DorsVenabili's 75 in 2012

I started late last year and only reached 50 books, but I'm determined to reach 75 this year! (I have a plan.)

I'm also doing a 12 in 12 Category Challenge , so we'll see how that goes:

Above is a cute picture of Geezer in an old Julian Peterson jersey (Go Seahawks!....Well, next season, anyway - Go Seahawks!)

Currently Reading:



Read in January:
1. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami (audiobook)
2. A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan (ebook)
3. The Gospel Singer - Harry Crews (print book)
4. The Orange Eats Creeps - Grace Krilanovich (print book)
5. Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer (audiobook)
6. Diary of a Bad Year - J.M. Coetzee (print book)
7. Hand Me Down World - Lloyd Jones (print book)
8. The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society (Thirty Three and a Third series) - Andy Miller (audiobook)

Read in February:
9. God on the Rocks - Jane Gardam (print book)
10. Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series) - Joe Harvard (audiobook)
11. The Good Terrorist - Doris Lessing (print book)
12. The Optimist's Daughter - Eudora Welty (print book)
13. Life and Times of Michael K. - J.M. Coetzee (print book)
14. American Salvage - Bonnie Jo Campbell (print book)
15. Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion - Janet Reitman (audiobook)
16. Zoo City - Lauren Beukes (ebook)

Read in March:
17. County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago's Public Hospital - David Ansell (audiobook)
18. The Enormous Room - e.e. cummings (ebook)
19. Woman on the Edge of Time - Marge Piercy (print book)
20. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea - Barbara Demick (audiobook)
21. Lost Memory of Skin - Russell Banks (print book)
22. The Lives of Animals - J.M. Coetzee (print book)

Welcome back!

Hi Kerri - looking forward to following your reading for another year.

Hi Kerri! dropping in to leave my star

Leaving a star as well. :)

drneutron, calm, Chelle, and Micky - Thanks for the welcome!

I thought I'd post my Christmas books here, since I'll be reading them in 2012:

In addition to getting a Kindle Fire from my wonderful husband, I received the following wishlisted books, from other family members:
*American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
*Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker
*The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich
*The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch
*God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam
*Diary of a Bad Year by J. M. Coetzee

I also received the following from my niece, who typically has wonderful taste. However, would you say I'm a bad person for being frightened that the most prominent endorsements on the back and inside covers are from Governor Rick Perry and Barbara Bush? Eek!
*Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, Lynn Vincent

I purchased the following two print books with some Christmas cash:
*Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
*How To Read The Air by Dinaw Mengestu

Hi Kerri - Great selection of books. I have the Gardam, Coetzee and Mengestu on my TBR shelves, as well. Look forward to your comments on them!

Thanks, Katie! I hope to read the Mengestu for a TIOLI challenge in January.

Found you and starred of course! :)

Looks like you got some great Christmas books, Kerri! Your reading for 2012 will be off to a terrific start!

Hi Valerie and Stasia! Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you're both back!

Thanks, Kerri! I am glad to be back and I am sure Valerie is too!

Kerri, look forward to keeping up in 2012. Happy new year!

Hi Kerri! Um, shouldn't your dog be sporting a Bears jersey?

Hi Kerri - Go Seahawks!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Kerri!

Happy New Year, Kerri! Wishing you all the best in 2012!
It was a pleasure getting to know you last year and I sense you will have no problem reaching 75 this year.
I had to stoop down and give Geezer a hug, what a wise looking soul.

Happy New Year Kerri. It looks like you have some great reading ahead.

#14 - Thanks, Paul!

#15 - Darryl - I despise the Bears!! I picked up my love for the Seahawks from my husband. I wasn't a sports person until we met. When we started dating it was July of 2005. As September approached, he warned me about Sundays and what they mean to him and how he really can’t make plans because he watches football all day. Anyway, his football fandom was endearing because it's much more nerdy/obsessive than macho/beer-drinking/chicken wing-consuming, etc. So I started watching and didn't understand a single thing the whole first year (the year the Seahawks went to the Superbowl), but then I was hooked and now I spend every Sunday (of football season) watching the Seahawks and the rest of the league. And yes, I'm from Illinois and live in the Chicagoland area, so you can imagine how fun it is to be a Seahawks fan.

#16 - Thanks, Brit! Are you a Seahawks fan?!

#17 - Thank you, Stasia!

#18 - Thank you, Lynda! I enjoyed following you last year as well! The jury is still out as to whether or not Geezer has a wise soul : ). But he's definitely cuddly!

#19 - Hi Beth! Thanks for visiting. I will try to find your thread. It looks like we have similar tastes.

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve!

I just downloaded my first ebook! - A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Also, I thought I'd repost my 2011 favorites here, especially since I just added Sag Harbor to it (I just finished it this morning.)

My five-star reads were:
*Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
*The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin
*Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
*We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch

My four-and-a-half-star reads were:
*My Antonia by Willa Cather
*The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing
*In the Country of Last Things by Paul Auster
*Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

This year, I think I'm going to start posting my monthly reading statistics, similar to what I've seen others do. Very exciting!

Hi Kerri! Hope that you arrived well in 2012! Starred your thread again!

#22 - Thank you, Kathy! I have starred yours as well.

Oooh, I really liked A Visit from the Goon Squad. Hope you enjoy it, Kerri!

I have A Visit from the Goon Squad at my house patiently waiting for me to get to it. Maybe I will start on it in the next few days. . .

#24 - Great! I'm looking forward to it...and not just because it's my first e-book.

#25 - Stasia - Where is your thread? I thought I had it starred. Am I losing my mind? : )

Kerri - I'm a HUGE Seahawks fan who is marooned in Pa. so I hardly ever get to watch them.

#27 - Yay! I'm sorry you can't watch the games. I'm looking forward to next season. Things seem to be going in a positive direction.

We watch the games, via the DirecTV NFL package, which ends up being much cheaper (and more pleasant) than going to a bar.

I hope things are moving a positive direction. We need a prime-time QB. I really don't like Tavaris Jackson but I'm slowly warming to Pete Carroll. I wish they had held on to Mora for an extra year.

#29 - I agree that we need a good QB, but I am so torn about Tavaris Jackson! I actually have grown to admire him quite a bit over the season and he kind of breaks my heart. He's tough, dedicated, and has a good arm. He does make several poor decisions per game though. I don't know. We probably won't get anyone great in the draft, due to when we pick, but I think that backup in Green Bay will be a free agent (Flynn?). He was really great yesterday against the Lions. I do like Pete Carroll. He's a cornball, but he seems to be doing something right. I wasn't a big fan of Mora.

It's so exciting that there's another Seahawks fan on LT!

#26: Kerri, I do not have a thread for 2012 yet. I will get to it eventually, after all the furor dies down. I could easily fill up a thread and not have a single book listed on it, so I prefer to wait until I actually have books to discuss :)

#30 - Kerri, the Hawks *never* get anyone good in the draft! *sigh* Time to start wishing for baseball season!

#31 - Stastia - That makes sense. I'll keep an eye out for it.

#32 - Brit - Earl Thomas! But yeah, it's time to move on. I'm not a big baseball fan, but I started watching a bit of basketball last year and sort of like it.

That's true!

#33: Look for it on Sunday, Kerri.

Dropping a star! Geezer is a real darling! Happy New Year!

Kerri - your thread is well guarded by Geezer. Just delurking to say hi.

#36 and #37 - Thanks, Deb and Paul! He's a sweet dog....although, perhaps a little neurotic. But he's come a long way since we adopted him in June, that's for sure.

I'm nearly finished with my first two books of the year - one is an e-book and the other an audiobook. So far, I'm really loving my e-reader!

Title: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
Author: Haruki Murakami
Publication Year: 2007
Format: Audiobook
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 12 - Sports (Books about American football and running)
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #5 (January 2012): Read a book that mentions a form of transportation in the title
Stars: Three

In addition to writing novels, Murakami participates in numerous marathons and triathlons. In this diary-like memoir, written while the author trained for the 2005 New York City Marathon, he attempts to explain the underlying motivation behind his drive to run. This may sound strange, but it was somewhat refreshing to read a running memoir that is actually somewhat somber and lacks the common rah-rah attitude often found in the genre. A large portion of the book focuses on gracefully accepting the decline in running productivity that comes with age (Murakami is in his fifties). He also touches a bit on how and why he began to write novels, as well as the connection between running and writing, including the fact that both are solitary pursuits that require a great deal of focus and endurance. I do wonder if this would have been more appropriate as an essay, as there was quite a bit of repetition, with the author applying his philosophy to numerous similar situations. I was often a bit bored. I suppose this would be most interesting to Murakami completists (this does not describe me) who want some insight into the author’s work and life philosophy.

Title: A Visit from the Goon Squad
Author: Jennifer Egan
Publication Year: 2010
Format: Ebook
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 6 - Newer stuff - fiction published in 2010 or later
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #6 (January 2012): Read a book that was long or short listed for or won the Orange prize
Stars: Five

Wow. This is less structured than a novel, but more cohesive than a group of short stories with recurring characters. Skipping around in time, over a span of 40 or more years, a different character narrates each chapter. Somehow, all of their lives have been touched in some way by one or both of the two main characters - Bennie and Sasha. Bennie is a high-level record company executive who experiences a mid-life breakdown, and Sasha is a woman with a complicated past and a compulsive pickpocketing problem. The reader sees snapshots of the characters at different points in their lives and it seems like it couldn’t possibly come together to make any sense, but it somehow does. And if you can write a chapter in the form of a PowerPoint presentation that actually makes me tear up and avoids coming across as tacky, gimmicky, or contrived, then you deserve all the literary prizes they can throw at you. I’m trying to avoid over-the-top book-gushing this year (oops!), but I really think everyone should read this. Amazing.

I really have got to get to A Visit from the Goon Squad soon! I am glad to see you enjoyed it so much, Kerri!

#41 - Thanks, Stasia! I hope you read it. It really is quite wonderful!

I have seen several good reviews of the book, so I am hoping I like it - one of these centuries ;)

#40 I'm reading Goon Squad at the moment Kerri and I really like it, although I'm not sure I get it yet...

Nice review of A Visit from the Goon Squad, Kerri. I'll have to read that one sometime in the future.

That Murakami book is the only one I'm aware of that I don't own, and I'm in no hurry to get it.

Hi Kerri! Wow! A Kindle Vox for Christmas! Wowzers girl!!! I've got a plain old kindle, but it is okay. Looks like you've gotten a lot of great reading done already this year!

