Tom Kitten's Anxious Musings on Life, Literature and Lovely Dairy Products for 2013
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1TomKitten
We Will Have These Moments To Remember - The Best of 2012
January Reading
Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table
Rose Tremain, The Road Home
February Reading
Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens
March
Patrick DeWitt, The Sisters Brothers
April
Julian Barnes, Arthur and George
May
Edward Ardizzone, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain
Julian Barnes, The Sense of An Ending
Tana French, Faithful Place
Bob Dylan, Chronicles, Volume One
June
Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
August
A.S. Byatt, The Children's Book
Tana French, The Likeness
October
Susan Casey, The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean
Peter Carey, His Illegal Self
November
Kate Christensen The Great Man
Margaret Talbot, The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century
Michael Crummey, Galore
December
Pete Dexter, Deadwood
Nigel Schofield, Fairport By Fairport
When I consider that September and July were the only months in which I did not read something I loved, I think 2012 was one of my better reading years.
Here's another view of the year, arranged by broad category:
Best of 2012 Fiction
Julian Barnes, Arthur and George
Julian Barnes, The Sense of An Ending
A.S. Byatt, The Children's Book
Peter Carey, His Illegal Self
Kate Christensen The Great Man
Michael Crummey, Galore
Patrick DeWitt, The Sisters Brothers
Pete Dexter, Deadwood
Tana French, The Likeness
Tana French, Faithful Place
Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table
Rose Tremain, The Road Home
Best of 2012 Non-Fiction
Susan Casey, The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean
Bob Dylan, Chronicles, Volume One
Nigel Schofield, Fairport By Fairport
Margaret Talbot, The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century
Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens
Best 0f 2012 - Children's
Edward Ardizzone, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain
And now for this year's reading:
January
1. Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama
2. Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife - Audio
3. Bonny Becker, A Visitor for Bear
4. Mark Gabriele, J.D.'s Scratch Match
5. Wendy Watson, Bedtime Bunnies
6. Indira Ganesan, As Sweet As Honey
7. Helen Humphreys, The Perils of Geography
8. Tracy Chevalier, The Last Runaway
9. Jonathan Franzen, Freedom
February
10. Brian Friel, Philadelphia, Here I Come
11. Erik Larson, Thunderstruck
12. Brian Friel, The Freedom of the City
13. Helen Humphreys, Anthem
14. Hilary Mantel, Vacant Possession
15. Brian Friel, Living Quarters
March
16. Hilary Mantel, Every Day Is Mother's Day
17. Seamus Heaney, District and Circle
18. Michael Wallis, David Crockett: The Lion of the West
19. Brian Friel, Aristocrats
20. Hilary Mantel, Fludd
21. Phillip Hensher, The Mulberry Empire
22. Brian Friel, Faith Healer
April
23. Claire Kilroy, The Devil I Know
24. Rose Tremain, Merivel: A Man of His Time
25. Nuala Ni Chonchuir, Mother America
May
26. David Lodge, A Man of Parts
27. Lavanya Sankaran, The Hope Factory
28. Paula McLain, The Paris Wife
29. Mary Costello, The China Factory
30. Peter Biskind, My Lunches With Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles
31. Michael Ondaatje, Handwriting
32. Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety
33. W.B. Yeats, Crossways
June
34. Stewart O'Nan, Emily, Alone
35. Charlie Louvin with Benjamin Whitmer, Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers
36. Ian Rankin, Standing In Another Man's Grave
37. Mary Logue, Sleep Like A Tiger
38. W.B. Yeats, The Rose
39. Tana French, Broken Harbor
40. W.B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds
41. Mark Kurlansky, Ready For A Brand New Beat
42. Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret
43. W.B. Yeats, In the Seven Woods
July
44. W.B. Yeats, The Green Helmet and Other Poems
45. Philipp Meyer, The Son
46. Hilary Mantel, A Change of Climate
August
47. Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland
September
48. John Stephens, The Emerald Atlas
49. Dave Thomas, SCTV Behind the Scenes
50. W.B. Yeats, Responsibilities and Other Poems
51. Hilary Mantel, Eight Months on Ghazzah Street
52. Linda Ronstadt, Simple Dreams
October
53. Robert Galbraith, The Cuckoo's Calling
54. Don Wilding, Henry Beston's Cape Cod
November
55. William Kuhn, Mrs. Queen Takes the Train
56. Sarah Ruhl, Dear Elizabeth
57. Joseph O'Connor, Ghost Light
58. William Boyd, Solo: A James Bond Novel
59. Andrew Vaughan, John Hartford: Pilot of A Steam Powered Aereo-Plain
December
60. W.B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
61. Jody Rosen, White Christmas: The Story of An American Song
62. Elizabeth Becker, Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism
January Reading
Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table
Rose Tremain, The Road Home
February Reading
Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens
March
Patrick DeWitt, The Sisters Brothers
April
Julian Barnes, Arthur and George
May
Edward Ardizzone, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain
Julian Barnes, The Sense of An Ending
Tana French, Faithful Place
Bob Dylan, Chronicles, Volume One
June
Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
August
A.S. Byatt, The Children's Book
Tana French, The Likeness
October
Susan Casey, The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean
Peter Carey, His Illegal Self
November
Kate Christensen The Great Man
Margaret Talbot, The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century
Michael Crummey, Galore
December
Pete Dexter, Deadwood
Nigel Schofield, Fairport By Fairport
When I consider that September and July were the only months in which I did not read something I loved, I think 2012 was one of my better reading years.
Here's another view of the year, arranged by broad category:
Best of 2012 Fiction
Julian Barnes, Arthur and George
Julian Barnes, The Sense of An Ending
A.S. Byatt, The Children's Book
Peter Carey, His Illegal Self
Kate Christensen The Great Man
Michael Crummey, Galore
Patrick DeWitt, The Sisters Brothers
Pete Dexter, Deadwood
Tana French, The Likeness
Tana French, Faithful Place
Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table
Rose Tremain, The Road Home
Best of 2012 Non-Fiction
Susan Casey, The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean
Bob Dylan, Chronicles, Volume One
Nigel Schofield, Fairport By Fairport
Margaret Talbot, The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century
Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens
Best 0f 2012 - Children's
Edward Ardizzone, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain
And now for this year's reading:
January
1. Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama
2. Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife - Audio
3. Bonny Becker, A Visitor for Bear
4. Mark Gabriele, J.D.'s Scratch Match
5. Wendy Watson, Bedtime Bunnies
6. Indira Ganesan, As Sweet As Honey
7. Helen Humphreys, The Perils of Geography
8. Tracy Chevalier, The Last Runaway
9. Jonathan Franzen, Freedom
February
10. Brian Friel, Philadelphia, Here I Come
11. Erik Larson, Thunderstruck
12. Brian Friel, The Freedom of the City
13. Helen Humphreys, Anthem
14. Hilary Mantel, Vacant Possession
15. Brian Friel, Living Quarters
March
16. Hilary Mantel, Every Day Is Mother's Day
17. Seamus Heaney, District and Circle
18. Michael Wallis, David Crockett: The Lion of the West
19. Brian Friel, Aristocrats
20. Hilary Mantel, Fludd
21. Phillip Hensher, The Mulberry Empire
22. Brian Friel, Faith Healer
April
23. Claire Kilroy, The Devil I Know
24. Rose Tremain, Merivel: A Man of His Time
25. Nuala Ni Chonchuir, Mother America
May
26. David Lodge, A Man of Parts
27. Lavanya Sankaran, The Hope Factory
28. Paula McLain, The Paris Wife
29. Mary Costello, The China Factory
30. Peter Biskind, My Lunches With Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles
31. Michael Ondaatje, Handwriting
32. Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety
33. W.B. Yeats, Crossways
June
34. Stewart O'Nan, Emily, Alone
35. Charlie Louvin with Benjamin Whitmer, Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers
36. Ian Rankin, Standing In Another Man's Grave
37. Mary Logue, Sleep Like A Tiger
38. W.B. Yeats, The Rose
39. Tana French, Broken Harbor
40. W.B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds
41. Mark Kurlansky, Ready For A Brand New Beat
42. Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret
43. W.B. Yeats, In the Seven Woods
July
44. W.B. Yeats, The Green Helmet and Other Poems
45. Philipp Meyer, The Son
46. Hilary Mantel, A Change of Climate
August
47. Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland
September
48. John Stephens, The Emerald Atlas
49. Dave Thomas, SCTV Behind the Scenes
50. W.B. Yeats, Responsibilities and Other Poems
51. Hilary Mantel, Eight Months on Ghazzah Street
52. Linda Ronstadt, Simple Dreams
October
53. Robert Galbraith, The Cuckoo's Calling
54. Don Wilding, Henry Beston's Cape Cod
November
55. William Kuhn, Mrs. Queen Takes the Train
56. Sarah Ruhl, Dear Elizabeth
57. Joseph O'Connor, Ghost Light
58. William Boyd, Solo: A James Bond Novel
59. Andrew Vaughan, John Hartford: Pilot of A Steam Powered Aereo-Plain
December
60. W.B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
61. Jody Rosen, White Christmas: The Story of An American Song
62. Elizabeth Becker, Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism
2TomKitten
Currently Reading
Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years
W.B. Yeats, Collected Poems
Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years
W.B. Yeats, Collected Poems
6lkernagh
Hi Stephen, found your thread! Happy New Year and all the very best in 2013 to you and Mrs. Kitten!
