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1Nickelini
After making many hand written lists and pages of notes, I've decided on:
1. A Good House, Bonnie Burnard
2. Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel
3. Tulip Fever, Deborah Moggach
4.Wild Swans, Jung Chang January
5. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
6.First Fruits, Penelope Evans
--------------------------
7. Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson
8. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
9. The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai
10. Hard Times, Charles Dickens
11. Royal Physician's Visit, Per Olov Enquist
12. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland(February)
Alternate List
1. Spaz, Bonnie Bowman
2.The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon January
3. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates
4. Offshore, Penelope Fitzgerald
5. Falling Angels, Tracy Chevalier
6. Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue
7. The Fault of Our Stars, John Green
8. The Highest Tide, Jim Lynch
9. The Cement Garden, Ian McEwan
10. House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
11. Night Watch, Sarah Waters
12. Scar Tissue, Michael Ignatieff
1.
2. Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel
3. Tulip Fever, Deborah Moggach
4.
5. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
6.
--------------------------
7. Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson
8. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
9.
10. Hard Times, Charles Dickens
11. Royal Physician's Visit, Per Olov Enquist
12.
Alternate List
1. Spaz, Bonnie Bowman
2.
3. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates
4.
5. Falling Angels, Tracy Chevalier
6. Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue
7. The Fault of Our Stars, John Green
8. The Highest Tide, Jim Lynch
9. The Cement Garden, Ian McEwan
10.
11. Night Watch, Sarah Waters
12. Scar Tissue, Michael Ignatieff
2Nickelini
As always, my list is a way for me to work through my TBR pile. In previous years, I've focused on the oldest books in my pile. This has been a useful exercise, because I've either discovered that my tastes have changed and I get the book out of my house, or I discover literary gems that I can't believe I waited to read.
This year I'm doing something a little different. The top list is made up of 12 of my older books. The top six, above the line, are the books from my 2012 Challenge that I didn't get to. The other six are another group of older books.
My alternative list is made up of books that haven't been in my house as long, but ones I've really wanted to get to for one reason or another. Rather than let them sit around until my tastes change again, I'm going to read them while I'm still interested.
This year I'm doing something a little different. The top list is made up of 12 of my older books. The top six, above the line, are the books from my 2012 Challenge that I didn't get to. The other six are another group of older books.
My alternative list is made up of books that haven't been in my house as long, but ones I've really wanted to get to for one reason or another. Rather than let them sit around until my tastes change again, I'm going to read them while I'm still interested.
3artturnerjr
Kavalier & Clay is one of my all-time favorite novels. Hope you can get to it, and, if so, that you enjoy it as much as I did. :)
4Nickelini
Kavalier and Clay is my book club selection for January, so the chances are likely that I will . . . however, I've heard too many people say that it took them 100 pages to get into it, and I don't like that! I have heard excellent things about it, although I have to say that judging by what I've heard, it doesn't sound like something I'd like. That said, I'm going into it with a positive attitude and an open mind.
5artturnerjr
>4 Nickelini:
I've heard too many people say that it took them 100 pages to get into it, and I don't like that!
That's funny - I recall it as quite a fast-paced read. I think I finished it in a week or two, something that is quite unusual for me with a book of that length. Then again, the early days of the American comics industry (the book's primary topic) is a subject of enduring fascination for me, so I am perhaps not the most impartial judge of such matters. :)
I've heard too many people say that it took them 100 pages to get into it, and I don't like that!
That's funny - I recall it as quite a fast-paced read. I think I finished it in a week or two, something that is quite unusual for me with a book of that length. Then again, the early days of the American comics industry (the book's primary topic) is a subject of enduring fascination for me, so I am perhaps not the most impartial judge of such matters. :)
6billiejean
Nice lists! I have only read one book on your lists, so I look forward to seeing what you think of the books as you read them.