#43 - Stasia - That's how I feel about so many books. There are so many I'd love to read, but you can't get to them all!

#44 - That's sort of what I was thinking when I first started reading it, but then it all sort of made sense in the end. I was reading some reviews last night and I think the Guardian review is particularly good and articulates what makes it great much better than I ever could (or did in my review):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/mar/13/jennifer-egan-visit-goon-squad.

#45 - Darryl - Yes. I would definitely skip that Murakami. I was trying to find some good in it, but it was ultimately unsatisfying.

#46 - Hi Deb! I got the Kindle Fire. I really enjoyed reading my first ebook - much more than I thought I would, actually. I'm back to a print book right now and will read both in the near future.

I read Goon Squad last year and really liked it. Glad it found another fan!

Wow Kerri - a little early in the year for 5 star reads! I have it on my shelves and will definitely try to fit it in this year now. Very good review.

Kerri - I've had that book on my TBR since last year. I'm hoping I can get to it this year! So glad you liked it!

#47 Thanks for the link Kerri - I'll check it out once I've finished the book.

#48 - Micky - Yes! I'm definitely a fan.

#49 - Paul - I know! And I'm pretty stingy with the 5 stars.

#50 - Brit - I hope you do. It really is quite wonderful.

My audiobook saga continues:

I started listening to audiobooks late last year, but only non-fiction. I was able to download them from the Chicago Public Library's website because I had a reciprocal library card with them (I live in the near western suburbs of the city.)

Anyway, I found out that starting this year, reciprocal card holders can no longer check out digital media (audiobooks and ebooks), thanks to Rahm Emanual's budget cuts. But now I'm hooked on audiobooks, so I had to join Audible! Nightmare! Other than having the worst search function on the planet and nearly destroying my iPod, I suppose it's ok. We'll see. So far I've downloaded the Murakami running book, which I reviewed above, and I'm currently listening to Eating Animals, which is good so far, but I probably won't review it due to controversial subject matter.

Kerri: A Visit from the Good Squad sounds like a winner. It is in the pile by my bed, so I hope to get to it soon. I've heard so many good things about it, and it sounds like the kind of book I like.

Ohh sorry to hear about your audiobook drama!
you can buy audiobooks through itunes too, but I don't know how their prices compare with audible :(

#54 - Hi Beth. I hope you're able to get to it at some point!

#55 - Thanks, Chelle. I forgot that iTunes has audiobooks. I checked it out and the prices are a bit higher, plus with Audible you get the audio New York Times thing, which is nice, and the token.

Hi Kerri! I'm just exploring the Audible com thing too. I got an I phone for Christmas and it functions as an audiobook which is in part why I got it. I've just downloaded one book from Audible com and my son had to help me do it. My public library is finally offering audio books - but I've not looked into how I download them .. of course, my library already has the CD format audio books, but not much selection. I think that you are correct that Audible com is cheaper than I tunes but I am a neophyte at it all.

#57 - Hi Deb! Audible seems ok. I was being a little cranky about them in my earlier post, because I had trouble the first time I downloaded a book (it screwed up my iPod), but it seems ok now. I do wish my little local library had downloadable audiobooks, but they don't participate in the digital media program, so I'm unable to use them from the other suburban libraries that do. Oh well.

I had an annoying experience with audible.com today. I received an amazon.com gift card and was told by an amazon customer service rep that I could use it with audible.com. Well, she had me purchase the book from audible.com and then told me she couldn't help me and I would have contact audible. The first customer service rep I spoke with at audible was less than helpful, he told me I could try to the gold membership for free, so I would get 2 credits, one of which he would use for the book I had purchased and refund by credit card. Then, he deleted the book all together and only gave me 1 credit. I had to call back and get it straightened out with another customer service rep who took forever to understand the problem. It was frustrating and makes me wary of becoming a member. Just my story. I know Ilana (Smiler69) *loves* audible.com though.

As an avid techno-phobe (I have never used kindle, audible, audio books etc etc etc) you story doesn't really surprise me too much Brit. My experience all these people on "helplines" are actually living examples of oxymorons with the emphasis firmly on the last last two syllables!
Hope you sort it out ok.

Btw Hi Kerri and enjoying your thread as always.

#59 - Brit - that's very odd, since Amazon owns Audible (and soon, probably the rest of the known universe.) A long time ago, I sold used books on Amazon and had some unpleasant and unhelpful phone conversations with customer service. They were almost as bad as AT&T. As a customer, I've been able to avoid that, thankfully.

#60 - Thanks for stopping by Paul! With your impressive thread skills, I can't believe you're a techno-phobe!

Title: The Gospel Singer
Author: Harry Crews
Publication Year: 1968
Format: Print
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 7 - Working-Class Literature of the 1950s and 1960s
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #1 (January 2012): Read a book set in a state mentioned in Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech (Georgia)
Stars: Four

The Gospel Singer comes from Enigma, a small, poor, backwards town in Georgia. Due to his other-worldly singing voice and good looks, he made it out and now travels the country as a successful gospel singer. He feels compelled to visit his hometown from time to time, but the visits have become increasingly painful. Because he’s thought to have healing powers and the ability to save souls, his family and other people from the town suffocate him with demands on his time and talents. The novel takes place over his most recent visit to Enigma, where some really terrible stuff happens.

The novel definitely includes disturbing language and visuals and is not for the easily-offended. I’ve read that Crews has been criticized for his tendency to create grotesque characters for shock value, but I really don’t think that’s going on here. Despite their physical and psychological abnormalities (one has a bizarre skin condition, another has an enormous foot, the Gospel Singer is a nymphomaniac, etc.), the main characters are realistic, complex, and each serves a distinct purpose within the story. The Gospel Singer’s manager, Didymus, is particularly fascinating. In addition, the author really gets at the pain and desperation felt by the townspeople, who are unable to escape their fate in dead-end Enigma. They literally live for these visits by the Gospel Singer and live through his experiences (or what they think his experiences are.) The writing is superb and the story is a page-turner. This is my first Crews novel and I think I’ll explore his work further, even though I have a feeling that it will make me slightly uncomfortable.

On a side note, I have to admit that I’m fascinated by Harry Crews’ bad-a$% tattoo. Under a skull, it says “How do you like your blue-eyed boy, Mister Death?” It’s from the poem “Buffalo Bill 's” by e.e. cummings.

I'm keeping it weird over here by reading The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich. It's apparently about (and I quote) "Slutty Teenage Hobo Vampire Junkies" and takes place in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. I read about it on a hidden gems, NPR best of list, but at 20 pages in, I'm not convinced of its greatness yet. We'll see, I suppose. I'm going to stick with it.

Kerri: It sounds ... interesting. Our book group discussed doing "outside the box" reading next year; this sounds like it might fit the description.

#64 - Hi Beth! I don't know....it's definitely "outside the box," but I'm not sure I can recommend it yet. I read a little more at lunch and its getting a bit better.

Hi Kerri! Well, if I did not have my techy 21 year old son to download my audio book, I might have stabbed myself in frustration. But I know that when he has a moment, he'll be teaching me how to download my own audio books from audible com. He is in his last year (months) for his Computer Science degree and also works p/t as a teaching assistant at the university. He is big on old geezers like his mom learning to be properly educated on the computer!:) LOL!! Kids are so fun! Really they are!

Kerri The Gospel Singer looks interesting and quirky but I'm not sure it is quite for me. A gospel singing nympho - I'll have some of my friends itching to join the choir!

#66 - Hi Deb! Audible is pretty easy once the software is set up. I found OverDrive - the software that the library system used - much slower and complicated. I liked the price though (free!) With Audible, I'm really enjoying that free New York Times thing. Sometimes when I'm really busy with school, I have a tendency to fall behind on the news, so this should help a bit.

#67 - Hi Paul! Yeah - I think I'm scaring people away with my book choices. Ha! And it's only going to get worse, as one of my 12 in 12 categories is postmodern novels.

Nice review of The Gospel Singer, Kerri. I don't think I'd want to meet Harry Crews in a back alley, or anywhere else for that matter!

#69 - Yeah, probably not! I recently watched a couple interviews with him on YouTube and something doesn't seem quite right.

Title: The Orange Eats Creeps
Author: Grace Krilanovich
Publication Year: 2010
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 6 - Newer stuff - fiction published in 2010 or later
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #19 (January 2012): Read a book which has a beverage mentioned on page 10
Stars: Half of one star

It’s the 1990s and a band of self-described "Slutty Teenage Hobo Vampire Junkies" (I don’t believe they are actual vampires) roam the Pacific Northwest. Their nights are spent terrorizing convenience store workers, consuming large quantities of drugs, and engaging in countless other unspeakable acts. An unnamed teenage girl narrates the novel in a stream of consciousness style/drug-induced stupor. We know she is looking for Kim, her long-lost foster-sister, but other than that, no plot exists.

There’s not much I can say about this, other than it’s the most awful thing I’ve read in quite some time. If you can imagine a cross between the film Kids (1995) and really terrible Beat poetry, that should give some idea of what to expect. Here are a couple of snippets. Just imagine hundreds of these strung together for 172 pages:

Example 1: After my dream cat started freaking me out I stooped down only to see a slithering cat snake (calico fur) uncoiling under the porch. The thing is, in my waking life I wouldn’t have been afraid of the dream cat.

Example 2: Mother hatched out of a bubble in the sea. Foam that rose out of the tide. Her eyes were obscured by two pebbles. She removed them and the sky poured in and dreamtime became waking time. The sun hung suspended in orangetime, of puffy, hot frost.

So, the first example would be inexcusable in any setting. The second might be acceptable if it made sense within the narrative.

I’m actually not going to post a review or rating of this, because it’s the author’s first novel, it comes from a small press, there aren’t that many reviews posted, and I don’t want to make the average rating plummet. Plus, I suppose there’s the possibility that I just don’t get it? Ha!

Yikes! I think I'll pass on this.

the most awful thing I’ve read in quite some time
That's enough for me to never read it!
Hope your next one is 4.5 stars better!

Thanks Kerri, for letting me know that Audible com is fairly easy once the software is set up. I've yet to look into the software for overdrive.

I'm sorry, but I'm just laughing myself silly about that rather - can I say - dreadful book that you read! I don't know how you got through it, but good for you! I'll take a pass :)

#72 and #73 - Beth and Chelle - I would definitely pass on that one!

#74 - Hi Deb! I don't know how I got through it either. I kept thinking it would get better and then at some point, I was so far along that stopping was not an option (I'm a little stubborn).