9TomKitten
1. Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama
Provenance - My local.
Very positive review to follow.
Provenance - My local.
Very positive review to follow.
10RebaRelishesReading
Found you!! Star dropped!! Looking forward to new year.
12sibylline
Now TK, I'm just noticing the references to anxiety and dairy products in yr. title, and wondering...... is Mrs TK restricting your cream and butter intake?
13RebaRelishesReading
Morning Mr. K. -- hope all is going your way today.
14TomKitten
While I've frequently gone awol from my own thread many times in the past, it seldom happens this early in the year so there's much catching up to do. I promised to do a review of the Alison Bechdel book several weeks ago so we'll start with that one but then there are six others to follow so, I'm afraid these will all be brief. Time is in such short supply at the start of this year that it comes down to having to choose between reading and writing about reading the former will trump the latter every time.
1. Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama
I was quite impressed with Bechdel's previous graphic novel, Fun Home, and have been eyeing this one since it first made it's way on to the shop shelves last May. Both books are unflinchingly honest about Bechdel's childhood, youth and not-so-distant past, but this new one is a much more interior, introspective work. References to psychology abound and it all gets a bit heady at times, yet Bechdel's ability to convey enormous amounts of information in just a few panels remains as impressive as her artistry and candor. Highly recommended.
2. Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife - Audio
Mrs. Kitten and I both loved the PBS series that aired last fall, based on the first of several memoirs by Jennifer Worth of her post-war years working as a midwife in the Docklands region of London. You get much more context in the book and much more about the actual work itself. Worth does not stint on the details and there are moments that can be difficult to take in but her matter of fact approach makes the scenes she's describing all the more vivid. Nicola Barber is a superb reader, with a great ear for dialect. Also very highly recommended.
3. Bonny Becker, A Visitor for Bear
4. Mark Gabriele, J.D.'s Scratch Match
5. Wendy Watson, Bedtime Bunnies
Three new picture books that came into the store recently. I liked them all.
6. Indira Ganesan, As Sweet As Honey - ARC
This wonderful new novel will be arriving on shelves on February 12 and I can't recommend it too highly. It's structure echoes that of To The Lighthouse and I found that it also had a similar effect on my reading. Woolf, who I adore, forces me to alter the speed at which I read, much in the way poetry will do, and that's exactly what happens with this novel, too. The story, most of which takes place on the island of Pi, off the coast of India, revolves around the marriage and re-marriage of a beloved Aunt named Meterling, a tall, striking woman who manages to defy convention without losing the love of her family.
Her first husband, an Englishman named Archer, dies in her arms on the dance floor at their wedding, when she is already pregnant with his child. She marries her second husband, Archer's cousin, before the child is born. Time passes. Meterling, Simon and young Oscar relocate to England. The end of the novel finds them back on the island, trying to decide if they will stay there or return, once more to England. These are the facts of the story. It's the telling of their story that I find so engaging, so hypnotic, so infused with a kindness, a generosity of spirit that is all too frequently lacking in contemporary fiction. No one dies in a hail of bullets in this, in fact there's very little real conflict of any kind here, except for the inevitable conflict of cultures in collision. But, by and large, this is a story of people of good will working to understand one another, to overcome conflict, not succumb to it.
As Sweet As Honey is Indira Ganesan's third novel and I hope it's publication (by Knopf) will bring her the audience she so richly deserves.
7. Helen Humphreys, The Perils of Geography
I've written in the past about Helen Humphreys' novels, which I rate very highly, particularly Afterimage, Leaving Earth The Lost Garden and The Frozen Thames. I've been wanting to sample some of her poetry and was glad to find copies of a couple of her collections on a recent trip to Victoria, B.C. The Perils of Geography is her third volume and I wish I could report as favorable a response to this as I have to her novels. There's nothing particularly wrong with the writing, but there's also little transcendent about it. It feels like the early work of someone just finding her voice, so I'm more than willing to give her a pass, move on to the next volume and hope that the writer I so admire in the novels begins to emerge in her later poems.
1. Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama
I was quite impressed with Bechdel's previous graphic novel, Fun Home, and have been eyeing this one since it first made it's way on to the shop shelves last May. Both books are unflinchingly honest about Bechdel's childhood, youth and not-so-distant past, but this new one is a much more interior, introspective work. References to psychology abound and it all gets a bit heady at times, yet Bechdel's ability to convey enormous amounts of information in just a few panels remains as impressive as her artistry and candor. Highly recommended.
2. Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife - Audio
Mrs. Kitten and I both loved the PBS series that aired last fall, based on the first of several memoirs by Jennifer Worth of her post-war years working as a midwife in the Docklands region of London. You get much more context in the book and much more about the actual work itself. Worth does not stint on the details and there are moments that can be difficult to take in but her matter of fact approach makes the scenes she's describing all the more vivid. Nicola Barber is a superb reader, with a great ear for dialect. Also very highly recommended.
3. Bonny Becker, A Visitor for Bear
4. Mark Gabriele, J.D.'s Scratch Match
5. Wendy Watson, Bedtime Bunnies
Three new picture books that came into the store recently. I liked them all.
6. Indira Ganesan, As Sweet As Honey - ARC
This wonderful new novel will be arriving on shelves on February 12 and I can't recommend it too highly. It's structure echoes that of To The Lighthouse and I found that it also had a similar effect on my reading. Woolf, who I adore, forces me to alter the speed at which I read, much in the way poetry will do, and that's exactly what happens with this novel, too. The story, most of which takes place on the island of Pi, off the coast of India, revolves around the marriage and re-marriage of a beloved Aunt named Meterling, a tall, striking woman who manages to defy convention without losing the love of her family.
Her first husband, an Englishman named Archer, dies in her arms on the dance floor at their wedding, when she is already pregnant with his child. She marries her second husband, Archer's cousin, before the child is born. Time passes. Meterling, Simon and young Oscar relocate to England. The end of the novel finds them back on the island, trying to decide if they will stay there or return, once more to England. These are the facts of the story. It's the telling of their story that I find so engaging, so hypnotic, so infused with a kindness, a generosity of spirit that is all too frequently lacking in contemporary fiction. No one dies in a hail of bullets in this, in fact there's very little real conflict of any kind here, except for the inevitable conflict of cultures in collision. But, by and large, this is a story of people of good will working to understand one another, to overcome conflict, not succumb to it.
As Sweet As Honey is Indira Ganesan's third novel and I hope it's publication (by Knopf) will bring her the audience she so richly deserves.
7. Helen Humphreys, The Perils of Geography
I've written in the past about Helen Humphreys' novels, which I rate very highly, particularly Afterimage, Leaving Earth The Lost Garden and The Frozen Thames. I've been wanting to sample some of her poetry and was glad to find copies of a couple of her collections on a recent trip to Victoria, B.C. The Perils of Geography is her third volume and I wish I could report as favorable a response to this as I have to her novels. There's nothing particularly wrong with the writing, but there's also little transcendent about it. It feels like the early work of someone just finding her voice, so I'm more than willing to give her a pass, move on to the next volume and hope that the writer I so admire in the novels begins to emerge in her later poems.
15souloftherose
Found you! And just in time for some book reviews :-)
I've heard really good things about Bechdel's Fun Home and have been meaning to get it out of the library for ages so I will also try and remember to get Are You My Mother?. And the Indira Ganesan sounds like one to watch out for.