7Cecrow
Haven't read a one of them, lol. There's a few titles here that have tempted me in the past but never made my TBR pile for various reasons. Maybe you'll inspire me to reconsider!
8Nickelini
1. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Jung Chang, 1991
Cover comments: ho hum
Comments: Wild Swans is a memoir of three generations of 20th century Chinese women, written by the granddaughter. The story starts with her grandmother, who undergoes foot binding as a child and is later sent off as one of the concubines of a warlord. After his death, she escapes with her daughter and marries a much older Manchurian doctor. The daughter grows up through the horrific Japanese occupation during WWII and then the following Chinese civil war, and becomes enamored with the communist dream. She marries a communist officer, and they become mid-level party elites. Jung Chang is born in 1952 into the volatile world of Chinese communism. Despite all three women having lives of privilege, all three also suffered very real horrors and hardships. One thing this book taught me is that in 20th century China, no one was exempt from suffering. Whether it was the traditional culture, WWII, or under communism, there is one word that describes this century in China: capricious.
I had mixed feelings about this book. On the positive side, the book's strength is the author's ability to show how the historical events of these periods in China affected people's lives. It was certainly an engaging and interesting read. She showed how communism seemed like a dramatic improvement at first. She also showed how the cult of Mao consumed the culture.
However, Wild Swans was written in a very factual style that left me cold. There was no dialogue at all. The grimness was unrelenting--on every page someone was tortured or just mistreated. For most of the book it appeared that the only kind people in all of China were her relatives. Everyone else was nasty at best.
I suppose some of my disappointment was that I expected the book to be more literary and less mired down in minutia. It is one of the few memoirs on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, so I was expecting something more artistic. That said, perhaps the book was better for its lack of passion, as that may have been artifice. Just a thought.
Recommended for: Unless you've read a lot about 20th century China, I recommend this book for everyone. This is an important story that needs to be widely known. I've read about traditional China, and about life under communism, but this book does an excellent job of showing the progression and how one came out of the other.
Rating: Despite my strong recommendation of this book, I can only rate it 3.5 stars, which is lower than most readers give it. I just found myself counting the pages too often, wanting to be done.
Why I Read This Now: it was one of the older books on my TBR pile.
Cover comments: ho hum
Comments: Wild Swans is a memoir of three generations of 20th century Chinese women, written by the granddaughter. The story starts with her grandmother, who undergoes foot binding as a child and is later sent off as one of the concubines of a warlord. After his death, she escapes with her daughter and marries a much older Manchurian doctor. The daughter grows up through the horrific Japanese occupation during WWII and then the following Chinese civil war, and becomes enamored with the communist dream. She marries a communist officer, and they become mid-level party elites. Jung Chang is born in 1952 into the volatile world of Chinese communism. Despite all three women having lives of privilege, all three also suffered very real horrors and hardships. One thing this book taught me is that in 20th century China, no one was exempt from suffering. Whether it was the traditional culture, WWII, or under communism, there is one word that describes this century in China: capricious.
I had mixed feelings about this book. On the positive side, the book's strength is the author's ability to show how the historical events of these periods in China affected people's lives. It was certainly an engaging and interesting read. She showed how communism seemed like a dramatic improvement at first. She also showed how the cult of Mao consumed the culture.
However, Wild Swans was written in a very factual style that left me cold. There was no dialogue at all. The grimness was unrelenting--on every page someone was tortured or just mistreated. For most of the book it appeared that the only kind people in all of China were her relatives. Everyone else was nasty at best.
I suppose some of my disappointment was that I expected the book to be more literary and less mired down in minutia. It is one of the few memoirs on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, so I was expecting something more artistic. That said, perhaps the book was better for its lack of passion, as that may have been artifice. Just a thought.
Recommended for: Unless you've read a lot about 20th century China, I recommend this book for everyone. This is an important story that needs to be widely known. I've read about traditional China, and about life under communism, but this book does an excellent job of showing the progression and how one came out of the other.