Today I will start listening to The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead, a book of essays about New York City. This audiobook is particularly exciting for me, because Colson Whitehead is reading it.

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't like Orange eats creeps. After your harsh review I'm definitely not going to read it. But I'm not very into "drug user experience literature". When I was younger I read Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo and in school we had to read Go Ask Alice.

I'm looking for some interesting audiobooks in English and French with a nice voice reading it, because I want to "train" my language skills a little bit. I think I'll take a closer look at The Colossus of New York.

#77 - Hi Kathy! I'm not usually into drug literature either. I remember making it through The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, but that's about it.

After listening to The Colossus of New York for the past couple days, I would say the content is very good, but the audio quality is not great, and I'm not sure Colson Whitehead is the most skilled audiobook reader (bless his heart). Oh well. It's cool to hear the author doing the reading, but I wouldn't recommend it just based on the audio.

Title: Diary of a Bad Year
Author: J.M. Coetzee
Publication Year: 2007
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 3 - Author study - J. M. Coetzee
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #15 (January 2012): Read a book by an author who was born in Sub-Saharan Africa
Stars: Four

Written in an unconventional format, Diary of a Bad Year chronicles the relationship between Señor C, an aging, ailing, and lonely author and his recently-hired typist, Anya. Coetzee divides each page (except for the first few) into three sections. The top section contains opinion pieces that Señor C is writing for a collection of short essays by prominent authors. The topics range from terrorism, to tourism, to Dostoevsky. The middle section of the page contains Señor C’s narration of the novel’s events, and the bottom section contains Anya’s narration. The reader’s first task is to figure out how to read the darn thing. I started by reading everything on the each page, page by page, but soon switched to reading each chapter, section by section. It might be interesting to read the entire novel section by section.

The novel begins with Señor C meeting the beautiful Anya in the laundry room of the large apartment complex where they both live. He eventually offers her a job as his typist, even though she has very little experience. Clearly, Señor C is infatuated with Anya in a sort of defeated, pitiful, and hopeless way, and Anya knows this. However, their friendship eventually blossoms into something meaningful and touching, where each character influences the other in very significant ways. The unique format of the novel allows the reader to see the different perspectives of Señor C and Anya simultaneously. They are describing the same events and time-period, but choose wildly different details to focus on. Lovely and recommended.

Nice to see you following up such a stinker with a solid four-star read. JM Coetzee is a rewarding but sometimes frustrating writer. Kerri if you like him you should try Andre Brink my favourite South African writer. Have a lovely weekend.

#80 - Hi Paul. It's funny you should mention Andre Brink. I plan to read Rumours of Rain for one of my category challenges. Glad to know he's highly recommended by you.

Kerri: Diary of a Bad Year goes on my list -- I love books that I have to figure out. It sounds wonderful.

#82 - I really liked it and I hope you do too. The good thing is that, while the format is different and inventive, it's not a frustrating chore to figure out.

Glad to see the good review of Diary of a Bad Year. I picked it up super cheap at a Borders closing sale but the format has put me off...

Kerri - you are starting off with my favourite...hope it doesn't disappoint.

#71: Ugh! (and that is all I can think of to say, lol)

#79: I need to read more of Coetzee's work. I thoroughly enjoyed his Life and Times of Michael K, a rarity for me since most of the time I do not like the Booker Prize books. Thanks for the recommendation of Diary of a Bad Year, Kerri.

#84 - Hi Katie - It didn't blow my mind like Disgrace, but it's very good. I hope you enjoy it.

#85 - Paul - If I don't like it, it's all your fault. (kidding) Actually my theory is that since it was shortlisted for the Booker prize the same year one of my favorite novels (The Sea, The Sea) won, I will like it, because clearly, the judges had good taste that year. That's my theory anyway.

#86 - Hi Stasia - I'm the opposite in that I often love the Booker books (the ones I've read at least.) I will get to Life and Times of Michael K this year, as I will be reading one Coetzee a month for one of my 12 in 12 challenges.

Sadly, I had to abandon the Colson Whitehead audiobook (The Colossus of New York). I plan to purchase it in print (or ebook) format and read it this year at some point. It's written in an almost poetic style, and I had a difficult time focusing and keeping track of when one essay ended and the next one began. It became too frustrating. I also kept thinking, "This is probably really good, but I'm getting absolutely nothing out of it." Anyway, I'm not sure what my next audiobook will be, but I've learned that I should stick to the more straightforward non-fiction and memoir. Oh well.

Kerri: I always found that I needed audiobooks with linear storylines or straightforward narratives.

Hi Beth - I can't even handle audiobook fiction with a linear storyline! I tried listening to Babbitt last year (and it's a novel I've already read!) and decided I had to stick to non-fiction. I had a hard time following the dialogue. Clearly, it's me. : )

Nice review of Diary of a Bad Year, Kerri. I don't own it, so onto my wish list it goes (I'm a Coetzee fan).

I don't think you could pay me enough to read The Orange Eats Creeps.

Thanks, Darryl! Any suggestions (Darryl or anyone else) for the next Coetzee? I have 11 more to go this year, which means I'll read all but one or two of the main works of fiction and memoirs. So far I've read Disgrace and Diary of a Bad Year.

Kerri I would go for Life and Times of Michael K which is not quite as accessible as Disgrace apparently is but is a special book.

#93 - Thanks, Paul!

Grad School Books I'm Currently Reading

I'm not putting these two books in the currently reading post at the top of my thread, as I don't want to look at the covers all semester.

1. Library and Information Center Management - This is so poorly written and edited that, at times, it's incoherent.

2. Information and Records Management: Document-Based Information Systems - This is for my online records management course, which promises to be a train wreck for various different reasons. And it's from 1995 (?!?!). I couldn't make this stuff up.

I apologize for the cranky tone. Clearly, I'm having a difficult time getting motivated this semester. If it weren't for allowing myself pleasure reading on the train and during my lunch hour, I might lose my mind. Oh well. It always seems to work out, I suppose.

Not necessary to apologize for crankiness, Kerri! and Yes! It will all work out. At times like these that has to be the mantra and of course getting lost in a good book doesn't hurt.

It's weird that in a field that has changed so quickly over the past few years you've been assigned a book that now seems kind of irrelevent. Go figure!

#96 It's weird that in a field that has changed so quickly over the past few years you've been assigned a book that now seems kind of irrelevant

Exactly! However, it seems like I'll be all set when it comes to learning about microfilm. And the instructor is some sort of director of records management at a large corporate law firm. His emails are somewhat shrill and motivational-speakeresque. He hasn't managed to figure out how to run a live online class yet. Last night we all waited for 48 minutes for him to show up in the online classroom and finally got an email saying he was having computer trouble and had to cancel class. It is now week three and we haven't had a class. He also unnecessarily used "Return on Investment" in his first email to us. That sort of set the stage for me. Good times.

Ugh, sorry to hear about the woes with your records management class. I took a course in it at library school and it was an evening class (my one and only in all my years of post-secondary studies) but the instructor was fantastic and made the sometimes dry material much more interesting. We also didn't have a textbook but mostly read journal articles. Hope the course gets better. :)

Kerri, I'm stubborn like that too. If I invest 100 pages into a book, I will almost always finish it, rather than waste my time. Don't worry, I've read some dreadful books in my time. I remember the " thrill" of Harlequin romances, reading them with my friends when I was in my early teens! ;) As for drug books, not so much, but I did read Go Ask Alice . I recall a friend of mine's mom burning Go Ask Alice in the backlane in a cauldron !!! My parents were relatively liberal and I was not much of a rebel at all, so it remains quite an amusing memory to me!! :)

Oh sorry to read that you are having to read about cataloging on microfilm. That's rather yesterday, isnt it! ;) Hugs to you!

Kerri: I've toyed with the idea of doing library science -- or whatever it's called now -- and have to say your experience is convincing me I don't need another degree at this point in my life. Good luck; I hope your semester gets better.

#98 - Hi Micky - I'm desperately hoping he adds relevant and up-to-date articles, but there's nothing on the brief syllabus, so far. This is the first time my program has offered this course and the first time he's taught it, so there's that. Still, I don't know how the old textbook got past the curriculum people, or whoever approves this stuff.

#99 - Thanks, Deb! I've never read Go Ask Alice, but that's an amusing story (well....if book burning can be considered amusing. I think the cauldron part seals the deal. Ha!) For some reason, it reminds me of the story of my mom destroying my sister's door-size Robert Plant poster because my sister went to a Led Zeppelin concert on Easter.

#100 - Oh, Beth! Please don't let my cranky blabbing dissuade you from pursuing library science! I'm just a bit burned out at this point, with work, school, and a special needs dog (that's another story). Overall, my experience has been good. I suppose you'll have dreadful instructors within any discipline and this records management guy doesn't even have a library background. He has an MBA (not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Anyway, on a good note, I had my first class meeting for my other course (management) last night, which is in-person. It went much better than I had anticipated. I knew a third of our grade is a semester-long group project. This made me nervous, because my last group experience involved a lazy, obnoxious, and slightly crazy fellow who didn't do what he was supposed to and was impossible to contact. Myself and the other woman in the group ended up doing all the work. This time, I scoped the room and avoided anyone who seemed suspect. I ended up with two fellows who seem like they will be lovely to work with, so that's a huge relief.

I downloaded a few of the 33 and 1/3 audiobooks. It's a series, written by various authors, that looks at a particular sacred cow album in-depth. I'm starting with The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society and so far it's quite fascinating. I'm a big Kinks fan and love this album, however, my favorite tends to be Muswell Hillbillies. My husband thinks this is incorrect. Ha!

Kerri, I absolutely love the Kinks and have everything they ever released (you couldn't expect anything else of such a completist freak as I). Rate MUSWELL HILLBILLIES highly but for me PERCY, OR THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE is the finest album of the 1960's.

Hi Paul. At first I thought you meant "Arthur," rather than "Percy," but then I looked it up and there's a soundtrack to a film called Percy that I didn't know about! And I thought I was a Kinks completist too! I'll have to check that out.

I'm also a big fan of Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, even though I know it's not non-stop magic.

Here is one of the world's loveliest songs ("Oklahoma U.S.A" from Muswell Hillbillies). I weep nearly every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQcf6qRMZMo
(Most of the images in this video make me think that the creator doesn't really understand the song, but it's the best I could find.)

Hahaha Kerri we were both right I have all of their original releases but the one I was thinking about was Arthur. Percy has a couple of good songs but a film based upon a penis transplant (really!) is surely doomed to failure!