I've heard really good things about Bechdel's Fun Home and have been meaning to get it out of the library for ages so I will also try and remember to get Are You My Mother?. And the Indira Ganesan sounds like one to watch out for.
17RebaRelishesReading
Hi Tom -- glad to see you back again and thanks for the nice book notes above. I've put "As Sweet as Honey" on by wish list.
19LizzieD
Here you are! I'm glad to see you and to find that you've been reading some pretty good stuff. I am also marking down the Ganesan. Many thanks and happy new year, Stephen!
20lkernagh
Hello Stephen, I see that my visit to your thread coincides nicely with some reviews now added. I am looking forward to reading Fun Home - which is currently waiting for me beside my favorite reading spot - and have now made note of your review for Are You My Mother?.
My other half and I watched the first episode of Call the Midwife on the weekend.... he is a tad squeamish about it but I love it and will be watching more. My other half grew up in the UK and was able to fill me in on some of the nuances of the period. Overall, very fascinating and well done period piece. It is also a nice surprise to recognize some of the actors - Vanessa Redgrave, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt and Jenny Agutter!
I haven't tried any of Helen Humphrey's poetry but it is possible that her strength is in her period pieces.
Best wishes to both you and Mrs. Kitten!
My other half and I watched the first episode of Call the Midwife on the weekend.... he is a tad squeamish about it but I love it and will be watching more. My other half grew up in the UK and was able to fill me in on some of the nuances of the period. Overall, very fascinating and well done period piece. It is also a nice surprise to recognize some of the actors - Vanessa Redgrave, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt and Jenny Agutter!
I haven't tried any of Helen Humphrey's poetry but it is possible that her strength is in her period pieces.
Best wishes to both you and Mrs. Kitten!
21RebaRelishesReading
Good morning -- happy weekend!
22TomKitten
> 15 - 21
Many thanks to all of you for stopping by and visiting.
> 15 Heather, I hope you do get around to trying the Bechdel books. I think they're worthy of attention.
> 16 I know, Liz, it does seem that one should hang around at least a while to be able to earn a "welcome back." I really never expected to have to be away this much so early in the year, but, in that it's all work-related, I guess I shouldn't complain.
>17 RebaRelishesReading:, 18 & 19 Reba, Lucy and Peggy, it makes me really happy to think that my efforts might help lead others to Indira's book. Mrs. K. recently finished it and had the exact same reaction that I did.
> 20 Lori, it had never even occurred to me that the Helen Humphrey's novels I've so enjoyed are all period pieces but, you're absolutely right in identifying them as such. And now I wonder if it's the absence of that perspective that is giving me problems with the poetry? I'm glad to hear you like Call the Midwife. We just got the second volume in the series at the store where I work and I hope to get 'round to reading it soon. I really like the casting in the series as well. I've been a big Jenny Agutter fan for many a year (The Railway Children is, for my money, one of the best film adaptations of a children's book ever made.
> 21 And thanks for the weekend wishes, Reba. It was very pleasant indeed and I hope you have a great Groundhog Day weekend!
And now on to the month's end reading:
8. Tracy Chevalier, The Last Runaway
Provenance: An ARC I picked up at a trade show.
A major disappointment. Chevalier's latest is set in a Quaker community in 1850's Ohio and it centers on a young woman who is drawn into helping escaped slaves fleeing to Canada on the Underground Railway. The protagonist is a virtuous young woman named Honor Bright, (which is a pretty good indicator right there of what you're in for with this book) who leaves England, in the company of her sister to start a new life in the new world. The sister dies quite early on and Honor is left to make her way by herself among strangers who don't seem particularly happy to have her in their midst. She eventually marries but finds little happiness living in her husband's family home, presided over by her stern mother-in-law. There's a lot of rather silly business with a slave catcher who, we're meant to believe, is some sort of weird combination of Mr. Darcy and Bob Ewell and about as convincing as Snidely Whiplash. Long before I got to the ending that rang utterly false, I had already tired of the two dimensional characters, stock situations, stilted language and weak plot. Not recommended.
9. Jonathan Franzen, Freedom
Provenance: Local library book sale
After some initial hesitation, I really warmed to this and ended up liking it very much. There are 231 reviews of this already on this site and I suspect that anything I might have to say about Freedom will have been said far better here and elsewhere. It really is a fine novel, and worthy of all the accolades it has received.
But I still prefer Indira Ganesan's book, As Sweet As Honey.
Many thanks to all of you for stopping by and visiting.
> 15 Heather, I hope you do get around to trying the Bechdel books. I think they're worthy of attention.
> 16 I know, Liz, it does seem that one should hang around at least a while to be able to earn a "welcome back." I really never expected to have to be away this much so early in the year, but, in that it's all work-related, I guess I shouldn't complain.
>17 RebaRelishesReading:, 18 & 19 Reba, Lucy and Peggy, it makes me really happy to think that my efforts might help lead others to Indira's book. Mrs. K. recently finished it and had the exact same reaction that I did.
> 20 Lori, it had never even occurred to me that the Helen Humphrey's novels I've so enjoyed are all period pieces but, you're absolutely right in identifying them as such. And now I wonder if it's the absence of that perspective that is giving me problems with the poetry? I'm glad to hear you like Call the Midwife. We just got the second volume in the series at the store where I work and I hope to get 'round to reading it soon. I really like the casting in the series as well. I've been a big Jenny Agutter fan for many a year (The Railway Children is, for my money, one of the best film adaptations of a children's book ever made.
> 21 And thanks for the weekend wishes, Reba. It was very pleasant indeed and I hope you have a great Groundhog Day weekend!
And now on to the month's end reading:
8. Tracy Chevalier, The Last Runaway
Provenance: An ARC I picked up at a trade show.
A major disappointment. Chevalier's latest is set in a Quaker community in 1850's Ohio and it centers on a young woman who is drawn into helping escaped slaves fleeing to Canada on the Underground Railway. The protagonist is a virtuous young woman named Honor Bright, (which is a pretty good indicator right there of what you're in for with this book) who leaves England, in the company of her sister to start a new life in the new world. The sister dies quite early on and Honor is left to make her way by herself among strangers who don't seem particularly happy to have her in their midst. She eventually marries but finds little happiness living in her husband's family home, presided over by her stern mother-in-law. There's a lot of rather silly business with a slave catcher who, we're meant to believe, is some sort of weird combination of Mr. Darcy and Bob Ewell and about as convincing as Snidely Whiplash. Long before I got to the ending that rang utterly false, I had already tired of the two dimensional characters, stock situations, stilted language and weak plot. Not recommended.
9. Jonathan Franzen, Freedom
Provenance: Local library book sale
After some initial hesitation, I really warmed to this and ended up liking it very much. There are 231 reviews of this already on this site and I suspect that anything I might have to say about Freedom will have been said far better here and elsewhere. It really is a fine novel, and worthy of all the accolades it has received.
But I still prefer Indira Ganesan's book, As Sweet As Honey.
23TomKitten
10. Brian Friel, Philadelphia, Here I Come
Provenance: Tompkins County, (New York) Library Sale
I've had the pleasure of working on productions of two plays by the Irish writer Brian Friel - Translations and Dancing at Lughnasa - and they both count among my richest theatre experiences. I love his language and storytelling, his ability to make us see the essential humanity and striving for connectedness in every character. So I thought it might be fun this winter to read some of the plays I didn't know.
Philadelphia, Here I Come was first produced in 1964 and it was the first play to bring Friel international attention. The action takes place primarily in the hours leading up to Gar's departure from his small Donegal village, Ballybeg, for a new life in America. Friel uses an interesting device in this that he returned to, in a slightly altered form, in Dancing at Lughnasa. Gar is played by two actors, identified in the text as Public Gar and Private Gar. Public is all surface, going about the routine business of working, eating, making small talk and packing for the journey. Private voices Gar's inner thoughts, hopes, disappointments and desires. In concert, they present a moving portrait of a man full of hope, yet also aware that he is about to leave behind everything he's known for a life of uncertainty, cutting himself adrift from his home, his family, community, his country and the land.
This is, of course, a common theme in Irish literature but it's presented here with uncommon eloquence and poignancy.
Provenance: Tompkins County, (New York) Library Sale
I've had the pleasure of working on productions of two plays by the Irish writer Brian Friel - Translations and Dancing at Lughnasa - and they both count among my richest theatre experiences. I love his language and storytelling, his ability to make us see the essential humanity and striving for connectedness in every character. So I thought it might be fun this winter to read some of the plays I didn't know.
