kac522's 50 Books in 2012

I'm ready for the New Year--in 2011 I should reach my goal of 40 books, and am challenging myself to get to 50 (yikes!) books in 2012. I'm also hoping that at least 25 of these will be BOMBS--Books Off My Book Shelves that I've acquired prior to January 1, 2012.

Well, I surpassed my goal by 3 books; hope to do equally well in 2013!




January

1. Framley Parsonage, Trollope* !
2. Making Things Better, Brookner
3. Narcissus Leaves the Pool, Epstein !
4. Sister Carrie, Dreiser !
5. On Rereading, Spacks*
6. Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor's Son, Aleichem

February

7. The Small House at Allington, Trollope !
8. Great Expectations, Dickens* !
9. The Uncommon Reader: a Novella, Bennett
10. Bread Givers, Yezierska !
11. Bold Spirit, Hunt !
12. Our Man in Havana, Greene

March

13. Gold Boy, Emerald Girl, Yiyun Li
Audiobook: Great Expectations, Dickens, read by John Lee

April

14. An Autobiography, Trollope
15. Love and Shame and Love: A Novel, Orner
16. Billy Budd, Sailor: An Inside Narrative, Melville
17. Below Stairs, Powell*

May

18. The Forgotten Affairs of Youth, McCall Smith*
19. The Italian, Radcliffe
20. Definitely not Mr. Darcy, Doornebos !
21. Brideshead Revisited, Waugh

June

22. The Kellys and the O'Kellys, Trollope*
23. The Last Chronicle of Barset, Trollope*!
Audiobook: Bleak House, Dickens, read by Simon Vance

July

24. Travels with Charley, Steinbeck
25. Sailing Alone around the Room: New and Selected Poems, Collins*
26. The Penelopiad, Atwood
27. Death Comes to Pemberley, James
28. Judi Dench Scenes from My Life, Dench
Audiobook: Jane Eyre, Bronte, read by Juliet Stevenson*

August

29. American Grace, Putnam
30. A Jane Austen Education, Deresiewicz
31. The Eyre Affair, Fforde
32. Walden, Thoreau !
Audiobook: Persuasion, Austen, read by Juliet Stevenson*

September

33. Can You Forgive Her?, Trollope*!
34. Rhinoceros and Other Plays, Ionesco
35. The Tiger, Vaillant*
Audiobook: Short Stories by Women, Alcott, Collins, etc. read by Juliet Stevenson, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, etc.

October

36. Why Frau Frohmann Raised Her Prices and other Stories, Trollope*!
37. Phineas Finn, Trollope !
38. The Book Thief, Zusak*
39. Selected Short Stories, James !

November

40. Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet, Kemelman !
41. Maimonides: Essential Teachings on Jewish Faith & Ethics, Angel
42. All the King's Men, Warren
43. Judaism's Great Debates by Schwartz*
44. The Awakening, Chopin
45. Parnassus on Wheels, Morley
Audiobook: Hard Times, Dickens, read by Martin Jarvis
Audiobook: Dreams from My Father, Obama, read by the author*

December

46. Monday the Rabbi Took Off, Kemelman !
47. The End of the Affair, Greene !
Audiobook: This Time Together, Carol Burnett, read by the author
48. Searoad, LeGuin !
49. A Little History of Philosophy, Warburton*
50. An Accidental Anarchist, Roth !
51. The Distracted Preacher and other tales, Hardy !
52. Payback, Atwood !
53. The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds, McCall Smith*

*--a book that's memorable or I've really enjoyed
!--a book that's been on my shelf prior to 2012, patiently waiting in my TBR pile.

#1--Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope. A real "page-turner", as they say. I'm enjoying Trollope quite a bit, and hope to finish the Barchester series this year. I didn't always understand his comments on English politics, but his observations on human nature and his humor are definitely worth the ride.

#2--Making Things Better by Anita Brookner. Brookner is always good for introspection, but this book seemed to suffer from too much. There just wasn't enough of a story to really keep my interest. I finished the book, but it seemed a chore.

#3 Narcissus Leaves the Pool by Joseph Epstein. Another great set of essays. I just lap up all of his growing up in Chicago references.

#4 Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. I've had this book on my shelf since the 1980's, and finally read it for a book club. Some of the writing is awkward, but much is outstanding, especially the descriptive sections: Carrie looking for a job; Carrie working in a factory; Carrie encountering New York's Broadway for the first time; Hurstwood's decline, especially his experiences in charity lines. I loved the sections on 1890's Chicago, imagining the same streets and shops that my ancestors frequented.