#105 - Oh my! Well...I'll still have to get a copy of that soundtrack.

Title: Hand Me Down World
Author: Lloyd Jones
Publication Year: 2010
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 6 - Newer stuff - fiction published in 2010 or later
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #20 (January 2012): Read a book that has an acknowledgements section no longer than six 6 paragraphs
Stars: Three

An African woman makes the dangerous journey across the sea and part of Europe to search for her son who was cruelly taken from her at birth. Various people she interacts with along the way narrate the first two-thirds of the novel, including a former co-worker from Tunisia, a documentary filmmaker, and a blind man she is hired to care for, once in Berlin (her destination.) Finally, the woman tells her own story, which, at times, differs quite strikingly from the accounts of these people.

While an interesting enough story and adequately written, something important is missing and it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is – authenticity? an appropriate amount of grittiness? sufficient character development? Despite the alarming and disturbing subject matter, it somehow comes across as very safe and tied up with a bow at the end. I can almost see this being made into a Hollywood movie that does quite well and eventually wins an Oscar. That sort of thing. Meh.

Other than their bigger hits, I've never followed The Kinks but thanks for introducing me to Oklahoma U.S.A, I'll check iTunes for others.

#108 - Lynda - I'm so glad to have introduced you to that song! I think (and I believe Paul would agree), that this was their magical period:

1968 The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
1969 Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
1970 Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
1971 Muswell Hillbillies

#107 Hmm, I've had that one on my wishlist for a while as I quite enjoyed Mister Pip. Perhaps it's one to get from the library rather than buy my own copy.

Hi Heather! I don't know....it looks like it received several good reviews. I just found it flat and lacking. I haven't read Mister Pip.

Kerri - Agree with that - their Preservation albums were also good but a bit more patchy. btw Percy came after Lola and before Muswell Hillbillies.

#112 - Right! Must find Percy. It wasn't on the discography I was looking at.

Title: The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society (Thirty Three and a Third series)
Author: Andy Miller
Publication Year: 2003
Format: Audiobook
Challenges:
• 75 Book Challenge
Stars: Four

A wonderful glimpse into the making of, arguably, one of the best albums of the 1960s. For me, the most fascinating aspect of the story is that this album – which, today, is almost universally praised and gushed about - was a complete flop when it was released in late 1968. The Kinks were thought to be past their prime, out-dated, and corny. Releasing a music hall-inspired concept album, that explored somewhat old-fashioned themes (although quite cynically), while all the cool bands were making psychedelic albums, was an odd choice. However, principal song-writer and lead singer Ray Davies stayed true to his convictions and made the album he wanted to make.

The author looks at the history leading up to the album, the personality conflicts among the band members, and some of the post-album history. Most importantly, the book includes in-depth studies of each song on the album, plus several B-sides, and tracks that were never officially released. While it does contain some over-the-top hyperbole, it is well-researched and entertaining. Recommended for Kinks fans. It helps to be very familiar with the album before reading.

Inspired by other LTers, I plan to put together monthly stats. Here is the first installment:

January 2012 Reading Statistics

Number of books read: 8
Average rating: 3.5
Number of pages: 2,005
Favorite read: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Least favorite read: The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich

Decades (published in):
• 1960-1969: 1
• 2000-2009: 4
• 2010-2019: 3

Fiction/Non-Fiction:
• Fiction: 5
• Non-Fiction: 3

Owned/borrowed (from human)/library:
• Owned: 8
• Borrowed (from human): 0
• Library: 0

Format:
• Print book: 4
• Ebook: 1
• Audiobook: 3

Author country:
• Japan: 1
• New Zealand: 1
• South Africa: 1
• United Kingdom: 1
• United States: 4

Author gender:
• Female: 2
• Male: 6

Literary prizes represented:
• National Book Critics Circle winner: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
• Nobel Prize for Literature author: J.M. Coetzee
• Orange Prize longlist: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
• Pen Faulker finalist: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
• Pulitzer Prize winner (fiction): A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

#115 A very impressive, detailed list Kerri. A Visit From the Goon Squad swept through those literary awards. I like the author country and decade sections.

#116 - Thanks! I've kept an elaborate spreadsheet for a while that keeps getting bigger and bigger, so I thought I'd post it. Actually I keep track of more stuff, but it's not all interesting to everyone.

#115: I was thinking about putting a summary at the ending of each month, too. That are some very interesting points, Kerri. Maybe I'll let myself get some inspiration from your categories, if that's ok with you. ;)

P.S. Isn't it shocking that the first reading month of the year is already over?!

Kerri - as a fellow addict = I love the stats! Wonderful stuff.

Great review of The Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society - quite right that Ray Davies stayed true to his beliefs even though it hurt them commercially. That album was the start of a purple patch for them as you noted correctly in #109. Have you read the respective biographies by the Davies brothers?

#118 - Kathy - Please feel free! I took the idea from other LT folks too. I can't believe this month went by so fast either! I actually thought I'd finish more books, but I suppose 8 is on track.

#119 - Thanks, Paul! I have the Ray Davies one on my radar (X-Ray? Is that the one you recommend?), but not the Dave Davies one. What is it called? They were such asses, weren't they? I'm sure the biographies would be fascinating.

I started on another 33 and a third audiobook about The Velvet Underground and Nico. Mostly because it's short. Also because I'm waiting for my Audible token to kick in on Friday, so I can get that book on the Scientology people that was listed in the New York Times best of 2011 list. I do love that album though.

Hi Kerri! Sorry that Hand Me Down World wasn't as good as it could have been, but I just love the cover art!

I like your monthly stats, that's a great idea! I might have to copy you, that's if I can get the energy. I'm feeling very lazy right now lol

I think it is called Kink, Kerri.

#121 - Hi Chelle! The cover art is lovely. However, my cover is actually different - it's a painting of a blue coat hanging on a hook (the main character wears a blue coat.) It's quite nice too, actually.

#122 - Thanks Paul! I'll put both of them on my wishlist.

Even though he's been dead for 24 years, I'm Facebook friends with James Baldwin. This gem of a quote popped up on my news feed this morning, and I thought I'd share:

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.”
— James Baldwin

Exactly.

I love that Baldwin quote, Kerri. Thanks for sharing it with us.

#125 - You're welcome, Darryl. I love it too.

Thanks for the great quote Kerri.

#127 - Hi Beth! It's a great one.

Title: God on the Rocks
Author: Jane Gardam
Publication Year: 1978
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 1 - Booker Prize short-listed works from 1978 and 1985
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #3 (February 2012): Read a book with a word of at least 5 letters in the title that is an anagram of another 5 letter word (Rocks/Corks)
Stars: Five

Margaret, a precocious 8-year-old with an adventurous spirit, lives with her odd, fundamentalist Christian parents in a sleepy, seaside English town. A series of events occur around Margaret – including the sudden appearance of her mother’s childhood friends - that bring together a web of people who share a complicated and painful past.

Part comedy, with a bit of tragedy thrown in, the novel examines the toxic effects of longing, stubbornness, and regret, and how people are kept apart and made miserable for the silliest of reasons. It also explores the stock situation of rich-boy-not-allowed-to-marry-his poor-love-due-to-evil-mother without coming across as tired or cliché.

I have absolutely no idea why it’s never occurred to me to read a Jane Gardam novel until this week. Good grief. This is warm, witty, quirky, touching, and wonderful. The writing is excellent and the characters are vivid and rich. It’s ridiculously delightful. I love it.

#129: Oh no.... and another book letting grow my wishlist. Very nice review by the way!

Kerri: I haven't read this one, but I have loved every Gardam I have read. I'll have to get to this one soon. Thanks for the great review.

Intruiging review Kerri of Gardam. Haven't read it either but will try to get hold of a copy soon.

Hi Kathy, Beth, and Paul! Thank you for the kind words! Regarding Jane Gardam, I'm thrilled because God on the Rocks doesn't even seem to be the most cited favorite of her novels, so I have more joy ahead of me. Beth - please share your favorites, if possible.

Kerri: I don't know that I have a favorite. Faith Fox and The Flight of the Maidens were both great novels. Maybe I liked "Flight" a little more. The People on Privilege Hill was a great collection of stories. All wonderful. My next read of Gardam's will be Old Filth for my book group.

#129 I've seen some good reviews for Gardam's Old Filth on here; looks like God on the Rocks is another good one.

I'm so behind!! Hi - and I'm expecting Old Filth in the mail. That sounds a little weird, doesn't it!:)

#134 - Hi Beth - thank you for the suggestions. They will go on my wishlist!

#135 and 136 - Hi Heather and Deb - I'm definitely putting Old Filth on the wishlist. I've a lot of great things about it. It's great to be so excited about a new (to me) author!

Thank you for visiting my thread, Kerri. Wow, lots of good stuff going on here. Why have I never visited before?!

I am a big fan of Jane Gardam and God on the Rocks is one of the two Gardam novels I still have left to read. Your review reminded me why I love her so much and if I hadn't just started a Molly Keane, I'd be tempted to pick God on the Rocks up off my shelf and read it right now!

I'm glad to see a review of God on the Rocks. I read Old Filth and liked it but haven't heard much about Gardam's other books.

#138 - Hi Dee and Carly! Thanks for visiting. I hope you both get a chance to read God on the Rocks. It sort of reminds me a little of the early Kate Atkinson novels or The Country Life by Rachel Cusk, which is wonderful. Actually, I should say that those novels remind me of God on the Rocks, since they were published much later.

Title: Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series)
Author: Joe Harvard
Publication Year: 2004
Format: Audiobook
Challenges:
• 75 Book Challenge
Stars: Two and a half

This is an adequate look at the creation of a great album, and I applaud the author for his meticulous citing of sources and avoidance of rumor and innuendo. However, it suffered from too much unnecessary information, particularly Jonathan Richman anecdotes. I realize that Jonathan Richman loves the Velvet Underground and apparently had a connection to John Cale at some point. I’m also guessing that the author knows Jonathan Richman, and seems quite proud of that fact, but really, who cares? Yes, lots of bands and artists are and were influenced by the Velvet Underground. I would have preferred a more thorough examination of the album.