Philadelphia, Here I Come was first produced in 1964 and it was the first play to bring Friel international attention. The action takes place primarily in the hours leading up to Gar's departure from his small Donegal village, Ballybeg, for a new life in America. Friel uses an interesting device in this that he returned to, in a slightly altered form, in Dancing at Lughnasa. Gar is played by two actors, identified in the text as Public Gar and Private Gar. Public is all surface, going about the routine business of working, eating, making small talk and packing for the journey. Private voices Gar's inner thoughts, hopes, disappointments and desires. In concert, they present a moving portrait of a man full of hope, yet also aware that he is about to leave behind everything he's known for a life of uncertainty, cutting himself adrift from his home, his family, community, his country and the land.
This is, of course, a common theme in Irish literature but it's presented here with uncommon eloquence and poignancy.
24RebaRelishesReading
I think I've seen Dancing at Lughnasa on stage...only I'm not sure ...can't remember where or when. I haven't read a play for years but perhaps should do that again.
25rosalita
On of the highlights of my trip to Ireland years ago was seeing a production of 'Philadelphia, Here I Come' at the Abbey Theatre. It was fantastic, and the double Gar thing worked really well.
26sibylline
I haven't seen Philadelphia, but Lughnasa twice - wonderful play.
I'm glad to hear the Freedom is good - it's one of my wallflowers.
I'm glad to hear the Freedom is good - it's one of my wallflowers.
27TomKitten
> 24 Hi Reba - I have to believe that the production of Dancing At Lughnasa that you saw must not have been very good if it hasn't stayed in your memory banks. Done right, it's a pretty powerful piece of theatre.
I really enjoy reading plays but it can be kind of like reading blueprints. There's a lot left to the imagination!
> Julia, that sounds like a wonderful experience! I have yet to have the pleasure of seeing Friel performed by an Irish company and I'm sure that would make the experience all the richer.
> You can't fool me, Lucy. You used to live in Philadelphia! Oh, wait, you meant the play. Anyway, I'm glad you got to see two productions of Dancing At Lughnasa.
I trust when you get around to picking that wallflower (Freedom), you'll find it worth the wait.
I really enjoy reading plays but it can be kind of like reading blueprints. There's a lot left to the imagination!
> Julia, that sounds like a wonderful experience! I have yet to have the pleasure of seeing Friel performed by an Irish company and I'm sure that would make the experience all the richer.
> You can't fool me, Lucy. You used to live in Philadelphia! Oh, wait, you meant the play. Anyway, I'm glad you got to see two productions of Dancing At Lughnasa.
I trust when you get around to picking that wallflower (Freedom), you'll find it worth the wait.
28RebaRelishesReading
I'm afraid many things have escaped my memory banks. But then, other, very unimportant things, are still firmly in place. Who knows why? lol
29lyzard
a slave catcher who, we're meant to believe, is some sort of weird combination of Mr. Darcy and Bob Ewell
THAT almost makes me want to read it.
THAT almost makes me want to read it.
30lkernagh
Hi Stephen, sorry to see The Last Runaway was a miss. I haven't tried any of Chevalier's books yet. Still not convinced to try Franzen's Freedom although it is encouraging that it was something that you warmed up to.
31TomKitten
> 29 It certainly is one of the more striking features of the book, Liz.
> 30 A miss it was, Lori, and I'm trying to not let it prejudice me about her work in general. I've had Remarkable Creatures in my TBR piles for a while now and I'm really hoping it proves more pleasing. The subject and setting - pioneering paleontologist Mary Anning and the village of Lyme Regis - have long fascinated me. And not just because there's a Fairport Convention song about her!
I'm curious as to the source of your resistance to Freedom. Not that it's something I feel you or anyone else necessarily needs to read. Pride and Prejudice it ain't. In fact, I wonder if this will seem hopelessly dated in as little as another decade. But I do think it's an interesting, entertaining and enlightening portrait of the last dozen years or so in a certain segment of American society.
> 30 A miss it was, Lori, and I'm trying to not let it prejudice me about her work in general. I've had Remarkable Creatures in my TBR piles for a while now and I'm really hoping it proves more pleasing. The subject and setting - pioneering paleontologist Mary Anning and the village of Lyme Regis - have long fascinated me. And not just because there's a Fairport Convention song about her!
I'm curious as to the source of your resistance to Freedom. Not that it's something I feel you or anyone else necessarily needs to read. Pride and Prejudice it ain't. In fact, I wonder if this will seem hopelessly dated in as little as another decade. But I do think it's an interesting, entertaining and enlightening portrait of the last dozen years or so in a certain segment of American society.
32sibylline
I've wondered about Chevalier (if nothing else, I love the name) but now I will use the library to check her out.
33lkernagh
> I tend to have a very hit and miss approach to contemporary family epic stories.... more misses than hits is my current track record, so I tend to be a bit leery of those types of stories, especially when they are by authors that are new to me. I always have playing in the back of my mind that I might not like it, which isn't fair to the book or the author that wrote it. Also, I tend to steer clear of most books that get a ton of media hype and I remember a lot of media hype for Freedom book when it came out. Librarything hype I find useful and informative, media hype, not so much.
34TomKitten
> 33. Makes perfect sense, Lori. Though I often find that my own reservations about overly-hyped books melt away when I actually get around to picking up the book. I've often been pleased to find that sometimes the hype exists for a reason. Similarly, I often think I don't care for the sort of books that might be termed contemporary family epic stories and, on this point, I'm less inclined to be proven wrong. And yet, if I've learned one thing about my reading it's that my rules are meant to be, if not broken, at least constantly tested. All of which is to say, yet again, that I think Freedom is worth a look. It's definitely not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it may just be some sort of lesser bakery product - a uniquely flavorful cookie, perhaps? - that you might find quite enjoyable.
35lkernagh
It's definitely not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it may just be some sort of lesser bakery product - a uniquely flavorful cookie, perhaps? - that you might find quite enjoyable.
I like that!
I like that!
36rosalita
Maybe one of those cookies with sesame seeds in them, which never sounds like it would be good but usually is.
Stephen, I've written a looooooong review of E Street Shuffle over on my thread if you'd like to check it out.
Stephen, I've written a looooooong review of E Street Shuffle over on my thread if you'd like to check it out.
37TomKitten
> 35 Thanks, Lori!
> 36 Hi Julia,
Thanks for the warning. For all the reasons you list, it does sound like a terrible book.
> 36 Hi Julia,
Thanks for the warning. For all the reasons you list, it does sound like a terrible book.
38TomKitten
11. Erik Larson, Thunderstruck
Provenance: Library Book Sale
The author of Devil in the White City, once again spins a tale of intersecting lives, of creation and destruction at the turn of the century. It's interesting reading if not quite the page-turner it's predecessor was. Still a fine way to pass a stormy weekend, once the power came back on.
12. Brian Friel, The Freedom of the City
Friel raises some interesting issues in this 1973 script and gives us a stark picture of the individual human cost of sectarian violence.
Provenance: Library Book Sale
The author of Devil in the White City, once again spins a tale of intersecting lives, of creation and destruction at the turn of the century. It's interesting reading if not quite the page-turner it's predecessor was. Still a fine way to pass a stormy weekend, once the power came back on.
12. Brian Friel, The Freedom of the City
Friel raises some interesting issues in this 1973 script and gives us a stark picture of the individual human cost of sectarian violence.
39alcottacre
I cannot believe it is 38 posts into the New Year and I am just now checking in here, Stephen! It looks like your reading year is off to a terrific start.
I enjoy Erik Larson's books a lot. If you have not tried his Isaac's Storm yet, be sure and give that one a go too.
I enjoy Erik Larson's books a lot. If you have not tried his Isaac's Storm yet, be sure and give that one a go too.
40TomKitten
Hi Stasia!
Good to hear from you! I've been enjoying your posts though I haven't had much to contribute to discussions for some reason this year.
I'll make a note to be on the lookout for Isaac's Storm. Living in a coastal community myself, I'm probably more fascinated than is good for me by tales of hurricanes, tsunamis, floods and the like. One of my all-time favorite works of non-fiction is Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry.
Good to hear from you! I've been enjoying your posts though I haven't had much to contribute to discussions for some reason this year.
