Orange Letterpress

This year I'll be attempting to keep my Oranges in line with the themes I've set for my 12 in 12 challenge. Interesting theory, but oranges tend to roll about so who knows how it will all end up. The one rule I'm determined to stick to is no rereads. So then, the TBR/wishlist contenders are...

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
The Great Stink by Clare Clark
The Hunter by Julia Leigh
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Accordion Crimes by E. Annie Proulx
The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox
The Road Home by Rose Tremain
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
The Russian Dreambook Of Colour And Flight by Gina Ochsner
The Inheritance Of Loss by Kiran Desai
A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald
Small Island by Andrea Levy
The Accidental by Ali Smith
Great House by Nicole Krauss
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

I'm hoping to read at least one Orange a month, more for January and July. My theme for January is books of crime and foul deeds, so I'm thinking Alias Grace and Case Histories...

Welcome! Those two books are great choices!

Yes, both Alias Grace and Case Histories would fit the bill! Enjoy! ~Jill

Excellent choices for January.

Love your Orange theme pic and you have some really good books choices. I can't wait to get down to picking mine.

I've read a few on your list. A Short History of Tractors was a surprise like for me - was put off by the title, but was not at all what I thought it would be. Very good

My theme for January is books of crime and foul deeds...

The Keep would sorta fit for this theme. The whole plot revolves around the consequences of a "foul deed" that was committed in childhood. It's an intriguing book, and well executed.

That one has been on my wishlist for a while... I don't think my New Year's resolution - more from TBR, less from TBB - is going to last very long.

Stef Penney's book would also fit your theme: I love theme-reading. Enjoy your choices!

Thank you all for stopping by, and for the recommendations! I'll be starting Alias Grace tonight (once dinner is done and I've managed to TURN OFF THE COMPUTER) and can't wait to get into it.

I hope you enjoy Alias Grace, I thought it was a very good read. I second The Tenderness of Wolves for a crime/foul deeds read; and would also strongly recommend Case Histories.

Alias Grace

I'M SO GLAD I READ THIS BOOK! I'm so glad I've finally read something by Margaret Atwood! I think I'll be reading a lot more of her work now. I love the way she pieced together fact and fiction to create a rich, tense account of Grace Marks and the world she lived in, without making any judgements about Grace's involvement in the crimes. Grace is a brilliantly rendered character, as much as she reveals about herself, there is always something there that remains hidden, you can feel it lurking. The portrayal of Victorian society, it's morality and the consequences of it, was awful and wonderful. The suspense is maintained from beginning to end, and a real sense of forboding permeates the entire story. As far as endings go I think this one was perfect, and courageous. Absolutely masterful. I'M SO GLAD I READ THIS BOOK! My full review is here.

(Cheering from the west coast of Canada) Yea! another fan of Alias Grace! Isn't it a great book? One of my very favourite Atwoods.

>12 letterpress: - Annalisse, that has got to be one of the most exuberant reviews I have read in a while. You (along with Joyce in post #13) have convinced me that I need to read Alias Grace. As for when.... well.... not sure, but a great review!

>13 Nickelini:

It is. It really, really, really is. And since you say "Atwoods", what would you recommend I go for as my second Atwood read? At the moment I'm tossing up between Oryx and Crake and Cat's Eye.

>14 lkernagh:

It doesn't matter when you read it, as long as you do! Glad you liked the review, and I hope that when you do get round to Alias Grace, you enjoy it!

I've already read Alias Grace and you've made me want to read it again!

Edited to add: I've starred your excellent review.

>15 letterpress: - I'm going to jump in on the Atwood conversation, and like Joyce, I'm so excited you loved Alias Grace!! Cat's Eye is great, an amazing look at how the mean things girls do to each other can influence them for the rest of their lives. Oryx and Crake is very different, because it is one of Atwood's "speculative fiction" novels - a dystopia, about a world far in the future where things have fallen apart. The Blind Assassin is also really good, and The Handmaid's Tale is probably one of her most read books - another dystopia. You really can't go wrong with Atwood though!!

I agree with Cait--those are all good. But my favourite Atwood next to Alias Grace is The Robber Bride.

An excellent review!! I haven't read Atwood before either, but after your stellar review, I am going to have to add it to my growing TBR stacks!

I read Alias Grace a year ago (for Orange January!!) and really liked it, too. My first Atwood was the Blind Assassin, which I read years ago and thought it was OK but wasn't overwhelmed. Reading Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tale helped me appreciate Atwood's talent much more.

Sorry to cause you to spend money on a new book! :) I'm glad that you enjoyed Alias Grace so much. Fabulous review.

> 21

Thank you, and as far as the new books go, you're forgiven (there are culprits left, right and centre). Not even halfway through January and the wishlist is expanding at an alarming rate. Safest to bury my head in a book I think. Can't wait to get into my next Orange, I need to knock a couple of titles off my 12 in 12 list (one of which is proving disappointing, I'm continuing with it out of sheer bloody mindedness) and then it's Orange time. I think next up I'll go with The Hunter, so I can catch up on my neglected Australian reading.

THANK YOU ALL for the Atwood recommendations!

Catching up, Annalisse. What a fine review of Alias Grace! Like Dee, you make me want to read it again, and I shall - but not now! I'm a pretty big Atwood fan. The Blind Assassin is my least favorite of those I've read. Like Joyce, Cat's Eye and The Robber Bride are favorites, but I also loved Oryx and Crake last year and The Handmaid's Tale a very long time ago. I guess that's all my Atwood except for a poem or two, but I just this week acquired a copy of Writing with Intent that should keep me busy for some time when I finally get to it.
I'll be interested to see what you make of The Hunter. It hasn't called me at all, but with your reviewing insights, you might change my mind.

I just this week acquired a copy of Writing with Intent that should keep me busy for some time when I finally get to it.

Funny- I just got a copy of Writing with Intent this week too. I ordered this months ago, and didn't really know what to expect. I've read bits and pieces already, and it's great. Lots of short bits, so you can just sneak them in! So far my favourite was her essay on pornography.

Your review of Alias Grace makes me want to read it sooner rather than later.

I hope you get to Case Histories too. This one was one of my favorite books in 2011.

(OOOooo, Joyce. Maybe I should read it in bits and pieces, you think? Is that what you intend?)
Hi again, Annalisse.

#27 Yes, Peggy, it's definitely structured so you could do that. The pieces are short, and they're not really related to each other. That's how I plan to read it.

So glad you enjoyed Alias Grace so much and what a review! I think I'm going to make that one my next Orange read.