#5 On Rereading by Patricia Meyer Spacks. This is a great little book that explores why we read books again, and we *should* read books again. The author reread a selection of novels that she had read throughout her lifetime (including childhood), to see how these books stood up over time. She mostly read books that she loved or were important to her at that point in her life. Most of these stood the test of time, but some did not. She explores the reasons why certain books are important to us at different stages of our lives, and how our evaluations of literature changes as we change. She also read a few books she didn't like (but she she *should* have liked--classics, etc.), and found a mixed reaction: she now found merit in a couple, but even today could not enjoy some others. Very insightful book, and makes me want to reread some of my most beloved books!

#6 Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor's Son by Sholem Aleichem. Tevye is the story that Fiddler the Roof is based on, but these stories are sadder in tone. Here Tevye is telling his story to his friend, Sholem Aleichem, rather than talking to God. Motl the Cantor's son is told from the perspective of a 9 year old boy who lives in Russia. His family decides to emigrate to America, and the story follows Motl to New York. Aleichem died while writing this story. I liked the Motl stories better than the Tevye stories.

#7 The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope. Although the book kept my interest, the ending was flat. Seems to me like the bad guys (Crosbie, Lady Alexandrina, Amelia) get off and the good guys (Johnny Eames, Lily) end up sad and disappointed.

#8 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I've read a lot of Dickens, but this was one that I just never got around to reading. I think I avoided it because I had heard groans about the book from people who had read it in high school literature courses. Well, I enjoyed it quite a bit, and read it slowly. Not only are the characters intriguing, but Dickens has so much wry humor every where you turn. The first third of the book was a little slow, but picked up when Pip goes to London...and definitely a page-turner near the end.

#9 The Uncommon Reader: A Novella by Alan Bennett. Should have been a short story or a little essay. Hardly worth an entire book. He could have made his points about reading and writing in other ways, without the nonsense of the Queen, etc.

#10 Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska. This novel of Jewish immigrants in early 20th c. Hester Street was clumsy, but poignant. Wives and daughters are given so little value, that it's almost shocking.

#11 Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt. What a remarkable feat: a Norwegian immigrant woman and her 18 year old daughter walked across America, from Spokane to New York City, in hopes of winning a $10,000 prize to save their farm. It's a fascinating story, and one that almost lost, because of shame and anger by her children. Not an elegant read, but the story is worth it.

#12 Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene. Entertaining; seemed perfectly written for a movie. Read this for a book club--the others seemed to enjoy more than I did.

#13 Gold Boy, Emerald Girl by Yiyun Li. Lovely set of stories, the title story was the most moving. However, I enjoyed House Fire the most--more eccentric characters. Li gets into a character quickly--we feel we know this character in only a few paragraphs or even sentences.

#14 An Autobiogrphy by Anthony Trollope. Bought a Nook, and it is diverting me from my other books! Downloaded this for free and has given me some perspective on the Trollope I've been reading.

#15 Love and Shame and Love: A Novel by Peter Orner. The fact that it was set in Chicago, and he used a lot of Chicago history in the book made it worth my while. Otherwise, I never felt close to any of the characters; in fact, I felt like he kept us purposefully distant. It did read fast. You gotta like a book that mentions Allan Dorfman and the Purple Hotel, and thinly disguises Irv Kupcinet.

#16 Billy Budd, Sailor by Herman Melville. Read this for OCC Book Club. I wasn't looking forward to it, but it's a lot shorter than I remembered, and this edition (Hayford & Sealts) has about as many pages of notes as of text. I vaguely remember disliking the book in high school; I never would have read it again if it hadn't been for book club, and this time I found it more meaningful. The notes helped understand the book and nautical terms.

#17 Below Stairs: the Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir that Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey by Margaret Powell. A long title for a small, but amazing little memoir. Powell certainly had a talent for remembering the tiniest details of life, from her family's beginnings in dire poverty, to her employers' homes. I was amazed at how much pure work was involved in keeping up a house, and just how mean and cold most employers treated the help. Powell did have a couple of "good" employers, but they were not the norm. By her telling she seems to have had a lot of spunk. Short, but very enjoyable and eye-opening.

#18 The Forgotten Affairs of Youth by Alexander McCall Smith. I love this series, and to me this is the best yet. There's not much plot, but Isabel's random philosophical tangents keep me thinking. All the threads of story in this one revolve around family and ethical behavior. Made me think a lot.

#19 The Italian by Ann Radcliffe. Can't say I enjoyed this much, except for some well-done descriptive passages. Took to long to get to the story, was repetitive, and I kept losing interest. Supposedly "Udolpho" is much better, but I'm not convinced.

#20 Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doorenbos. Definitely not worth my time reading it, but once I started I had to finish. A few insights into the Regency Era, but otherwise a pretty lame premise.

#21 Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. Read for book club. Some wonderful paragraphs, interesting characterizations, but the whole first half of the book bored me to tears. The second half was better, until it got to the "you just don't get it unless you're Catholic" stuff. He didn't convince me. I'd rather see it as a parable on the end of the British aristocratic era, and not on redemption. Sorry, didn't ring true to me.