I'll make a note to be on the lookout for Isaac's Storm. Living in a coastal community myself, I'm probably more fascinated than is good for me by tales of hurricanes, tsunamis, floods and the like. One of my all-time favorite works of non-fiction is Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry.
41rosalita
Oh, I'm glad to hear how much you liked 'Rising Tide', Stephen. I have that one in my TBR pile.
42TomKitten
Can't seem to settle in to anything this week. I keep picking books up, trying a few pages and rejecting them. At least I'm making progress through the TBR stacks, for it seems that two out of every three books make me scratch my head and ask myself, "Why did I ever think I wanted to read this?" Tonight I"m trying to get hooked by Philip Hensher's Mulberry Empire which, at least, has the virtue of being set in another place and another time. I did like his Northern Clemency, even though that was a more contemporaneous tale. I've been thinking a bit more about why certain books work for me and others don't ever since a discussion with a co-worker this week elicited the frank comment that she doesn't like reading fiction that takes place in the here and now. That statement reminded me of something Lori wrote a few posts ago. (#33) about contemporary family stories. And, while I'd never thought of it exactly in those terms, I suddenly realized that, for the most part, I agree with my co-worker and with Lori. I know that, years from now, I'll be able to recall far more about The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet than Franzen's Freedom. This may all turn out to be a good thing in the end as I begin to understand more about what works for me as a reader and what doesn't. I just have to be careful to allow myself to still be surprised.
44sibylline
I'm envious that you are rejecting books in your tbr pile...... I like too many of mine. That is a real problem, eh.....
45TomKitten
A fine feline good day to all of you! It's been a while but, still, I've managed to use my time well. When last I reported in, I was still working my way through Brian Friel and had just finished reading Thunderstruck. Here's what I've consumed since:
February
13. Helen Humphreys, Anthem
Provenance - Russell's Books in Victoria, BC
I still prefer her novels.
14. Hilary Mantel, Vacant Possession
Provenance - Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
I began this not knowing that it was a sequel to Mantel's first published novel,Every Day Is Mother's Day. What a sly, darkly funny treat. It was fun to discover the Mantel's considerable gifts have been there from the very beginning.
15. Brian Friel, Living Quarters
Provenance - Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
Not on a par with his best but still engaging and thought provoking.
March
16. Hilary Mantel, Every Day Is Mother's Day
Provenance: Kraemer's Books, Washington, DC
Her first published novel. Dark as a dungeon but oodles more fun.
17. Seamus Heaney, District and Circle
Provenance: Wellfleet Marketplace, Wellfleet, MA
The real deal.
18. Michael Wallis, David Crockett: The Lion of the West
Provenance: The liberry.
Entertaining biography of a not so very admirable man.
19. Brian Friel, Aristocrats
Provenance: Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
A superb play. Friel at the top of his game.
20. Hilary Mantel, Fludd
Provenance: Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
Hilarious, touching, creepy and gorgeously written.
21. Phillip Hensher, The Mulberry Empire
Provenance: Local library sale?
What might have been a ripping yarn sputters and stalls and gets bogged down in too many characters and abandoned plot lines.
22. Brian Friel, Faith Healer
Provenance: Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
April
23. Claire Kilroy, The Devil I Know
Provenance: Loan from a friend
What a marvelous novel and one of the best works of sustained comic writing I've read in years. This Irish writer is one to keep an eye on!
24. Rose Tremain, Merivel: A Man of His Time
Provenance: ? Books in Galway City, Ireland
I loved Tremain's earlier book about Robert Merivel, Restoration and, if this isn't quite up to that highwater mark it comes pretty close. She's fast becoming another favorite writer.
25. Nuala Ni Chonchuir, Mother America
Provenance: Loan from a friend
A very impressive collection of short stories from another Irish writer to watch.
May
26. David Lodge, A Man of Parts
Provenance: Wellfleet Marketplace, Wellfleet, MA
I like David Lodge a lot. I like H.G. Wells, the subject of this biographical novel, too. But something about this just didn't work for me and I found myself struggling to finish it.
It's lilac time where I am. Howzabout you?
February
13. Helen Humphreys, Anthem
Provenance - Russell's Books in Victoria, BC
I still prefer her novels.
14. Hilary Mantel, Vacant Possession
Provenance - Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
I began this not knowing that it was a sequel to Mantel's first published novel,Every Day Is Mother's Day. What a sly, darkly funny treat. It was fun to discover the Mantel's considerable gifts have been there from the very beginning.
15. Brian Friel, Living Quarters
Provenance - Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
Not on a par with his best but still engaging and thought provoking.
March
16. Hilary Mantel, Every Day Is Mother's Day
Provenance: Kraemer's Books, Washington, DC
Her first published novel. Dark as a dungeon but oodles more fun.
17. Seamus Heaney, District and Circle
Provenance: Wellfleet Marketplace, Wellfleet, MA
The real deal.
18. Michael Wallis, David Crockett: The Lion of the West
Provenance: The liberry.
Entertaining biography of a not so very admirable man.
19. Brian Friel, Aristocrats
Provenance: Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
A superb play. Friel at the top of his game.
20. Hilary Mantel, Fludd
Provenance: Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
Hilarious, touching, creepy and gorgeously written.
21. Phillip Hensher, The Mulberry Empire
Provenance: Local library sale?
What might have been a ripping yarn sputters and stalls and gets bogged down in too many characters and abandoned plot lines.
22. Brian Friel, Faith Healer
Provenance: Tompkins County Library Book Sale, Ithaca, NY
April
23. Claire Kilroy, The Devil I Know
Provenance: Loan from a friend
What a marvelous novel and one of the best works of sustained comic writing I've read in years. This Irish writer is one to keep an eye on!
24. Rose Tremain, Merivel: A Man of His Time
Provenance: ? Books in Galway City, Ireland
I loved Tremain's earlier book about Robert Merivel, Restoration and, if this isn't quite up to that highwater mark it comes pretty close. She's fast becoming another favorite writer.
25. Nuala Ni Chonchuir, Mother America
Provenance: Loan from a friend
A very impressive collection of short stories from another Irish writer to watch.
May
26. David Lodge, A Man of Parts
Provenance: Wellfleet Marketplace, Wellfleet, MA
I like David Lodge a lot. I like H.G. Wells, the subject of this biographical novel, too. But something about this just didn't work for me and I found myself struggling to finish it.
It's lilac time where I am. Howzabout you?
46lyzard
Hi, stranger! Welcome back.:)
We're in the process of a long slide into winter. It's actually been unseasonably warm but the nights and early mornings are starting to bite.
We're in the process of a long slide into winter. It's actually been unseasonably warm but the nights and early mornings are starting to bite.
47LizzieD
Lovely to see you back, Mr. K! What a lot of good reading you're doing! You make me want to read everything Mantel has written and to get on with Restoration so that I can get Merivel: A Man of His Time . I'm a real Rose Tremain fan even if I haven't read this famous one - and it's the first one I bought too.
We're still having spring here in SE N.C. That's amazing. Temps in the lower 80s today and the honeysuckle is blooming and making my hometown sweet.
We're still having spring here in SE N.C. That's amazing. Temps in the lower 80s today and the honeysuckle is blooming and making my hometown sweet.
48sibylline
I was just wondering where you had wandered off to - and here you are! I should be where you are by sometime next week, Wednesday if all goes according to plan. Not as long a stay as I would like, but better than nuttin. I have read one Rose Tremain and liked it hugely. (The English musician at the Danish king's court). There was a long article about Mantel in the NYer last fall that was astounding - she has some intense background, she does. If you can avail yourself of it you should. I'll come back with the exact issue, as I do report such things on my NYer support group for this exact reason.
49sibylline
Well that was a fail - I think maybe it was the Dec 17 issue, but it could have been October..... I did a very messy job over there with those last few months and clearly missed reporting on one or two that I know I read...... like the one with the Mantel piece.
51TomKitten
> 46 Hi Liz. I hope your winter is milder than the one we've just been through.
> 47 Peggy, those 80 degrees sound heavenly to me as does the scent of honeysuckle. I'm glad to know you're a Rose Tremain fan, too. You have a real treat in store when you do get around to Restoration
> 48 I'll look forward to seeing you and catching up this week, Lucy.
> 50 Thanks, Lori! I'll bet Victoria is looking really beautiful these days.
> 47 Peggy, those 80 degrees sound heavenly to me as does the scent of honeysuckle. I'm glad to know you're a Rose Tremain fan, too. You have a real treat in store when you do get around to Restoration
> 48 I'll look forward to seeing you and catching up this week, Lucy.