Title: The Good Terrorist
Author: Doris Lessing
Publication Year: 1985
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 1 - Booker Prize short-listed works from 1978 and 1985
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #15 (February 2012): Read a book that has the Letters in TIOLI (T,I,O,L) as doubles in the title or Author's Name (OO)
Stars: Two and a half

The story follows Alice, a 36-year-old revolutionary in 1980s London. She and fellow members of a loosely-organized, far-left organization squat in a large, dilapidated house. Alice serves as the under-appreciated care-taker of the group by cooking, cleaning, fixing up the house, and dealing with the utility boards. With few exceptions, the rest of the characters come across as hateful, stupid, selfish, and immature. They are essentially two-dimensional negative stereotypes of young radicals. The group is apparently tired of painting slogans on bridges and wants to branch into something more exciting. Someone comes up with a plan to work with the IRA, but the IRA rejects them. Nevertheless, they decide to branch into terrorism on their own with predictably disastrous results.

I must admit, I am completely baffled by this novel. Last year, I read the Grass is Singing, thought it was wonderful, and considered doing a Doris Lessing author read this year (I went with Coetzee instead…thankfully.) This novel reads like it was written by a different human being. While the story holds my attention, the prose is artless and at times clunky and awkward. I keep wondering if that was her intention, but then I can’t figure out why it would be. I can understand using a sparse, linear narrative style when dealing with this particular subject matter, but this simply leaves me slightly embarrassed for the author. I think exploring the occasional tendency for those involved in radical or fringe ideology to lose sight of their original humanitarian goals is an interesting and worthwhile pursuit, but it doesn’t work here.

#142: I haven't read Lessing yet. I'm sorry that you didn't like The Good Terrorist, because the story sounds really good. That shows again that only a good story or a good writing style doesn't equal a good book. You need more to create a masterpiece. :)

I find Lessing to be a very uneven writer. I like her early work, usually set in Africa, much more than some of her later works. (I haven't read The Good Terrorist, but it is on my shelf--where it will remain for the time being at the end of the line).

#142 - Hi Kathy - Yes, I thought the story was interesting, although I've since read other reviews and a lot of people think it lacks plot. I guess it's definitely more a character study of Alice, than a gripping plot, but I don't mind that. For me, it lacked in other ways. I thought it was lazily written.

#143 - Hi - Nice to "see" you! I've heard others say that Lessing is uneven. I plan to give her another chance at some point, but perhaps I'll stick to the earlier work, since I loved The Grass is Singing.

Kerri: Good review of the Lessing. I agree that her work is uneven. I'll stick with the early work.

#146 - Thank you, Beth! It does sound like the early work is the way to go.

ohh Kerri, I'll be so fascinated in what you have to say about Inside Scientology. I've always been frightened of the whole thing, but I wonder what attracts Hollywood stars to Scientology - okay, I confess to reading gossip magazines!;) Just to keep up with the common folks, of course... not for my own interest or anything like that...;)

#148 - Hi Deb! So far, the book is fascinating, and it's been a great audiobook choice. I'm reading it for the TIOLI New York Times Best Non-Fiction of 2011 category. I'm not particularly religious myself, but I do try to be respectful of other people's beliefs. However, I'm only in the early 1970s (the audiobook is over 15 hours long) and at this point it certainly seems to have all the markings of a kooky cult (blind adherence to an all-powerful leader, isolation from family and friends, and an us-versus-them mentality), according to the evidence presented.

I agree that the celebrity thing is really weird (especially Beck - I think I hold musicians to higher standards than actors, for some reason.) That hasn't been addressed yet in the book (I'm sure it will be.) I do admit to watching several of those weird Tom Cruise videos on YouTube last night. Ha!

#148+#149: I wouldn't blame Scientology for Tom Cruise - I guess he's just nuts himself. :)
But seriously: I'm with Deborah - sects like Scientology frighten me very much (as does every kind of fanatism in the accepted world religions)! I read in the description that Reitman was a journalist - so she's not writing as an escapee? Is it more a personal report, or a more "neutral" one?
It's a pity that my library doesn't own it.

#150 - Hi Kathy - It appears to be investigative journalism. I'm early in the book, but so far it has been a history of L. Ron Hubbard's early years and the early years of the organization, which went from a bunch of psychology centers to an organized religion in a short amount of time. So far, it's presented as a history, but some of it is based on personal stories (not by the author, so far, although in the introduction she mentions going into a center for testing, so maybe later?) I think it's attempting to present the material in a neutral manner, but the stuff is so off-the-wall that it inevitably comes across as negative. The bad thing about audiobooks is that you can't see footnotes and sources, so I'm not exactly sure where she's getting her information.

But yeah, crazy stuff. A religion or spiritual path based on psychological principles doesn't necessarily have to be weird or dangerous (e.g. Buddhism), but many of Scientology's organizational practices are scary and culty. I find it fascinating that people fall into stuff like this. I'm naturally skeptical about everything, so it's completely bizarre to me.

Title: The Optimist’s Daughter
Author: Eudora Welty
Publication Year: 1972
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 2 - Major literary prize winners from 1973 - the year I was born (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #1 (February 2012): Read a book with an animal on the left hand page, a beverage on the right hand page, and the number 3 in both page numbers
Stars: Four

Following the death of her father, Laurel must cope with the presence of Fay, his difficult and much younger second wife. The novel is beautifully written, particularly the last section where Laurel experiences a flood of memories of her mother and late husband. The author explores grieving behavior, how we construct (and reconstruct) memories of lost loved ones, and the significance of material objects with regard to memory. I’m giving it four stars because it is lovely and well-done, but, quite frankly, it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I actually think it would be great for a book club, as there's a boatload of symbolism to pick apart.

Interesting to see your views on The Good Terrorist and that you share my view that Lessing can be very good but also decidely average. I actually didn't hate that one but some of her other stuff is just pap. Apparently she submitted several MS under assumed names in the 1990's to test the market sentiment on her books and was uniformly rejected!

I have plans to read the Eudora Welty this year too and your review further encourages me. Btw SWMBO born in the same year as you Kerri.

#153 - Hi Paul - When you have a chance, please let me know which Lessing books to avoid like the plague. What an interesting little anecdote about rejections under an assumed name! Also, I'm proud to share SWMBO's birth year.

Kerri: I read The Optimist's Daughter years ago; your comments make me want to revisit it.

The Optimist's Daughter sounds interesting. I have a copy on my shelves that I will get around to eventually.

Kerri avoid anything remotely to do with Martha Quest in Lessing's oeuvre...pap! Love, Again is also crashingly dull.
SWMBO is apparently none too proud of her birth year as she has been stuck on the ripe old age of 27 for almost as long as I can remember. I have admitted to friends that I married at the age of 30 and Hani still insists that she is 27 and that we have been married for 16 years. Do the math and I ought to be in serious trouble. The addage that ladies don't reveal their true age is all well and good but her actively lying about it causes perpetual difficulties!

#157 - Ok - thanks for the warning.

And bless Hani's heart! That's funny. I'm always upfront about age and weight, because it's pretty obvious that I'm a thirty-something-year-old lady. I'm the youngest of my siblings and cousins though, so I can never complain about my age and get any sympathy. I mean, I'm almost forty and a person should be able to complain about that, but they have no sympathy! Not fair! However, in all honesty, I've much preferred my thirties over my twenties.

#155 and 156 - Hi Beth and Dee! I hope you enjoy it. Like I said, it wasn't really my thing, but it's definitely high-quality. Sort of like the Rolling Stones. I don't want to listen to them, but I can't deny that they were great. That sort of thing.

Hello Paul! Been lurking for a couple days - so just popping in to let you know!

#160 - Hi Brit! You've reached Kerri's thread (rather than Paul's). Good to see you!

Anywhere I can meet you two lovely ladies I am honoured - Hi to Brit and Kerri too!

#162 - Always the charmer, Paul!

I just finished Life and Times of Michael K. It was wonderful, but I think I'll need a few days to process it before I write a review.

Also, I am enamored with the new list feature. I've created three so far and have received many wonderful suggestions. Please feel free to add to them if you have any ideas. Here they are:

1. Fiction Set Primarily in a Prison - I was so thrilled with the responses to this that I changed my postmodern category to incarceration-themed fiction. Most importantly, this will allow me to read Little Dorrit, so I won't feel left out of all the Charles Dickens hoopla this year.

2. Fiction Set During a Revolution - A lot of great responses, although perhaps I should have clarified that I'm looking for actual revolutions, as several sci-fi novels made it on to the list. That's totally my fault though.

3. Best Science Fiction Originally Published in a Language Other Than English - This is going to sound really dumb, but I didn't realize Jules Verne was French!

Hi Kerri! That are three great topics!

Suggestions for "Prison":
Der Graf von Monte Christo came first to my mind, but that's already mentioned...
- Can the protagonist just be imprisoned or must it be a actual prison?
If not in actual prison: Das Schloss by Franz Kafka
(- Can the prison be a labour camp or concentration camp? Or a Ghetto? I know my mother owns some books, but I would have to take a look at them first.)

If in actual prison:
- Die Schachnovelle by Stefan Zweig
- Le Dernier Jour d'un condamné by Victor Hugo
- Haute Surveillance by Jean Genet (I think his novel Notre-Dame-des-Fleurs plays also in prison, but I'm not sure.)
- Maybe Der Archipel Gulag by Solschenizyn? (I heard, that's a report about his experiences, but in a literary way.)

Suggestions for "Revolution"
- Dantons Tod by Georg Büchner

Suggestions for "Science in other language"
- Books by Jules Verne (De la terre à la lune)
- Books by Stanislaw Lem

Maybe there's the one or another book you can use!

#165 - Hi Kathy - Thank you! I will add those to the list. I think any kind of confinement against a person's will is fine for my incarceration-themed category. So, for example, Room by Emma Donoghue would work (although I didn't like it very much and wouldn't read it again).

Revolution has to be A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel or The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.

#167 - Thanks, Paul. I think those are listed already. Lots of French Revolution fiction out there, that's for sure! I'll probably read A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel, as I've never read her and I hear so much praise for her on LibraryThing. I also really want to get to Man's Fate. I tried it a few years ago, but it wasn't the right time and I've always meant to go back. It might help me to read some non-fiction about that period of Chinese history before I attempt it again. I think it was a revolution that involved three separate, opposing forces. I found it to be wildly confusing at the time.

Agree with Paul about A Place of Greater Safety. That is a very good book.

I also added Solaris to your Best Science Fiction Originally Published in a Language Other Than English list.

#169 - Hi Calm - Thanks for visiting and thank you for adding Solaris to my list. I saw the film (the George Clooney version) a while back, but would like to read the novel.

Title: Life and Times of Michael K.
Author: J.M. Coetzee
Publication Year: 1983
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 3 - Author study of J. M. Coetzee
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #6 (February 2012): Read a book whose author's surname has a "Scrabble value" of 12 or more
Stars: Four and a half

Born with a severe facial deformity and thought to be simple or even stupid, Michael K. is used to being ignored and avoided. In a civil war-torn version of (presumably) South Africa, he sets out with his ailing mother on a journey from the city, to her rural homeland. Following the death of his mother along the way (this happens early in the novel and appears in the back cover blurb), Michael alternates between living off the land and getting captured by government forces and taken into custody for not possessing the proper identification papers.

Once out of the city, the naïve Michael is baffled by checkpoints, labor camps, and the authorities’ obsession with forcing people into specific geographic areas. He finds moments of peace and nearly thrives when he is out on his own, growing food and hunting with a sling shot. However, when in captivity (and this includes stretches of time in hospitals), Michael withers and almost wastes away due to a stubborn refusal to eat food. The point is driven home that captivity, confinement, and extreme government control breaks the human spirit and makes it impossible for people to live up to their full potential.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the novel is that the race of the characters is never mentioned. In case the reader has grown numb to the horrors of apartheid, this device effectively snaps them out of that fog and forces them to see all people, regardless of race, as human beings with an equal right to freedom, who have the potential to thrive and contribute to their own well being. Quite excellent and highly recommended.

Kerri: Michael K sounds great; I'll have to move it up on my list.

I'm way behind - but shhh I confess to watching a few of those weird Tom Cruise you - tube video's. As I am Canadian, though I know that Glenn Beck is a nut ( no offence to anyone) I don't know many details of Glenn Beck. Hee! I love the Tioli re - Scrabble points!

#172 - Hi Beth - It was definitely great, but my favorite Coetzee so far is still Disgrace.

#173 - Hi Deb - Glad to have you back! Glenn Beck is most definitely insane. However, I believe he is a Mormon, rather than a Scientologist. I do believe Greta Van Susteren, Fox News TV personality, is a Scientologist though.

#167 - 169 A Place of Greater Safety is one I'm hoping to read from my TBR pile this year too.

Hi Heather! I suppose I should also read Wolf Hall at some point, since that's the one people are always talking about.

Title: American Salvage
Author: Bonnie Jo Campbell
Publication Year: 2009
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 9 - Short story collections
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #7 (February 2012): Read a book published by a university or college
Stars: Three and a half

The stories in this collection are set in present-day, economically-depressed, small town Michigan. Following the mass exodus of large factories - where at one time, people could make a decent living - residents literally struggle to survive. Meth addiction (and production) is an all too common problem, large corporations take over family farms, and some desperate people even turn to the militia/survivalist movement in order to give their lives meaning. While not great, many of the stories are quite good and give the reader a glimpse into the rarely discussed problem of rural poverty in America.

Kerri: It sounds like a worthwhile read, albeit a little sad?

Hi Kara! Just popping in to say hello! :)

#178 - Hi Beth! It's definitely sad, and often quite touching. Due to back problems and pain meds, I think my empathy is not shining through in my last couple of reviews. Sigh.

#179 - Hi Chelle! Thank you for stopping by!

Kerri: Sorry to hear about your back; your empathy is what gave me the impression the stories are sad. The book sounds like one I should tackle when I'm feeling very happy.

#181 - Oh good! I was just re-reading that review and thought it might sound a little cold and matter-of-fact. I'm glad it doesn't.

Popping by to get caught up on your thread and sorry to hear about your back troubles. Here is hoping you find some relief soon!

Hi Lori! Thank you. I got my MRI results back and it's actually in my neck (it's felt like it's in my shoulder and the pain goes down my arm and my left hand is numb). From what I understand, I have three herniated discs, a pinched nerve, and something about spinal stenosis. I have a referral to a neurosurgeon, so we'll see what he says. Hopefully physical therapy and no surgery. At least I can still read and I've gone to work the last couple of days. I'm just cranky and in pain, often excruciating.

On a good note, I started Zoo City and am really enjoying it so far. I was skeptical, because the premise sounds a little goofy (and I'm usually not a big fan of magic), but the author has really created a fascinating and unique world.

Hi Kerri,
Thought Id stop by and chat as your list at the top caught my eye. The Velvet Underground are a top band in my book, and we have that book in my house (thanks to my partner being a big fan). He really liked the book, didn't sound like it was your cup of tea.

I like the look of a lot of the books you have read so far, so will be keeping an eye on your upcoming reads.

#185 - Hi Megan! Thanks for visiting. I will check out your thread as well.

Regarding The Velvet Underground book, I listened to it shortly after The Kinks book from the same series. I just think I preferred the more straight-forward approach of The Kinks book. For some reason, the author's personal anecdotes in the VU book drove me nuts, as did the narrator's obnoxious voice. I look forward to reading (or listening to) more from that series. I think I downloaded David Bowie's Low and the one about one of the Big Starr albums. They're great audiobook candidates.

From the 33 1/3 series we have Forever Changes, Pet Sounds and Unknown Pleasures as well as the VU one. Maybe I'd better get onto reading them! They certainly look good on the bookshelf.

Kerri: Good luck with your back.

Kerri - I hope your pain dissipates quickly. American Salvage looks good and I do like a decent collection of short stories as it is nice to dip in and out of books sometimes.

#187 - Those sound good. Per my husband, the 33 1/3 Replacements' Let it Be is dreadful. It's written by Colin Meloy (from the Decemberists) and all he does is talk about his childhood.

#188 - Thanks Beth! I have a neurosurgeon appointment on 3/14, but am on a waiting list to get in sooner, so hopefully that works out. I'd definitely like to try the physical therapy route before any kind of surgery. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. That's about it.

Title: Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion
Author: Janet Reitman
Publication Year: 2011
Format: Audiobook
Challenges:
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #14 (February 2012): Read a work of non-fiction from the NY Times notable books of 2011
Stars: Four

A fascinating and comprehensive history of the Church of Scientology, Reitman covers the Church’s beginnings as a self-help movement to the present day multi-million dollar operation it has become. A large portion of the book is devoted to an in-depth biography of founder L. Ron Hubbard (seemingly quite the megalomaniac), from his beginnings as a pulp fiction (then science fiction) writer who dabbled in the occult, to naval officer, to self-help guru, and finally to founder of the Scientology religion. Also covered is the post-Hubbard period, where the Church has been ruled with an iron fist by Chairman of the Board David Miscavige; the Church’s notorious catering to celebrities; its battle with the IRS to receive tax-exempt status; some of its controversial legal battles, most notably that of the mysterious death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson; and profiles of current and past members.

In my opinion, many harmless religions have implausible creation stories and myths (the Xenu/Galactic Confederacy/body thetan stuff of Scientology doesn’t particularly bother me). Many harmless religions have self-help/psychology-based doctrines (e.g. Buddhism). However, based on the evidence presented in the book, I find the most disturbing aspect of the Church to be its severely authoritarian and cult-like organizational style. Members are isolated from non-Scientology friends and family, they are seemingly brainwashed into spending thousands of dollars on auditing sessions, they are encouraged to report any “ethics violations” of fellow members, and they are often emotionally (and sometimes physically) abused.

The only complaint I have about the book is its lack of focus on rank and file members. It deals almost exclusively with upper management and those members who work for the Church, particularly in the Sea Org and on the powerful Gold Base, which is the major seat of power of the Church. Otherwise, I highly recommend it. It’s well-written and organized, filled with captivating stories, and manages to come across as non-sensationalistic and even-handed, despite the off-the-wall subject matter.

#189 - Hi Paul! I missed your post for some reason. Thanks for the well-wishes. While still good, American Salvage was a bit disappointing, but it may have to do with the fact that I read it right after a great Coetzee novel. I'm still trying to find the love for short story collections. I haven't given up yet.

>191 DorsVenabili: that review confirms my thoughts on Scientology. I'd like to read an L. Ron Hubbard book about this "religion", but feel it might read as a comedy to me.

#193 - I'm sort of interested in reading some of his sci-fi. I'm guessing it would be a campy hoot! Based on the evidence in the book, he was certifiably insane.

Hi Kerri. Returning your visit and starring your thread!

I was interested by your discussion of Doris Lessing. I have only read one of her books and never fully connected with it. But I do want to read The Grass is Singing. Strange that in the entire two library systems that I can order books from, there is only one copy.

#195 - That is strange, but I hope you can get it. It was one of my favorites from last year. Judging by the comments of others, she seems very hit and miss. I had planned to read one of her sc-fi novels this year - Shikasta - but now I'm sort of afraid to try it. I might stick to her earlier works.

Title: Zoo City
Author: Lauren Beukes
Publication Year: 2010
Format: ebook
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 8 - Female-authored science fiction
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #11 (February 2012): Read a two word titled book with the first letter of the first word coming after the first letter of the second word
Stars: Four

Zinzi - a wonderfully likeable, yet deeply flawed, ex-con - lives in a dilapidated apartment building with her sloth in what is known as Zoo City, South Africa. In the world where the novel takes place, a largely marginalized subset of the population exists, called aposymbiots (or zoo people). An aposymbiot develops a close relationship with a particular animal and, in turn, receives some kind of magic power (all of this is cleverly explained throughout the novel in much greater detail through snippets from encyclopedias, journal abstracts, and film reviews). Zinzi happens to be a zoo person and her magic is that she can find lost things. This ability leads her into a fascinating mystery involving a reclusive music industry executive and a teen pop group.

I had been putting this novel off for a while, because the premise sounds completely ridiculous, but I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I was drawn into the rich, detailed world that the author has created. The writing is great too, often very witty and clever. It almost reminds me of Jennifer Egan’s writing in A Visit from the Goon Squad. My only complaint is that the story may get a bit bogged down by too many characters and a slightly over-complicated plot (I recommend note-taking while reading). However, overall, I thought it was wonderful, and I highly recommend it.

February 2012 Reading Statistics

Number of books read: 8
Average rating: 3.8
Number of pages: 2,198
Favorite read: God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam
Least favorite read: The Good Terrorist by Doris Lessing

Decades (published in):
• 1970-1979: 2
• 1980-1989: 2
• 2000-2009: 2
• 2010-2019: 2

Fiction/Non-Fiction:
• Fiction: 6
• Non-Fiction: 2

Owned/borrowed (from human)/library:
• Owned: 7
• Borrowed (from human): 0
• Library: 1

Format:
• Print book: 5
• Ebook: 1
• Audiobook: 2

Author country:
• South Africa: 2
• United Kingdom: 2
• United States: 4

Author gender:
• Female: 6
• Male: 2

Literary prizes/book lists represented:
• 1001 Books to Read Before You Die: The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty and Life and Times of Michael K. by J.M. Coetzee
• Arthur C. Clarke Award Winner: Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
• Booker Prize Winner: Life and Times of Michael K. by J.M. Coetzee
• Booker Prize Shortlist: God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam and The Good Terrorist by Doris Lessing
• British Science Fiction Award Shortlist: Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
• National Book Award Finalist: The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty and American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
• National Book Critics Circle Finalist: American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
• Nobel Prize for Literature author: J.M. Coetzee
• Pulitzer Prize Winner (Fiction): The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty

Impressive stats - Kerri. Looks like a good month for reading:)

#199 - Thanks, Calm! Good progress so far. I think I'll make it to 75 this year.