#22 The Kellys and the O'Kellys, Trollope. I was surprised at how good this early book of Trollope's was. He attempts to present all levels of Irish society in an objective way, and for the most part it comes off. I was bored by the hunting and horse-racing, but the scene when Barry Lynch attempts to ge the Doctor to murder his sister Anty Lynch is chilling.

#23 The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope. I waited until I could really enjoy this long book. It's 850+ pages about a supposed stolen check for 20 pounds. How Trollope manages to keep our interest on such a narrow plot line is amazing. I have to admit I didn't like the Dalrymple/Van Siever subplot, and the book dragged a bit at the end (maybe 100 pages too long). But overall it was wonderful. We feel Mr. Crawley's pain (and his family's) from every angle.

#24 Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. I don't know why, but I don't like Steinbeck. And when I found out that most of the conversations in this book were made up, and that he mostly slept in motels and hotels, rather than his vehicle, it just felt wrong. It soured my attitude toward the very important observations he makes; I just can't get around it.

#25 Sailing Alone around the Room: New and Selected Poems by Billy Collins. I'm normally not a poetry reader, but many of the verses in this little book spoke to me. They are accessible--reflections on every day life that were understandable and often humorous.

#26 The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. A re-telling of the story of Penelope and Odysseus, from Penelope's point of view. Interesting perspective, but I eventually lost interest at the end.

#27 Death Comes to Pemberly by P. D. James. I have read far worse "sequels" or off-shoots of Austen. This felt true to the characters and the novel, although without the wit and lightness of Austen. The plot got a bit convoluted, and told by characters' long expositions, rather than by dialogue or action. Certainly took Austen seriously; not a silly take-off, like those I've read before.

#28 Judi Dench Scenes from My Life by Judi Dench. Mostly a picture (photo) essay, with some commentary by Dench. Interesting; would have liked more about her life.
I'm doing well with library books, but not too well with books off my shelf...

#29 American Grace by R. Putnam. I've been chipping away at this for months. It's a 600+ page book summarizing the results of a survey of 3,000+ about religion and religious attendance. Lots of very good information, statistics, findings, but it was very repetitive. The vignettes about individual congregations were the most interesting part of the book. I think they could have pared down the final book for us lay people, and left the full version for the professionals.

#30 A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz. This book had been tempting me on the library shelves, and I finally succumbed. Started out well, but seemed to repeat itself, and finally, just got old. Deresiewicz goes through the 6 novels, telling us what he learned in his little graduate student life from each novel. Cute concept, many valid points and ideas, but sometimes the lessons he takes are giant questionable leaps from the novels. And by the end, I didn't much care about his graduate snotty self, I have to admit. Could have been a lot shorter--a dissertation maybe?? I know I would have been nagging myself if I didn't read it, so glad it is done and over with.

#31 The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I just couldn't get into this book--too many characters I couldn't follow, and I just didn't get the whole time-warp thing real well. I wish the beginning of the book had set up the concept better. A few funny moments. I only enjoyed the part where they actually were in Jane Eyre, but that was only a small part of the book.

#32 Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Many parts were hard to go through, but I enjoyed the parts about his neighbors, his description of the pond, Spring, and the Conclusion. Probably needs to be read in short spurts.

#33 Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope. Couldn't read this book fast enough. What I like most about reading Trollope is how easily the dialogue flows--how natural it seems. I enjoyed the parallels between Alice Vavasor and Lady Glencora and Mrs. Greenow--how different personalities react to similar situations. John Grey and Plantagent Palliser sometimes seem almost "too" good, while George and Burgo are so very bad. I rather liked Mr. Cheesacre myself. I felt the novel didn't end as well as it could--but that's a small point. Can't wait for the next installment...

#34 Rhinoceros and Other Plays by Eugene Ionesco. Actually read only Rhinoceros (which is the longest play). What is conforming to the norm? Can we stand up to the mass of opinion? Needs a big discussion group afterwards to totally understand this play.

#35 The Tiger by John Vaillant. As one book club member said, this book was compelling. Not only did I learn about tigers, the author took many departures to life in southeastern Russia, the intersection of Russia, China & Korea, and their economies, the unusual climate, the natives of that country, the Russians who live in that area. I could go on and on. I never would have selected this book to read on my own; I am so glad I did.

#36 Why Frau Frohmann Raised Her Prices and Other Stories by Anthony Trollope. I loved these little stories, written in Trollope's later years, about "duty" and doing the right thing. And the last 2 are lovely little love stories.

#37 Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope. An election book in an election season, with some real ethical questions. Good book, a little too long for me, and I see the rest of the Pallisers are all tomes. But I think enough of politics for awhile. The rest of the series will need to wait a bit.