Rating: Despite my strong recommendation of this book, I can only rate it 3.5 stars, which is lower than most readers give it. I just found myself counting the pages too often, wanting to be done.
Why I Read This Now: it was one of the older books on my TBR pile.
10Cecrow
Glad you're sharing your reviews here in this thread, so we're less likely to miss them - thanks!
11Nickelini
Cecrow - yeah, I used to post my reviews only to my ClubRead thread, but sometimes people ask for them, so it only takes a couple of seconds to copy them over here.
13Nickelini
Another one off the list in January:
2. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon, 2000
I don't like this cover because I find this style of art unappealing. However, I do think it's suitable for the book. And the book felt very nice, which was important considering how long it took me to read this $!*# thing. Also, this edition has 40 pages of extra stuff that a fan would probably love, but that I skipped.
Rating: This is a book that is not only widely popular and much beloved, but also won the Pulitzer Prize. It even made a brief appearance on the 1001 books list (2008 edition). That doesn't mean it's for everyone, though. It took me 604 pages to get into this 636 page novel. Final verdict: 2.5 stars.
Comments: It's the late 1930s, and with the help of his family, Joseph Kavalier escapes from Prague and ends up at his cousin Sam's in Brooklyn. Together they decide to write a comic book about a superhero called the Escapist who fights Nazis. A bunch of other stuff happens too.
What I Liked About This Book: Michael Chabon is a gifted writer with a huge vocabulary and a charming way with words. He is also a master of research. This is an intelligent book.
What I Didn't Like: in a word, it was boring. All the stunning detail layered on detail felt bloated and indulgent. I never wanted to pick it up, was easily distracted while reading (his details often brought up questions that I was happy to go off on a tangent and look into), and I was always happy to put this down. This is not a book I would normally have finished, because it was a huge time investment. I read it because I bought it; I bought it because it was my book club selection and I knew I'd never get through a library book in the allowed time. So I was determined to finish it. And actually, from page 604 on, I thought it was great.
I realize that although I thought I had, I have never read a comic book. I devoured piles of Archie, and Casper the Friendly Ghost, but Kavalier and Clay was about Superman, Spiderman, Batman, etc. Anytime one of those sorts of books has ended up in my hands, my eyes glazed over and I was frozen in immediate boredom. I think that was part of the problem with this novel--there is a lot going on, but the love of comics is an overriding theme that I just don't care about.
Recommended for: My book club came to a rare unanimous decision on this one: Kavalier and Clay is a very well-written book, but just doesn't interest us. Which is exactly what I expected going into it. So if everyone is telling you you must read this, but you don't think it's for you, trust yourself. But if you think it sounds interesting, you'll probably love it. I definitely want to read more Michael Chabon, but I don't know what. Any recommendations?
Why I Read This Now: my book club.
2. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon, 2000
I don't like this cover because I find this style of art unappealing. However, I do think it's suitable for the book. And the book felt very nice, which was important considering how long it took me to read this $!*# thing. Also, this edition has 40 pages of extra stuff that a fan would probably love, but that I skipped.
Rating: This is a book that is not only widely popular and much beloved, but also won the Pulitzer Prize. It even made a brief appearance on the 1001 books list (2008 edition). That doesn't mean it's for everyone, though. It took me 604 pages to get into this 636 page novel. Final verdict: 2.5 stars.
Comments: It's the late 1930s, and with the help of his family, Joseph Kavalier escapes from Prague and ends up at his cousin Sam's in Brooklyn. Together they decide to write a comic book about a superhero called the Escapist who fights Nazis. A bunch of other stuff happens too.
What I Liked About This Book: Michael Chabon is a gifted writer with a huge vocabulary and a charming way with words. He is also a master of research. This is an intelligent book.
What I Didn't Like: in a word, it was boring. All the stunning detail layered on detail felt bloated and indulgent. I never wanted to pick it up, was easily distracted while reading (his details often brought up questions that I was happy to go off on a tangent and look into), and I was always happy to put this down. This is not a book I would normally have finished, because it was a huge time investment. I read it because I bought it; I bought it because it was my book club selection and I knew I'd never get through a library book in the allowed time. So I was determined to finish it. And actually, from page 604 on, I thought it was great.
I realize that although I thought I had, I have never read a comic book. I devoured piles of Archie, and Casper the Friendly Ghost, but Kavalier and Clay was about Superman, Spiderman, Batman, etc. Anytime one of those sorts of books has ended up in my hands, my eyes glazed over and I was frozen in immediate boredom. I think that was part of the problem with this novel--there is a lot going on, but the love of comics is an overriding theme that I just don't care about.
Recommended for: My book club came to a rare unanimous decision on this one: Kavalier and Clay is a very well-written book, but just doesn't interest us. Which is exactly what I expected going into it. So if everyone is telling you you must read this, but you don't think it's for you, trust yourself. But if you think it sounds interesting, you'll probably love it. I definitely want to read more Michael Chabon, but I don't know what. Any recommendations?
Why I Read This Now: my book club.
14Cecrow
Art would probably like that one, if he hasn't read it already.
"It took me 604 pages to get into this 636 page novel." - LOL! Sounds like my experience with Midnight's Children. Although in my case, the 32 pages I liked were the first ones. :)
"It took me 604 pages to get into this 636 page novel." - LOL! Sounds like my experience with Midnight's Children. Although in my case, the 32 pages I liked were the first ones. :)
15artturnerjr
>13 Nickelini:
Sincerely sorry you didn't like that one, Nickelini; I very much appreciate your thoughtful and well-written review, however. I think the most valuable thing you had to say was this:
...if everyone is telling you you must read this, but you don't think it's for you, trust yourself. But if you think it sounds interesting, you'll probably love it.
That certainly seems to be the case. Actually, I was kind of surprised it won the Pulitzer; not because it isn't brilliantly written (it is - something we both agree upon), but I thought that the literary intelligentsia would consider the early days of the comics industry to be a topic that is too esoteric and ephemeral to be a worthy foundation for a work of serious fiction.
If you're interested in a different viewpoint, here's a link to the Amazon review I wrote of Kavalier and Clay shortly after I finished it in 2009:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1QKE6MHRP045Y/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
ETA:
I definitely want to read more Michael Chabon, but I don't know what. Any recommendations?
The only other thing I've read of Chabon's had been his review of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (collected in Chabon's Maps and Legends), which I found to be extremely illuminating, even though I also have meant to read more of him since reading Kavalier and Clay. I know that The Yiddish Policeman's Union has garnered even broader acclaim than K & C (if such a thing is possible), so that might be worth dipping into.
>14 Cecrow:
Art would probably like that one, if he hasn't read it already.
Yeah, I loved it! (see link above)
Sincerely sorry you didn't like that one, Nickelini; I very much appreciate your thoughtful and well-written review, however. I think the most valuable thing you had to say was this:
...if everyone is telling you you must read this, but you don't think it's for you, trust yourself. But if you think it sounds interesting, you'll probably love it.
That certainly seems to be the case. Actually, I was kind of surprised it won the Pulitzer; not because it isn't brilliantly written (it is - something we both agree upon), but I thought that the literary intelligentsia would consider the early days of the comics industry to be a topic that is too esoteric and ephemeral to be a worthy foundation for a work of serious fiction.
If you're interested in a different viewpoint, here's a link to the Amazon review I wrote of Kavalier and Clay shortly after I finished it in 2009:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1QKE6MHRP045Y/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
ETA:
I definitely want to read more Michael Chabon, but I don't know what. Any recommendations?
The only other thing I've read of Chabon's had been his review of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (collected in Chabon's Maps and Legends), which I found to be extremely illuminating, even though I also have meant to read more of him since reading Kavalier and Clay. I know that The Yiddish Policeman's Union has garnered even broader acclaim than K & C (if such a thing is possible), so that might be worth dipping into.
>14 Cecrow:
Art would probably like that one, if he hasn't read it already.
Yeah, I loved it! (see link above)
16Nickelini
Oh well, it would be boring if we all liked the same things. I am definitely interested in trying something else by him in the future. Nice review, btw.
17.Monkey.
>16 Nickelini: I'd suggest either Yiddish Policemen's Union or Gentlemen of the Road, as those on the most opposite side of the spectrum of his work. They're still completely intelligent and all but they have much more going on, and aren't so dreary. Gentlemen is especially fun & entertaining.
20Nickelini
Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland, 1998
Cover comments: Douglas Coupland was an artist before he was a writer, and so he gets involved in the art for his book covers. I'm not much of a fan of his artistic style--it doesn't speak to me at all, while his books speak to me strongly. Yes, this cover fits his style, and although at first glance it looks like a lame cover for some YA romance novel, it actually has meaning pertinent to the story. However, it doesn't do much for me. At least the woman has a face. Extra points for that.
Comments: It's the late 1970s, and at a party, teenage Richard's girlfriend Karen (who is dieting for her upcoming Hawaiian vacation) takes a couple of valiums along with a weak cocktail. She slips into a persistent vegetative state (Karen Ann Quinlan, anyone? Even down to the name Karen). Richard and their group of friends, who were already scarred by the death of their friend Jared the year before, muddle into adulthood. One has a brilliant but short career as a supermodel, one becomes a physician, and several of them end up working in the film industry. Despite successes in life, they are really a bunch of losers lost in a fog of ennui. Until 17 years later, when Karen awakens from her coma. This is about half way into the novel, and suddenly there is a major change of direction as an apocalyptic illness breaks out and kills everyone on earth except this group. (This is not a spoiler as it is mentioned on the back cover blurb). The initial story of the apocalypse was very entertaining, but then the book sort of wanders off toward its end, with philosophical musings about the meaning and purpose of life. Oh, and the ghost of Jared returns to guide them.
I really liked the first part, and then when it switched to a sci-fi novel I switched mindsets and liked that too. But then it just kinda . . . got weird and not very interesting. Not Coupland's best (I've seen him interviewed and he said he was in a really bad place when he wrote this one). Still, I'd rather read a "meh" Coupland than a lot of other stuff out there.
As always though, Coupland is sharp with capturing cultural snap shots. He has an amazing ability to capture time and place (the 1970s teenage party spot on perfect--down to the Bob Seger music). This is one of his novels set in Vancouver, and he can write about the city with an accuracy that I haven't come across elsewhere. In one of the opening scenes, Richard and Karen are night skiing on Grouse Mountain, an activity that I've done many times. This is the view they saw:
Why I Read This Now: my daughter read it and wanted to talk with me about it.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Recommended for: people who like books set in Vancouver, or books about the apocalypse. There are readers who just love this book, and probably just as many who hate it. If you haven't read Coupland before, don't start with this one.
Cover comments: Douglas Coupland was an artist before he was a writer, and so he gets involved in the art for his book covers. I'm not much of a fan of his artistic style--it doesn't speak to me at all, while his books speak to me strongly. Yes, this cover fits his style, and although at first glance it looks like a lame cover for some YA romance novel, it actually has meaning pertinent to the story. However, it doesn't do much for me. At least the woman has a face. Extra points for that.