Title: County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago's Public Hospital
Author: David Ansell M.D.
Publication Year: 2011
Format: Audiobook
Challenges:
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #15 (March 2012): Read a book where the author's last name is divisible by three
Stars: Five

Part memoir and part powerful indictment of the American health care system, Ansell gives a heartbreaking and maddening account of his time at Chicago’s old Cook County Hospital (a new facility opened in 2002). Situated west of the Chicago Loop, this public hospital served the city’s poor and uninsured populations (almost entirely African American and Spanish-speaking immigrants) for over 100 years.

Taking the reader from his time as a resident, to his tenure as an attending physician, Ansell describes his activist work and the inhumane conditions experienced by the patients. The ancient building still had open wards; the restrooms were filthy; there were too few nurses and doctors to serve the patients that needed care; the corrupt, patronage politics practiced by the Chicago political machine installed incompetent leadership; and funding was always lacking and the threat of closure loomed continuously. Additionally, the customer service was atrocious, with patients often treated like animals by over-worked and jaded hospital clerks. Most importantly, the unbelievably long wait times for care, caused by lack of funding and resources, literally caused death.

Ansell’s honest account of his time at County leaves no one off-the-hook, including himself. He describes his time as a nearly unsupervised resident attempting to make decisions on his own that sometimes led to patient harm and even death. He describes the disturbing practice of patient dumping, where other hospitals turn away patients needing immediate care (based on insurance status) and send them to the Cook County Hospital Emergency Room, delaying their treatment.

In 2002, the new building opened, and while it remedies some of the hospital’s problems (really only those related to facilities), it remains part of the two-tier system of healthcare that exists in America (those with employer-based insurance and those without). Ansell’s main conclusion is that quality healthcare is a human right and the system in place today is both inhumane and racist. He argues that the United States needs some kind of single-payer health care system where equal access to quality healthcare is available to all people, regardless of economic status. A wonderful, brave, and powerful book. Highly recommended.

Kerri: County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago's Public Hospital sounds like a winner. Great review. This sounds like nonfiction at its best. I am adding it to my list.

#202 - Thanks, Beth! It was fantastic. I also found a suggested reading list from the Chicago Single-Payer Action Network. I'll have to check some of these out at some point:
http://www.chispan.org/book-bar/

Planned March Reads:

I may not get to all of them, but I'll try. I'm on spring break this week and I'm off from work tomorrow and Tuesday, so perhaps I'll have a bit more reading time this month. We'll see.

1. County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago's Public Hospital (audiobook) by David Ansell (TIOLI: Read a book where the author's last name is divisible by three) - Done. Excellent. Review above.

2. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (audiobook) by Barbara Demick (TIOLI: Read a book where the author's last name is divisible by three) - Currently listening.

3. The Enormous Room by e.e. cummings (12 in 12: Incarceration-themed fiction. TIOLI: Read a book with a title word that is a heterograph/homonym) - Currently reading. Half way through and a bit disappointed.

4. The Lives of Animals by J.M. Coetzee (12 in 12: Coetzee Author Study. TIOLI: Read a book with a title that contains 2, 4, 8 or 16 words)

5. The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch (12 in 12: Prize Winners from My Birth Year. TIOLI: Read a book with an introduction or afterword by another writer) - One of my favorite authors.

6. Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (12 in 12: Virago Modern Classics. TIOLI: Read a book where the author's last name is divisible by three) - This will be my first Elizabeth Taylor. I probably should have picked A View of the Harbour, since there's a group read going on, but this one sounds a bit more intriguing to me right now.

7. Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy (12 in 12: Female SciFi. TIOLI: Read a book whose author was born in a city whose name contains ONLY one letter from the word “March.”)

8. The Old Man and Me by Elaine Dundy (12 in 12: Virago Modern Classics. TIOLI: Read a book where the title format is "X person" and "Y person").

9. Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks (12 in 12: New Stuff. TIOLI: Read a book with a title that contains 2, 4, 8 or 16 words)

Also, I'll probably add another audiobook, and it might even be something silly like Mad Men and Philosophy.

#197 Nice review of Zoo City Kerri. I read that as my commute read and I think all the stopping and starting I did made the storyline harder to follow. I'd like to try Beukes' first book, Moxyland, at some point.

Kerri: I was looking at your list of books read, and you have had some good reading. I am also a big fan of A Visit from the Goon Squad. I'd like to read more Coetzee, too. You have an ambitious March planned. I look forward to hearing your comments about the books you get through. I already found a copy of "County" at my library.

#205 - Thanks, Heather! It's always a thrill to find sci-fi or fantasy (I'm not sure how to categorize her) authors who are truly talented writers. Often you find great world-builders who write clunky dialogue, etc.

#206 - Hi Beth! I'm so glad you found a copy. He's also a wonderful story-teller. It's a great book on many levels.

Hi Kerri - Nice planned reading list for March!

#208 - Thanks, Lori - Nice to "see" you!

I just spent some time trying to get through more of The Enormous Room (truth be told, it's rather dreadful) and we're now off to attend a birthday party for my little nephew. We're taking Geezer (the dog), so it should be interesting. He had his bath yesterday, so he's no longer a smelly hound.

Hi Dors, I just wandered by and read your reviews, they certainly made lunch time at my office desk more enjoyable than usual, I laughed out loud at your comments on The Orange Eats Creeps. I think American Salvage tickles my fancy out of all the titles you've covered so far - it reminded me that I've got to try out Jack London some time, any advice there?

#210 - The only Jack London I've read is The Iron Heel and that's kind of a weird dystopia thing. I did just put a biography of him on my Audible wishlist, because it seems like he was a fascinating character.

County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago's Public Hospital sounds like a powerful book!

#212 - Hi Terri - thanks for visiting! It certainly was a powerful book and I highly recommend it.

Title: The Enormous Room
Author: e.e. cummings
Publication Year: 1922
Format: Ebook
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 5 - Incarceration-themed fiction
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #6 (March 2012): Read a book with a title word that is a heterograph/homonym
Stars: Two

Apparently, the young Edward Estlin Cummings spent a few months in a French prison camp during World War I. The Enormous Room is a fictionalized (or perhaps completely true) account of that life event.

The French authorities seize Cummings and his friend - fellow writer William Slater Brown (known as B. in the novel) - from their camp, where they work for an ambulance company during the War. Allegedly, B. had written a letter considered pro-German and as a result is labeled a spy. Cummings is arrested, simply because of his close friendship with B.

Once in the prison camp, Cummings casually and with a certain amount of amusement, describes the deplorable conditions of the prison and then spends nearly two-thirds of the novel simply cataloging the various characters in which he comes in contact. While some of the language is lovely and moments of sincerity do occasionally shine through, the overall tone is condescending, sneering, sometimes racist, and often ethnically bigoted (for example, Cummings had a particular dislike of Belgians, for some unknown reason). And I do realize this was published in 1922, but it’s worth pointing out.

My overall reaction to this was “ick,” but I can see an argument being made that the better portions of the novel illustrate the perseverance of the human spirit and the ability to find beauty and charm in such an unlikely place. Definitely not for me, but maybe for someone else.

Kerri - we could sure use you here in Canada! You could help me vote Harper out!!! I don't know anything about our point system - maybe learn French or the metric system! :) Just kidding about learning the metric system!

Sorry your last read was ick. All I remember -and this is embarrassing about e.e. cummings is that uses all small letters and so I used small letters in my name in my young teens. So silly know that I remember it. You are certainly a planned reader and very ambitious!

#215 - Deb - I just remember there were points. That was in 2004 though, so it could be different now. I would help you vote out Harper! All I know is that we would definitely have to live near the Washington state border, so we could somehow still get Seattle Seahawks games.

Cute story about using small letters as a young teen! Ha! Were you a budding poet?

>201 DorsVenabili: wow, that one looks great, I wonder if my library will have it.....

#217 - Oh, Megan! I just looked on WorldCat and it says there are no copies in New Zealand libraries yet. It looks like it was published by a smaller Chicago press and it's fairly new. I listened to an audiobook version through Audible.

I bought the ee cummings (why did the idiot insist on no capital letters it is really annoying?) last year. Have seen so many topsy-turvy reviews to know what I will think of it but I enjoyed reading your review to put me sufficiently on my guard. Who would have thought that the Belgians would stir up so much animosity - is it because they insist on mayonaise on their fries?!

#219 - You would think the excellent beer would more than make up for the fries mayo, but I guess not.

And the excellent Belgian chocolate! Maybe ee didn't appreciate some of life's greatest pleasures :)

#221 - Oh yes! The chocolate too!

Now back to writing a response to what has to be one of the most mind-numbingly boring business case studies ever created. Sigh.

On a happier note, hopefully I'll finish Woman on the Edge of Time in the next day or so (I'm finding it quite good), since my next read just arrived at the library through ILL (Lost Memory of Skin).

Yea, the book looks to be too new even for NEW Zealand ;)
I will wait patiently for it to turn up here.

Kerri, yes there is a point system for people coming from non - refugee countries . Here's a strategy for you!;) Marry a Canadian, as my brother's wife from Germany did... I realize you are already married .. but.... or - come on up and have a child on Canadian Soil! That will get you an anchor baby and then your child will be an Canadian Citizen and you will qualify for the Family Reunification problem... I'm thinking hard for you!;)

We'd love to have you and yours. I understand that in my city there are few underground places have an anchor baby homes... I can look into that for you.....

Shhh don't tell Stephen Harper that I told you! Vote him out! I think it's him that's created the crack down on New Canadian Citizens.

#223 - Hi Megan! Darn! I hope you can find it at some point.

#224 - Hi Deb! Oh my! Another husband is out of the question, as I'm very happy with the one I've got. I did read about having a child on Canadian soil on your thread, but I'm not sure about that one either. Ha! I'll probably have to stick to my PhD scheme, although the thought of more school makes me want to cry at this point! Plus, we'd never be able to sell our house right now, in the terrible U.S. real estate market.

I forgot to mention my recent Audible purchases. They keep getting me with these darn sales. I know they must be winning somehow, but I couldn't resist, so for the recent $4.95 sale, I purchased the following:

*The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
*Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town by Nick Reding
*Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
*The Modern Scholar: Way with Words: Writing Rhetoric and the Art of Persuasion by Michael D. C. Drout (this is a lecture series)

And for my March token, I purchased and am currently listening to:
*Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Kerri - I must sort out this audible business - looks a very likely way of sneaking purchases past SWMBO.

With you on the Belgians with their chocolate and beer but I spent a good while racing them as a semi-pro cyclist in the 80's (far more semi than pro I hasten to add) and you couldn't meet a more aggressive and unfriendly bunch of riders. The British Empire can also date its inevitable demise to coming to the rescue of Belgium in 1914.

#227 - Fair enough, Paul (and good for you on your semi-pro cycling!). And then there's the whole Congo thing, so maybe e.e. was onto something....

Regarding audiobooks, it's a great way for me to get in some contemporary non-fiction that is not wildly challenging to get through. I probably couldn't listen to Nietzsche, via audiobook, and I definitely can't listen to fiction, but since you can't very well walk and read (I can't, anyway), it's a good way to pass time during my daily walking to and from trains.

Title: Woman on the Edge of Time
Author: Marge Piercy
Publication Year: 1976
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 8 - Female-authored science fiction
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #1 (March 2012): Read a book whose author was born in a city whose name contains ONLY one letter from the word “March” (Detroit)
Stars: Four and a half

Committed to a mental hospital for the second time in three years, Connie develops the apparent ability to communicate with the future, specifically with a utopian community located in Mattapoisett, MA . The novel moves back and forth between Connie’s “real life” and her experiences in the future, where she gains strength, determination, and sharp insight into the human condition.

I love this novel! It takes on a lot (poverty, racism, sexism, environmental degradation, unethical science, and poor treatment of the mentally ill), but it somehow works and has a very satisfying ending to boot. In addition, Piercy has created a utopian world that is well-thought out, rich in detail, and filled with believable people, who still experience recognizable human emotions like jealousy, sadness, and grief. Is it an overtly political novel that is constantly hitting you over the head with its various messages? Most certainly. I happen to enjoy this sort of thing (if I’m at least somewhat in tune with the author’s political beliefs), but I realize it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Anyway, I look forward to reading more from this wonderful author. Yay!

Kerri: Great review. WOTEOF sounds like a winner. I think I have a copy somewhere...

Dystopian fiction is not really my cup of tea Kerri but your review makes me want to reconsider. Will put this one on my humungous hitlist!

#230 - Thanks Beth! I'm actually surprised at how much I liked it. It's been on my shelf for ages and I had assumed it might be a little hokey, but it's really well done.

#231 - Paul - Half the novel takes place in a utopian society and the other half in the 1970s. There's a bit about there being a dystopian society competing with the utopian society in the future, but not much action takes place there. I know what you mean though. I've gotten a bit burned out on dystopian fiction lately, but this was a bit different.

Hi Kerri, just passing by and saying hi on the way!

#229 I've had a copy of that in my TBR pile for years now...

#233 - Hi Megan!

#234 - Hi Heather! It seems like a lot of people have this one sitting on their shelves. I can't even remember why I originally bought it, it was so long ago.

I loved Woman on the Edge of Time and others of Marge Piercy's when I was in my late teens but have never re-visited them. I wonder if I should? There was something about the passion and idealism of many of Piercy's characters which spoke to my adolescent soul!

I too loved Woman on the Edge of Time when I read it years ago. I'm glad that it apparently has "aged" well, and it's one I may read again. I also liked her He, She and It, which is set in the future, so I'm not sure whether it will have stood the test of time.

#236 - Hi Dee - It definitely spoke to my soul, and my soul (and body) are a long way from adolescence!

#237 - Hi! I couldn't say that it doesn't scream 1976 at times, but I think the message still rings true. I will definitely put He, She and It on my wishlist. I know she also wrote a novel that takes place during the French Revolution - City of Darkness, City of Light - that sounds interesting.

Uh oh! Like Paul, dystopian reads are not my fav either. And I'm so unimaginative that I really don't read Science Fiction! Sad, sad! If I may say so, some of the covers of your books are - errr - interesting in a 1970's way. I feel so out of it that I don't read The Hunger Games or vampire stuff. I guess some of us have to stick to mysteries and fiction and memoirs and such!;)

#239 - Hi Deb - I do get the dystopia dislike, as I'm getting a bit sick of it myself, but I bet there's a non-dystopian sci-fi book out there with your name on it. Ha!

Interesting that Piercy writes both science fiction and historical novels. City of Darkness, City of Light just went on my wishlist.

#241 - Linda - I agree. Next year, I'll be reading revolution-themed fiction as one of my categories and will probably read it then.

Title: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Author: Barbara Demick
Publication Year: 2009
Format: Audiobook
Challenges:
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #15 (March 2012): Read a book where the author's last name is divisible by three
Stars: Four

Based on interviews with six North Korean defectors, Nothing to Envy paints a vivid picture of life in this horrifying and insane nightmare of a country. Now living in South Korea and coming from varying family backgrounds, the six originally hailed from the northern, industrial city of Chongjin. Contrasting life before the fall of the Soviet Union, when the government lost much of its aid and support (Orwell’s 1984), and after (Orwell’s 1984, with widespread famine, no electricity, and no proper medical care), one sees the progression of each person’s eventual disillusionment with the regime and their subsequent escapes. I suppose my only real quibble is that the author represents U.S. intentions, particularly during the Korean War, as a bit more altruistic than they actually were/are. Otherwise, it’s a fascinating and well-written account. Recommended.

Title: Lost Memory of Skin
Author: Russell Banks
Publication Year: 2011
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 6 - Newer stuff - fiction published in 2010 or later
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #7 (March 2012): Read a book with a title that contains 2, 4, 8 or 16 words
Stars: Four

The Kid, a convicted sex offender in his early twenties, lives beneath the Calusa Causeway in Florida, because it happens to be one of three remote locations in Calusa County that is 2500 feet away from any children’s gathering place. While the Kid’s crime is comparatively mild, he makes his home with violent and despicable criminals who find themselves in the same housing predicament.

Early in the novel, the Kid comes in contact with the Professor, a brilliant man with a mysterious past of his own, who is studying homelessness among sex offenders. The Professor concocts a plan to empower the Causeway residents by creating a kind of mini-government that organizes them into committees of sanitation, security, etc. Before the plan can be fully realized, certain life events get in the way.

While the author does not ask the reader to sympathize with these criminals, he appears to be saying that certain aspects of modern society are largely responsible for their behavior, yet we have no coherent plan to deal with them, particularly after they are released from prison (and then wonder why recidivism rates are so high). It also questions the practice of equating all sex-related crimes once the perpetrator is released from prison. As it stands (according to the novel), whether someone commits a brutal rape or has consensual sex with a teenager, they remain on the federal sex-offender registry for life.

I really liked this thought-provoking novel. While perhaps not great art, it is quite the page-turner, and Banks is an excellent story-teller. I look forward to reading more from him, particularly his more acclaimed work, like Affliction.

Kerri, thanks for the interesting review of The Memory of Skin, which I am anxious to read. Before I retired, I worked for a County Department of Social Services that had responsibility for housing the homeless. The scenario you describe in your review resonates, as finding housing for sex offenders released from prison was a constant and unpleasant challenge.

Russell Banks is one of my favorite authors and I am currently in the middle of Cloudsplitter, which I personally think may be his masterpiece.

#245 - Hi Linda! Thank you for sharing your experience - I imagine it must have been incredibly difficult. The novel was interesting, because it's not an issue I've thought very much about. Whether or not sex offenders find proper homes tends to be low on the list of things I care deeply about, but the novel makes you think about the social implications of this issue. Also - I will put Cloudsplitter on my wishlist, if it's not there already.

ETA: It was already there! I thought it might be.

Thanks for the great reviews, Kerri. Russell Banks is an author I want to read. The Demick book also sounds interesting.

#247 - Thanks, Beth! I've always wanted to read him too and this one fit into one of my 12 in 12 categories, so it worked out nicely.

Title: The Lives of Animals
Author: J.M. Coetzee
Publication Year: 1999
Format: Print book
Challenges:
• 12 in 12: Challenge 3 - Author study of J. M. Coetzee
• 75 Book Challenge
• TIOLI #7 (March 2012): Read a book with a title that contains 2, 4, 8 or 16 words
Stars: Three and a half

From what I understand, Coetzee is an animal rights activist. The Lives of Animals contains two lectures that he gave at Princeton University on the subject in 1997-98. The lectures are structured in a fiction format and tell the story of author Elizabeth Costello, who is invited to Appleton College to give a lecture on any topic she chooses. She chooses animal rights. Following Coetzee’s work are four responses by scholars in the fields of religion, literature, philosophy, and primatology.

In my opinion, this is probably for Coetzee completists only. There doesn’t seem to be anything new or groundbreaking said on the topic of animal rights. However, I can see where the lectures are a good springboard for discussion. I found literary theorist Marjorie Gerber’s response the most intriguing. One of her main points was the following, and I tend to agree that this may describe Coetzee’s purpose:

”Do you really believe, Mother, that poetry classes are going to close down the Slaughterhouses?” asks Coetzee’s John Bernard, and his mother answers, “No.” “Then why do it?” he persists. That is indeed the question.

Poetry makes nothing happen, W.H. Auden once wrote. But is that true? And must it be true? What has poetry to offer, what has language to offer, by way of solace, except analogy, except the art of language? In these two elegant lectures we thought John Coetzee was talking about animals. Could it be, however, that all along he was really asking, “What is the value of literature?”

Your recent Korean read grabs me....and the Coetzee one certainly sounds like an interesting idea. Im not a Coetzee completist, but I wouldnt sneeze at this book if I came across it :)

#250 - Hi Megan! I'll probably be a Coetzee completist by the end of the year, as I plan to read 12 of his books.

Now I think I'll start a new thread...

Kerri - some interesting reading. I agree with you that we all have sci-fi books that we can enjoy out there somewhere for us. I hate the genre generally but there are certainly exceptions to this.
Russell Banks should get much more credit. I would also recc The Darling of his set in Africa and an excellent read. I like Coetzee too but your choice there looks a wee bit of a slog.