~ 10. Related to the word “fire”
Women's Prize for Fiction (winner)
Booker Prize (long list)
75 Books Challenge for 2021
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Every once in a while I delay picking up a book because it intimidates me or because I'm being a book snob. If it's too popular that must mean that it's fluffy and I won't enjoy it. If it has won too many awards therefore it must be too difficult or too deep and I won't enjoy it. Usually I end up reading it years later and end up kicking myself for not reading it sooner. This is one that I should have picked up when I saw how many friends raved about it. I couldn't put it down and my heart was pounding when I read the last page.

Two longlisted books that I've read and didn't realize they were on the list

2020 Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
2020 Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams