Orange Books for May

What Orange books are you reading this month?

I'll start off - I just began The Song of Achilles! So far, so good!

Oooh, I'm actually reading an Orange book! Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna. Only a few pages in, but good so far.

Oooh, I loved The Song of Achilles AND The Memory of Love--both 5 star or close to 5 star reads for me!

This month I plan on reading State of Wonder, finally, since I feel like I've had it for a long time. I also hope to get to There but for the, Island of Wings, and The Sealed Letter before I have to give them back to the library. I also have The White Family on my list but since it is not a library book its odds are pretty low.

Happily, Painter of Silence arrived in this morning's mail from Book Depository. I also have The Flying Man on my shelves but it is pretty low on my priority list for May. . .

I intend to read the four books from this year's shortlist that I haven't read yet, although I may not get there before the winner is announced on May 30th. I'll probably read them in this order: State of Wonder, Foreign Bodies, The Forgotten Waltz and Painter of Silence.

I'm listening to Foreign Bodies now and liking it quite a bit. I have to think the resemblance to The Ambassadors is just bare plot. Does Henry James even talk about Jews? I guess I'll have to find out one of these days. My next read will be Gillespie and I, that'll probably be it for the month. I don't think my library has any of the others except State of Wonder and my RL book club has scheduled that for later in the summer.

@2 - I really enjoyed Memory of Love last year, Tania! I hope you do too!

I plan to get to Painter of Silence this May.

I'm not planning on reading an Orange book this month, but I am planning on reading Thomas Cromwell: The Rise And Fall Of Henry VIII's Most Notorious Minister in preparation for reading Wolf Hall next month. Last time I tried, I found I knew too little about Cromwell and that period in England's history to really get the book. So hopefully reading the biography will help.

>6 Citizenjoyce: Nope, Joyce. I don't think there's a single Jew or mention of things Jewish in The Ambassadors, but I could easily be wrong.
I've started The Song of Achilles and like it a lot, but my time is being sucked up by The Bone People, which would certainly have been an Orange shortlister had they been giving the prize in '85. And when my copy of Bring Up the Bodies arrives, everything goes on hold.
Tania, The Memory of Love was one of my most-loved books of last year. It should have won!

Well, I think The Memory of Love is excellent, although I'm finding very little reading time so far this month. May is always chaos. Hoping to get a solid block of reading time in tonight. Nothing daggy about spending Friday night at home in my pyjamas, reading. :P

And was chuffed to get a text from the library yesterday saying that Gillespie and I was available to pick up. I asked them to buy it maybe 6 months ago, and I thought my request must have been rejected or forgotten or lost! Hurrah for the library, even if they move very slowly some days. :)

Now to work out when I can actually get to the library to pick it up...

I finished Foreign Bodies and the more I think about it, the better it gets. The insertion of Jewish WW II refugees has to be a big plus to James's plot. There was just one surprising event after another with many obnoxious characters and a couple I would like to know more about. I may have to break down and read The Ambassadors one of these days, but I wonder if this treatment would spoil his for me.

#8 -- I'm interested to see if your history reading helps. I've wanted to read Wolf Hall but am such a dummy about history, I figured I wouldn't get the book at all.....

Oh, and I've just started The Song of Achilles this morning. Loving it so far!

12> I'll let you know!

Finished up The Forgotten Waltz yesterday. I always think Enright is a great writer but I never like her storylines or characters. Liked the first half of it much better than the second half. Probably have to give it 4 stars just for the excellent writing, though.

I'm concentrating on New Zealand fiction this month but have started Gillespie and I as well.

I've just read and reviewed State of Wonder - review on the book's main page. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, definitely my favourite Patchett so far.

I finished The Song of Achilles. I was not as wowed by it as others. Here's why: the pacing was off for me. Here's my review.

P.S. It is still a good book!

I just finished Salvage the Bones and can't believe it wasn't at least nominated for an Orange Prize and something like Translation of the Bones or The Lord of Misrule was.

I, too, was surprised that Salvage the Bones wasn't on the longlist. Another one I thought would be on there was Buddha in the Attic, which was a 5 star read for me last year. Otsuka has been on the longlist before, too, with When the Emperor Was Divine. At least they got some recognition through winning the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner, respectively.

Yup, Michelle, I second that suggestion.

I finished The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright - a better reading experience than my first Enright book, The Gathering. Here's my review, if you're interested!

After reading half your review, mrstreme, I realized that I have this book. Now I just need to find it.

I finished Painter of Silence this morning and rated it a 4 1/2 star read. I am pulling for Song of Achilles or Painter of Silence for the win.

Shoot, BN says Painter of Silence doesn't come out until September. I guess that's why my library system doesn't have it. It sounds like one I hope they'll get.

Painter of Silence was available on the Kindle awhile back, though I ordered mine from The Book Depository. I hate it when shortlist titles aren't available.

I ordered my copy of Painter of Silence through Alibris!

I just finished Painter of Silence, and I agree with brenpike. I'll give it 4-1/2 stars, and although I'd rank it just behind The Song of Achilles, it would be a worthy Orange Prize winner, IMO.

I started Painter of Silence last night, so I am encouraged by your rating, Darryl! =)

All done with Painter of Silence - 4 stars! Here's my review.

(Reposting from another thread so I can get this announcement to everyone!)

If you plan on reading all 6 nominees before the May 30 announcement, please consider joining our shadow jury. Go to this thread to learn more.

Sad news: Orange pulls its sponsorship of the Orange Prize. Read more.

Even if somebody else picks up sponsorship, I'll miss the name if nothing else!!

Oh no. If someone else picks up the sponshorship, I wonder if male authors will be included. What a pity.

#34 I think it's unlikely that the conditions of the prize would change. The prize would still be The Women's Prize for Fiction - I assume those conditions are written into the prize money which doesn't come from Orange.

Having thought about it all day, I've realised I'm not really sure what the sponsorship for these sorts of prizes is for. Does anyone know?

I read in the Guardian article that a private donor pays for the prize money itself, but that Orange had, in the past, picked up all the other expenses of administering the prize in return for the free advertising.

Sounds like there could be a lot of changes in the way the prize is organized and administered. : ( Sad news for the Orange!

When I had a moment to digest this earlier today, I realized I had no idea that "Orange" was a corporation, or what it was they did/sold. I've never heard of them. So corporations only do this for publicity (which should turn into $$), but they weren't getting any business from me. On that note, I'm also not giving any business to either "Man" or "Booker" because I don't know who they are.

There are a few big literary prizes in Canada, but the most prestigious is probably the Giller Prize, or as it's corporately known, the ScotiaBank Giller Prize. I'm not their customer either, but I could be.

I am so sad that I am weeping Orange tears.
Jill, what is your call for July? The same or............................

#36 Thanks.

>39 rainpebble: I am keeping it Orange July and will decide on a new name when the Orange Prize folks tell us what they'll be calling themselves.

Interestingly, Orange July has some negative connotations for folks in Northern Ireland, so perhaps it's fortuitous to change the name at some point.

The Man Booker prize still has the word Booker in it even though Booker stopped sponsoring it years ago (and were replaced by Man)!

I still call the Costa Costa/Whitbread.

># 41;
You know, I knew that Jill. I think we even discussed the Irish point of view at one time. And change isn't always bad. Sometimes it can be very good. I truly hope that it remains the best of women's fiction and that the caliber of book remains as high.

I'm a newbie to the Orange train, but I was very saddened by the news too :(

Here's hoping that some wonderful sponsor will pick up the prize with the same type of judging and award criteria!

My anglophiliac tendencies apparently don't extend much beyond the midpoint of the 20th century. Here I always thought that the Booker Prize was named for Mr. Booker and that the "Man" (his first name) had been added to distinguish him from some other prize-giving Mr. Booker. Really. And I call the Costa "Costa" only when I remember to.....

I finished my last of the 2012 short listers - Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick (my review). I liked it! A very smart novel!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed Foreign Bodies! I struggled between a 4.5 and 4 rating with it and I've been tempted to raise it to 4.5 ever since I finished it.

I've just started The Forgotten Waltz as an audiobook and am enjoying it very much. I'm sure the narrator, Heather O'neill helps.

Just a reminder: The Orange January/July 2012 shadow jury is in session! Please head over to this thread to see our selections so far. If you've read all 6 shortlisted books, please join the fun. It's not too late!

You can also cast your vote on today's Orange January/July Facebook page. Tell us who you think will win the Orange Prize! http://www.facebook.com/questions/416408721726934/

I'm reading The Forgotten Waltz now too, Joyce, and enjoying it even without Heather O'neill. I hope to finish today or tomorrow and even have something to say!

I just finished The Forgotten Waltz and have to say it's my favorite of the Oranges on this year's short list, at least the ones I've read. I won't get to State of Wonder until July with my RL book club, I think I'll have Half Blood Blues from the library next month, and lord knows when they'll get Painter of Silence.

I'm well into The Song of Achilles, and hope to finish it before the end of May. That's still a couple of days and it seems to read really quick. I'm not a huge mythology person, but I am enjoying it so far.

I have Song of Achilles from the library. I am just finishing up 11/22/63(good grief this book is long!) but will start soon. I am glad I snagged it before the announcement because now others will want it and I would have to wait longer.

I am going to go out on a limb here, but having just finished Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel, I can't imagine it not being on next year's Orange Prize Short List. Yes, short list! Maybe even the winner! Here's my review if you're interested.

I only read one Orange book this May and it was State of Wonder. This was the final book on the short list for me and it came in third of the six. I liked it a lot, but not as much as Bel Canto, and not as much as either Painter of Silence or Song of Achilles. Definitely a solid 4 stars, probably a little higher.

>49 Citizenjoyce: Heather O'Neill would be amazing reading The Forgotten Waltz! I listened to her narration of The Likeness a few months ago and still can't decide whether it was the book or the narration that I loved.

49 & 57: Who is Heather O'Neill? I know the name as a Canadian author, and she didn't even narrate her own Orange Prize book (Lullabies for Little Criminals), so somehow I don't think it's the same person.

In Orange books, I'm reading A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.

I rather think the whole literary world will be shocked if Bring Up the Bodies isn't on next year's short list. I wonder if the fact that it is so much easier to read will work against it.

I read four books this month, all from this year's shortlist: State of Wonder, The Forgotten Waltz, Painter of Silence and Foreign Bodies.

I am not formally planning to read any Orange books in June, but I will read Bring Up the Bodies, which, as Jill said, should be on this year's Booker Prize and next year's Orange Prize longlists.

I'll read one or two books for Orange July from this year's longlist, Lord of Misrule and/or The Grief of Others.

The June thread is now up! Come share your Orange reads over there! =)

I nearly fell off the Orange Planet...I've been completely absent from this group for most of the month!

I did read 3 Oranges in May...

The Song of Achilles - (2012 WINNER!) - 4.5 Stars - What a wonderful gift for storytelling Madeline Miller has!
Wolf Hall - (2010 SL) - 4.5 Stars - This might be one of the most difficult books I've ever read (aside from some classic literature) but oh is it worth it! What a fabulous story.
Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan - (2009 LL) - 3 Stars - It was an okay read, but nothing about it really wowed me.

Pardon the repost!

New thread posted for Orange July - come join the fun!