#38 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This is a book that is hard to forget. I got into this book immediately--the language pulled me in. I still don't completely understand what all the colors mean, but color is everywhere in this book. I found the end less satisfying than the rest of the book, but well worth the trip.

#39 Selected Short Stories by Henry James. I have a hard time with James, but I did enjoy one story in this set--"Daisy Miller." The themes were accessible, and the dialogue seemed natural. The other stories seemed beyond my grasp, in some ways.

#40 Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet, Kemelman. Goofy 60s dialogue and certain ideas about Judaism that might not fly today. But the Rabbi figured out the mystery in the last few pages, of course.

#41 Maimonides Essential Teachings on Jewish Faith & Ethics, Rabbi Marc Angel. In this small volume Rabbi Angel takes important sections of Maimonides writings, translates them, and provides commentary. At first I was disappointed that this book didn't translate an entire work or section. But now I see that he was taking the most important sections, and leaving out sections that are less well-known and some that don't hold up in 21st century world (like medical advice). Very flowing and smooth translations, and clear commentary--I think he could have provided even more commentary or background information on each section. But a very good volume to introduce one to the essence of Maimonides.

#42 All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. Selected for book club--I wouldn't have read it on my own, but surprisingly good. Took some time for me to get into this book. Had a great sense of the period and place. I found the purposeful repetition sometimes irritating, but sometimes comforting. The idea that we have to understand our past in order to move forward is a powerful one.

I'm confident I'll reach my goal of 50 books by Dec 31, but not so sure that I'll have 25 that are "off my shelf"--books hanging around since before 2012. May have to read a few quick ones to get there.

#43 Judaism's Great Debates by Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz. This little book presents discussion about great ideas in Judaism in a very clear and understandable format. Using background information and re-constructed debates, the author presents opposing viewpoints, and suggests present-day applications. I especially liked the more modern debates: Hillel vs. Shammai, Vilna Gaon vs. Baal Shem Tov, Spinoza vs. Jewish establishment, Herzl v. Wise.

#44 The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Read this 24 years ago, so I guess I'll count it toward my 50. Reading it now from a completely different point in my life, so it was like a new book. Interesting that the Louisiana of this book seems so different from the Louisiana of Warren's book, except for the incessant heat and the Gulf.

#45 Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. A sweet little book, recommended by Angela. Apparently the "prequel" to The Haunted Bookshop which I will read soon. I didn't find Morley's female narrator very convincing as a woman. But a short pleasant read nonetheless.

#46 Monday the Rabbi Took Off, Harry Kemelman. I'm on a mission to finish books that have been on my shelf for a long time (years, usually) for the month of December. I have a bunch of Kemelman's "Rabbi" books. Interesting 1970s take on rabbis and congregations and Israel (Rabbi Small goes to Israel in this one).

#47 The End of the Affair, by Graham Greene. Great writing, and interesting wrestling with God, and you can see where Greene is leading. So left me disappointed in the end. Another old book off the shelf--the guilt is slowly, slowly lifting.

#48 Searoad by Ursula K. LeGuin. Place becomes the main character in these 10 stories & a novella. I think I liked the stories better than the novella. LeGuin has important things to explore about women and her writing is poetic. But sometimes I got lost in the writing, and I know I didn't understand it all at the end.

#49 A LIttle History of Philosophy by Nigel Warburton. Since I know very little about philosophy, this YA book was exactly what I needed. Warburton summarizes about 40 philosophers throughout history, each one about 4-5 pages long, in clear, accessible language. He also uses simple but on-target examples. Starting with Socrates, he goes all the way into the 21st century. I took a ton of notes, and learned quite a bit. My only gripe (a small one) is that I would have appreciated a list of each philosopher's major works, and perhaps a few titles on each philosopher for further reading and reference.

#50 An Accidental Anarchist by Walter Roth. Interesting study of this case in 1908; Averbuch is buried in Ridgelawn near me. Appreciated the way the authors brought in various viewpoints of different Jewish groups, and set the case in a timeframe. Hit my goal of 50! Still hope to do more in the next week, esp. BOMBS.

Well done :-)

Thanks!

#51 The Distracted Preacher and other Tales by Thomas Hardy. These stories are so good, but so bleak. Hardy's dim view of marriage permeates almost every story. This reminds me that I need to re-read Hardy.

#52 Payback by Margaret Atwood. I found the book disjointed and difficult to follow. There were some very good ideas and concepts of debt that she could have followed and delved into more, but they were left hanging. Apparently this was a book put together from a series of lectures, which may explain the choppy nature of the book. At first a little silly on the page, I did appreciate the last chapter "Payback", which took a modern Scrooge through our "payback" to the environment. Made some very important points here, and probably came off better as a spoken lecture rather than as written word.

#53 The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith. Ended the year on a lovely note--these books are like visiting old friends and having thoughtful conversation. Finished it in 2 days. Now on to 2013 and Anna Karenina.