Comments: It's the late 1970s, and at a party, teenage Richard's girlfriend Karen (who is dieting for her upcoming Hawaiian vacation) takes a couple of valiums along with a weak cocktail. She slips into a persistent vegetative state (Karen Ann Quinlan, anyone? Even down to the name Karen). Richard and their group of friends, who were already scarred by the death of their friend Jared the year before, muddle into adulthood. One has a brilliant but short career as a supermodel, one becomes a physician, and several of them end up working in the film industry. Despite successes in life, they are really a bunch of losers lost in a fog of ennui. Until 17 years later, when Karen awakens from her coma. This is about half way into the novel, and suddenly there is a major change of direction as an apocalyptic illness breaks out and kills everyone on earth except this group. (This is not a spoiler as it is mentioned on the back cover blurb). The initial story of the apocalypse was very entertaining, but then the book sort of wanders off toward its end, with philosophical musings about the meaning and purpose of life. Oh, and the ghost of Jared returns to guide them.
I really liked the first part, and then when it switched to a sci-fi novel I switched mindsets and liked that too. But then it just kinda . . . got weird and not very interesting. Not Coupland's best (I've seen him interviewed and he said he was in a really bad place when he wrote this one). Still, I'd rather read a "meh" Coupland than a lot of other stuff out there.
As always though, Coupland is sharp with capturing cultural snap shots. He has an amazing ability to capture time and place (the 1970s teenage party spot on perfect--down to the Bob Seger music). This is one of his novels set in Vancouver, and he can write about the city with an accuracy that I haven't come across elsewhere. In one of the opening scenes, Richard and Karen are night skiing on Grouse Mountain, an activity that I've done many times. This is the view they saw:
Why I Read This Now: my daughter read it and wanted to talk with me about it.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Recommended for: people who like books set in Vancouver, or books about the apocalypse. There are readers who just love this book, and probably just as many who hate it. If you haven't read Coupland before, don't start with this one.
22Nickelini
#21 - Well, . . . I wouldn't start with that one either unless you have a particular reason why you want to. A friend told me that Coupland says you should read his books in publication order because they build off each other, but I don't know about that. I guess that would be a reason though. I read Generation X about 5 years ago and at first I found it terribly dated and didn't like it at all. About half way through I changed my mind and I liked the second half. Don't remember much more, but it's definitely my least favourite of his books.
23artturnerjr
>22 Nickelini:
No particular reason, other than I picked a copy on the cheap last year. What would you recommend, then? (Polaroids from the Dead looks interesting - do you know if that one is any good?)
No particular reason, other than I picked a copy on the cheap last year. What would you recommend, then? (Polaroids from the Dead looks interesting - do you know if that one is any good?)
24Nickelini
I think you should try what you find interesting. My particular favourite so far has been Eleanor Rigby. I like the mixture of sadness and humour. I've only read a few of his novels though, so I'm still in the exploratory stage. I don't know much about Polaroids from the Dead, but I will get to it one day.
25Nickelini
I haven't been here since February because I completely forgot about this thread, although I haven't forgotten about the challenge. I keep track in my writing journal. Not that I'm making much progress, but since Feb, I've knocked off
A Good House
First Fruits (an excellent book, btw)
The Inheritance of Loss
Offshore
House of Mirth
That makes a total of 5 from the top list and 3 from the bottom.
-----------------
I'm in a reading stage where I really don't want to have any sort of reading assignment, so that said, I'm not sure how many more of these I'll get to this year. I just really need to read what I feel like reading right now, and since I haven't allowed myself that luxury since before I started university back in 2001, that's what I'm going to do. I expect to get to Hard Times, The Cement Garden, and maybe Scar Tissue. All bets are off on the others though, and I'm sure there are at least four or five that I won't touch.
A Good House
First Fruits (an excellent book, btw)
The Inheritance of Loss
Offshore
House of Mirth
That makes a total of 5 from the top list and 3 from the bottom.
-----------------
I'm in a reading stage where I really don't want to have any sort of reading assignment, so that said, I'm not sure how many more of these I'll get to this year. I just really need to read what I feel like reading right now, and since I haven't allowed myself that luxury since before I started university back in 2001, that's what I'm going to do. I expect to get to Hard Times, The Cement Garden, and maybe Scar Tissue. All bets are off on the others though, and I'm sure there are at least four or five that I won't touch.