> 50 Thanks, Lori! I'll bet Victoria is looking really beautiful these days.
52LizzieD
I know I do. And I also know that the Tremain that Lucy is talking about is Music & Silence, which vies with The Road Home as my favorite Tremain so far.
53TomKitten
27. Lavanya Sankaran, The Hope Factory
Provenance: LT ER
A bit slow to get started. We're introduced to a fair number of characters in the first few pages and it took me a while to get on board the narrative train.
However, once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Sankaran does a superb job of contrasting the two intersecting lives of her main characters and the two Indias that exist side by side. This may be the best novel I've read about contemporary India, it's challenges and opportunities, it's deep rooted traditions and it's rush to be a major player in 21st century global economics. The ending feels a bit pat to me but, that's a small quibble for such an impressive debut. (4 Stars)
Provenance: LT ER
A bit slow to get started. We're introduced to a fair number of characters in the first few pages and it took me a while to get on board the narrative train.
However, once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Sankaran does a superb job of contrasting the two intersecting lives of her main characters and the two Indias that exist side by side. This may be the best novel I've read about contemporary India, it's challenges and opportunities, it's deep rooted traditions and it's rush to be a major player in 21st century global economics. The ending feels a bit pat to me but, that's a small quibble for such an impressive debut. (4 Stars)
54TomKitten
28. Paula McLain, The Paris Wife
Well, I'll say this for it. It moved along fairly quickly. As Mrs. Kitten so succinctly put it, "It's not quite Danielle Steele but it's not far off."
Well, I'll say this for it. It moved along fairly quickly. As Mrs. Kitten so succinctly put it, "It's not quite Danielle Steele but it's not far off."
55sibylline
I listened to it - the reader had just the right voice. I don't think I could (would) have read it.
57TomKitten
> 55. Probably a better way to experience it, Lucy.
> 56. I'll be curious to know how she strikes you, Julia. As if I needed any more convincing, I just started reading A Place of Greater Safety and it's just jaw-droppingly wonderful, maybe the best Mantel I've read so far. On the one hand, I can't believe it's taken me all these years to discover her but, on the other, I'm so glad that, having finally done so, I have this extremely rich back catalogue to explore.
> 56. I'll be curious to know how she strikes you, Julia. As if I needed any more convincing, I just started reading A Place of Greater Safety and it's just jaw-droppingly wonderful, maybe the best Mantel I've read so far. On the one hand, I can't believe it's taken me all these years to discover her but, on the other, I'm so glad that, having finally done so, I have this extremely rich back catalogue to explore.
58TomKitten
29. Mary Costello, The China Factory
Provenance: My pal Dennis loaned me this, along with the Clair Kilroy (#23) and Nuala Ni Chonchuir (#25). That's 3 for 3! Thanks, Dennis!
Sometimes I think that having more than one book going at a time inevitably leads to comparisons that are not always fair. This debut collection of short stories is so strong, so assured, so rich in language and imagery that it couldn't help but make The Paris Wife seem wanting, so perhaps I was a bit harsh in my dismissal of that book. These are transcendent stories of love and loss and longing, of old wounds that refuse to heal, of constrained lives and occasional glimpses of possibilities. Mary Costello is definitely a writer to watch.
Provenance: My pal Dennis loaned me this, along with the Clair Kilroy (#23) and Nuala Ni Chonchuir (#25). That's 3 for 3! Thanks, Dennis!
Sometimes I think that having more than one book going at a time inevitably leads to comparisons that are not always fair. This debut collection of short stories is so strong, so assured, so rich in language and imagery that it couldn't help but make The Paris Wife seem wanting, so perhaps I was a bit harsh in my dismissal of that book. These are transcendent stories of love and loss and longing, of old wounds that refuse to heal, of constrained lives and occasional glimpses of possibilities. Mary Costello is definitely a writer to watch.
59TomKitten
30. Peter Biskind, My Lunches With Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles
Provenance: ER - ARC
I wouldn't call myself an Orson Welles devotee but I do admire his work and I find his life story fascinating, particularly as told by Simon Callow in the first volume of his biography, Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu. There's something undeniably tragic about his trajectory - the boy genius who can do no wrong, who knocks it out of the park with his very first film and is never able to duplicate that initial success, despite flashes of brilliance that tantalize with huge helpings of "if only.". He ends his life with half a dozen projects in some suspended state of development, shilling crap wine on TV and regularly eating lunch at Ma Maison with his friend and fellow filmmaker Henry Jaglom. Recognizing that he had gained intimate access to one of the great creative talents of the 20th century, Jaglom had the foresight to record their lunchtime conversations over several years. This book is composed of transcriptions of those conversations and it is absolutely fascinating. Welles is brilliant, irascible, has an opinion about everything and everyone and is unsparing in both his praise and damnation of former colleagues, friends, wives and enemies. And Jaglom seems to know how to ask all the right questions to tease those opinions out of him.
I can't remember when I've enjoyed a book more.
Provenance: ER - ARC
I wouldn't call myself an Orson Welles devotee but I do admire his work and I find his life story fascinating, particularly as told by Simon Callow in the first volume of his biography, Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu. There's something undeniably tragic about his trajectory - the boy genius who can do no wrong, who knocks it out of the park with his very first film and is never able to duplicate that initial success, despite flashes of brilliance that tantalize with huge helpings of "if only.". He ends his life with half a dozen projects in some suspended state of development, shilling crap wine on TV and regularly eating lunch at Ma Maison with his friend and fellow filmmaker Henry Jaglom. Recognizing that he had gained intimate access to one of the great creative talents of the 20th century, Jaglom had the foresight to record their lunchtime conversations over several years. This book is composed of transcriptions of those conversations and it is absolutely fascinating. Welles is brilliant, irascible, has an opinion about everything and everyone and is unsparing in both his praise and damnation of former colleagues, friends, wives and enemies. And Jaglom seems to know how to ask all the right questions to tease those opinions out of him.
I can't remember when I've enjoyed a book more.
61TomKitten
31. Michael Ondaatje, Handwriting
Provenance: Purchased at Russell's in Victoria, BC
To this point, I've loved everything I've ever read by Ondaatje, but, I have to confess, this one did nothing for me.
Provenance: Purchased at Russell's in Victoria, BC
To this point, I've loved everything I've ever read by Ondaatje, but, I have to confess, this one did nothing for me.
62scaifea
A little behind times with this, but wanted to say that I'm a David Lodge fan, too, mostly for his academia-related fiction. He captures the frustrations of that life very well!
63TomKitten
Reading round-up:
32. Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety
Provenance: Autumn Leaves Books, Ithaca, New York
I've been fairly gushy about Mantel in past reviews but this is the first that wasn't everything I hoped it would be. A Place of Greater Safety is set during the French revolution, and focuses on three of the leaders who would come to be its victims as well - Camille Desmoulins, Georges-Jacques Danton and Maximilien Robespierre. Part of the problem is that none of them are likable - not a deal-breaker in itself - but because the novel is so stuffed with period detail one longs for points of connection. I've read that this was actually Mantel's first novel and that she had difficulty finding a publisher so she set it aside and wrote the shorter, more contemporary novels, Every Day Is Mother's Day and Vacant Possession, both of which were published, giving her a foot in the door and, presumably, an audience as well. I'm not sure the publishers didn't get it right the first time, for while there's much to admire here, it really barely hints at the economy, confidence and historical storytelling that would come to full flower with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.
33. W.B. Yeats, Crossways
Provenance: Can't remember.
This was Yeats' first published collection and, while there are a few misses in here, it also contains the wonderful The Cloak, the Boat and the Shoes, The Falling of the Leaves, The Madness of King Goll, To An Isle in the Water, Down By the Sally Gardens, and, especially, The Stolen Child :
"Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."
He gets under my skin like few other writers.
34. Stewart O'Nan, Emily, Alone
Provenance: Not sure but I think it came from a library book sale.
This sequel to O'Nan's Wish You Were Here begins with an epigraph by Virginia Woolf, and, in a way I find hard to put in to words, this is probably the most Woolf-like novel I've ever read, though others I can think of are more consciously imitative. What Woolf does in Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, that is, getting thoroughly inside a characters intellectual and emotional life, O' Nan succeeds in doing here as well. It's a remarkable achievement, made even more so, for me, because it's so thoroughly rooted in a part of the country I know well. One of the best things I've read this year. Five stars and highly recommended.
32. Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety
Provenance: Autumn Leaves Books, Ithaca, New York
I've been fairly gushy about Mantel in past reviews but this is the first that wasn't everything I hoped it would be. A Place of Greater Safety is set during the French revolution, and focuses on three of the leaders who would come to be its victims as well - Camille Desmoulins, Georges-Jacques Danton and Maximilien Robespierre. Part of the problem is that none of them are likable - not a deal-breaker in itself - but because the novel is so stuffed with period detail one longs for points of connection. I've read that this was actually Mantel's first novel and that she had difficulty finding a publisher so she set it aside and wrote the shorter, more contemporary novels, Every Day Is Mother's Day and Vacant Possession, both of which were published, giving her a foot in the door and, presumably, an audience as well. I'm not sure the publishers didn't get it right the first time, for while there's much to admire here, it really barely hints at the economy, confidence and historical storytelling that would come to full flower with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.
33. W.B. Yeats, Crossways
Provenance: Can't remember.
This was Yeats' first published collection and, while there are a few misses in here, it also contains the wonderful The Cloak, the Boat and the Shoes, The Falling of the Leaves, The Madness of King Goll, To An Isle in the Water, Down By the Sally Gardens, and, especially, The Stolen Child :
"Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."
He gets under my skin like few other writers.
34. Stewart O'Nan, Emily, Alone
Provenance: Not sure but I think it came from a library book sale.
This sequel to O'Nan's Wish You Were Here begins with an epigraph by Virginia Woolf, and, in a way I find hard to put in to words, this is probably the most Woolf-like novel I've ever read, though others I can think of are more consciously imitative. What Woolf does in Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, that is, getting thoroughly inside a characters intellectual and emotional life, O' Nan succeeds in doing here as well. It's a remarkable achievement, made even more so, for me, because it's so thoroughly rooted in a part of the country I know well. One of the best things I've read this year. Five stars and highly recommended.
64RebaRelishesReading
Enjoyed the reviews. Also thinking of you because we're leaving for Chautauqua on Saturday. We'll be there all summer this year -- waahoo!!
65TomKitten
> 64 Hi Reba,
Ah, to be Chautauqua bound again! I envy you that and hope you have a great season.
Do you know these Stewart O'Nan books? Wish You Were Here takes place almost entirely in a family cottage on the shores of the Lake, not in "the grounds" as those of who spent summers outside Chautauqua referred to the Institute, but not far from it either. I remember reading that book and thinking their cottage must have been just a bit south of the grounds. When Emily goes back to Chautauqua, at the end of Emily, Alone she's going to a short term rental just north of the Institute. Wahmeda perhaps? I love that O'Nan also has her planning to stop into Lighthouse to pick up a few things, and doesn't bother to mention that it's a grocery store and not a navigational beacon. It's also very near to my heart because our cottage was down the road next to the store, at Lighthouse Point. I can still remember every step of the way from the cottage to the store to pick up the morning papers and, often a Tootsie Roll, too.
Ah, to be Chautauqua bound again! I envy you that and hope you have a great season.
Do you know these Stewart O'Nan books? Wish You Were Here takes place almost entirely in a family cottage on the shores of the Lake, not in "the grounds" as those of who spent summers outside Chautauqua referred to the Institute, but not far from it either. I remember reading that book and thinking their cottage must have been just a bit south of the grounds. When Emily goes back to Chautauqua, at the end of Emily, Alone she's going to a short term rental just north of the Institute. Wahmeda perhaps? I love that O'Nan also has her planning to stop into Lighthouse to pick up a few things, and doesn't bother to mention that it's a grocery store and not a navigational beacon. It's also very near to my heart because our cottage was down the road next to the store, at Lighthouse Point. I can still remember every step of the way from the cottage to the store to pick up the morning papers and, often a Tootsie Roll, too.
66RebaRelishesReading
What lovely memories. I've never yeard of Stewart O'Nan -- sounds like I should look him up.
67TomKitten
Can't say as I'm too keen on this new site design but I'll probably get used to it. Not worth fussing about.
Another long absence but this one is my usual summer sojourn. I am happy to say, though, that, unlike other summers, I've been able to find time to read this year, if not report on that reading. So a quick summary to bring us up to date before I disappear again until Labor Day.
35. Charlie Louvin with Benjamin Whitmer, Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers
I'll confess, I was late coming to country music and there are still great swaths of it that I don't know. It took the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers to open up my ears but I learned about the Louvin Brothers and their legacy primarily through Emmylou Harris. The Louvin story is a classic rags to riches success tale, though the riches were never many and Ira didn't live long enough to really enjoy the success, though some would say he certainly had a good time, drinking, fighting and generally pissing off and alienating everyone who ever knew, loved or worked with him, including - make that especially - his brother Charlie. Charlie went on to have a respectable solo career after Ira walked out for the umpteenth time, but it's the recordings with his brother that will keep the Louvin name alive for years to come. It's hard to know exactly what Mr. Whitmer's contribution to his memoir may have been, but it feels like we're reading Charlie's thoughts pretty much unedited and that's a good thing. Even for the one that walked the straight and narrow, it certainly wasn't an easy life but it makes for fascinating reading.
36. Ian Rankin, Standing In Another Man's Grave
Rebus is back and Rankin's back to form with a terrific new entry to the series. May there be many more.
37. Mary Logue, Sleep Like A Tiger
An exquisite picture book.
38. W.B. Yeats, The Rose
The survey continues and continues to delight.
39. Tana French, Broken Harbor
French's ear is as pitch perfect as ever. Highly recommended.
40. W.B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds
See #38 above.
41. Mark Kurlansky, Ready For A Brand New Beat
This was an ER book and I've been holding off writing about it to see if it I might think better of it given a little time and distance. I really wanted to like this book but, ultimately, it just didn't do much for me. It seems rather scattershot but also oddly thin, like a magazine article stretched to book length with lots of filler material, much of it old news. Kurlansky makes a valid point about the importance of the song, "Dancin' in the Street" to the Civil Rights movement and then goes on for at least an additional hundred pages.
42. Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Perfection!
43. W.B. Yeats, In the Seven Woods
July
44. W.B. Yeats, The Green Helmet and Other Poems
45. Philipp Meyer, The Son
It's very good. Kevin Powers thinks it's the best book he's read this year. Without knowing what else he's read this year, it's hard to argue with that but I've certainly read other things I liked better. I was equally glad to have read it and finished it.
See you in September.
Another long absence but this one is my usual summer sojourn. I am happy to say, though, that, unlike other summers, I've been able to find time to read this year, if not report on that reading. So a quick summary to bring us up to date before I disappear again until Labor Day.
35. Charlie Louvin with Benjamin Whitmer, Satan Is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers
I'll confess, I was late coming to country music and there are still great swaths of it that I don't know. It took the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers to open up my ears but I learned about the Louvin Brothers and their legacy primarily through Emmylou Harris. The Louvin story is a classic rags to riches success tale, though the riches were never many and Ira didn't live long enough to really enjoy the success, though some would say he certainly had a good time, drinking, fighting and generally pissing off and alienating everyone who ever knew, loved or worked with him, including - make that especially - his brother Charlie. Charlie went on to have a respectable solo career after Ira walked out for the umpteenth time, but it's the recordings with his brother that will keep the Louvin name alive for years to come. It's hard to know exactly what Mr. Whitmer's contribution to his memoir may have been, but it feels like we're reading Charlie's thoughts pretty much unedited and that's a good thing. Even for the one that walked the straight and narrow, it certainly wasn't an easy life but it makes for fascinating reading.
36. Ian Rankin, Standing In Another Man's Grave
Rebus is back and Rankin's back to form with a terrific new entry to the series. May there be many more.
37. Mary Logue, Sleep Like A Tiger
An exquisite picture book.
38. W.B. Yeats, The Rose
The survey continues and continues to delight.
39. Tana French, Broken Harbor
French's ear is as pitch perfect as ever. Highly recommended.
40. W.B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds
See #38 above.
41. Mark Kurlansky, Ready For A Brand New Beat
This was an ER book and I've been holding off writing about it to see if it I might think better of it given a little time and distance. I really wanted to like this book but, ultimately, it just didn't do much for me. It seems rather scattershot but also oddly thin, like a magazine article stretched to book length with lots of filler material, much of it old news. Kurlansky makes a valid point about the importance of the song, "Dancin' in the Street" to the Civil Rights movement and then goes on for at least an additional hundred pages.
42. Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Perfection!
43. W.B. Yeats, In the Seven Woods
July
44. W.B. Yeats, The Green Helmet and Other Poems
45. Philipp Meyer, The Son
It's very good. Kevin Powers thinks it's the best book he's read this year. Without knowing what else he's read this year, it's hard to argue with that but I've certainly read other things I liked better. I was equally glad to have read it and finished it.
See you in September.
68sibylline
Whoa on a Yeats kick, dude!!!!
I keep forgetting to get ahold of the new Tana French!! Whatsa matter with me!
I keep forgetting to get ahold of the new Tana French!! Whatsa matter with me!
69souloftherose
#67 The design change was a bit of a shock but I've got used to it now and I think I quite like it.
Glad you enjoyed The Invention of Hugo Cabret - such a lovely and unusual book.
Glad you enjoyed The Invention of Hugo Cabret - such a lovely and unusual book.
70LizzieD
Happy Summer, Mr. K! You're really using your time well. I guess your comments about *Greater Safety* are just, but I went ahead and loved it anyway.
71lkernagh
Hi Stephen, I hope you have been having a lovely summer! I see you have been busy reading.... have a lovely August and look forward to seeing your August reading when you are back posting after the summer is over.
72TomKitten
Catching up while waiting for a package to be delivered. Summer was even busier than usual this year and that meant not much reading time but I did manage to finish a couple of things and they were:
46. Hilary Mantel, A Change of Climate
This may be more of an indication of how distracted I was in July than a judgement on the book but, two months later, I can't remember anything at all about this one. I'm beginning to think that what sets later Mantel (Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies) apart from earlier Mantel is that she's now bringing all her considerable skills to telling better stories. Looking at the back of A Change of Climate, I do recall being engaged by the characters and the setting but not enough happens to make the book truly memorable. I would say the same is true about Eight Months on Ghazzah Street. She does a wonderful job of putting you in an unfamiliar setting and making you feel the claustrophobia of a stranger in a strange land. In the end, though, there's just not enough story.
August
47. Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland
The Man Booker Prize judges deemed this one worthy of the shortlist last week and who am I to dispute that judgement? I wouldn't dream of doing so anyway. I was really excited to get an ARC of this from the publisher - thanks, Knopf! - and I'm happy to report that it met all of my considerable expectations. I suspect you'll be hearing a lot more about this one in the weeks and months to come. Highly recommended.
September
48. John Stephens, The Emerald Atlas
This children's fantasy novel was long on action but more than a bit short on motivation, character development and original ideas. The recipe seems to have been take a bit of Tolkien, a dash of C.S. Lewis, a heaping of E. Nesbit, blend and pour into, oh, let's see, what's on the shelf - ah, here's that souvenir mug we got in Vermont! Let's use that! And, if we're lucky, no one will notice that we don't really know anything about Vermont. Not that many people live there, anyway.
49. Dave Thomas, SCTV: Behind the Scenes
I loved SCTV and I still think it's one of the funniest things ever to hit the small screen. It's hard not to admire the actor/writers even more when one reads about the circumstances under which the show was created. The atmosphere was extremely competitive, shows were produced with comparatively miniscule budgets, actors were often doing double duty working on the show during the daytime, performing live at night and then staying up 'til all hours because, well, because that's what actors tend to do when they're young and enjoying a first taste of success. I devoured this book and only wish it had contained more of the actual writing from the show. To this day, if I want a good laugh, I only have to think about Mrs. Falbo's Tiny Town, Earl Camembert, Mayor Tommy Shanks, Edith Prickley, Bill Needle, Count Floyd, the Night School Quiz show, Sid Dithers, Ed Grimley and so many other brilliant sketches.
50. W.B. Yeats, Responsibilities and Other Poems
The Yeats survey goes on. In this month's episode, W.B. battles villains from the planet Xrywyx. (Not really.)
51. Hilary Mantel, Eight Months on Ghazzah Street See above.
Package has arrived. Enough lollygagging. See you again when baseball season is over. Go Sox! Go Bucs!
46. Hilary Mantel, A Change of Climate
This may be more of an indication of how distracted I was in July than a judgement on the book but, two months later, I can't remember anything at all about this one. I'm beginning to think that what sets later Mantel (Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies) apart from earlier Mantel is that she's now bringing all her considerable skills to telling better stories. Looking at the back of A Change of Climate, I do recall being engaged by the characters and the setting but not enough happens to make the book truly memorable. I would say the same is true about Eight Months on Ghazzah Street. She does a wonderful job of putting you in an unfamiliar setting and making you feel the claustrophobia of a stranger in a strange land. In the end, though, there's just not enough story.
August
47. Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland
The Man Booker Prize judges deemed this one worthy of the shortlist last week and who am I to dispute that judgement? I wouldn't dream of doing so anyway. I was really excited to get an ARC of this from the publisher - thanks, Knopf! - and I'm happy to report that it met all of my considerable expectations. I suspect you'll be hearing a lot more about this one in the weeks and months to come. Highly recommended.
September
48. John Stephens, The Emerald Atlas
This children's fantasy novel was long on action but more than a bit short on motivation, character development and original ideas. The recipe seems to have been take a bit of Tolkien, a dash of C.S. Lewis, a heaping of E. Nesbit, blend and pour into, oh, let's see, what's on the shelf - ah, here's that souvenir mug we got in Vermont! Let's use that! And, if we're lucky, no one will notice that we don't really know anything about Vermont. Not that many people live there, anyway.
49. Dave Thomas, SCTV: Behind the Scenes
I loved SCTV and I still think it's one of the funniest things ever to hit the small screen. It's hard not to admire the actor/writers even more when one reads about the circumstances under which the show was created. The atmosphere was extremely competitive, shows were produced with comparatively miniscule budgets, actors were often doing double duty working on the show during the daytime, performing live at night and then staying up 'til all hours because, well, because that's what actors tend to do when they're young and enjoying a first taste of success. I devoured this book and only wish it had contained more of the actual writing from the show. To this day, if I want a good laugh, I only have to think about Mrs. Falbo's Tiny Town, Earl Camembert, Mayor Tommy Shanks, Edith Prickley, Bill Needle, Count Floyd, the Night School Quiz show, Sid Dithers, Ed Grimley and so many other brilliant sketches.
50. W.B. Yeats, Responsibilities and Other Poems
The Yeats survey goes on. In this month's episode, W.B. battles villains from the planet Xrywyx. (Not really.)
51. Hilary Mantel, Eight Months on Ghazzah Street See above.
Package has arrived. Enough lollygagging. See you again when baseball season is over. Go Sox! Go Bucs!
73sibylline
Hi TK, although I have nothing to add or subtract or divide or multiply or quantumize I am nonetheless saying it is nice to find you've zipped by.
74rosalita
Always nice to have you check in, Stephen. As a Cubs fan, baseball season was over about May 15, but I wish your teams well. At least, the Pirates. Not quite evolved enough to root for the Red Sox. :)
75RebaRelishesReading
Hi, there -- nice to see you.
77TomKitten
52. Linda Ronstadt, Simple Dreams - However, for some mysterious reason Touchstones is showing this as The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Curiouser and curiouser.
I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard Linda Ronstadt's voice. I was riding in my Dad's old Chevy Impala and we had just turned on to Croyland Avenue, in my hometown, and this voice came out of the car radio: "You and I travel to the beat of a different drum ...". When the song ended the dj announced that we'd been listening to the Stone Ponys. But who was that singer?, I wanted to know, for I was already smitten - it was love at first listen.
Ronstadt often writes dismissively of her singing, particularly in her early recordings, in her wonderful new memoir, Simple Dreams, but I think she should give herself a bit more credit. While it's true that, as her career progressed, the material she took on and performed so brilliantly challenged her in ways that the earlier material did not, she's always been one of the most interesting and seductive singers - male or female - in all of pop music. Consider the depth and range of her catalog - from pure country to r&b to mariachi to Gilbert and Sullivan and La Boheme to the Great American Songbook to bluegrass and on and on. In one of her more recent recordings she even took on cajun music and then, part way through the album, she slips in this gorgeous, spare heartfelt version of the old Left Banke song, Walk Away Renee, and makes it sound completely at home with the rest of the material. Along the way she has championed some of the best songwriters of the modern era, both American and Canadian, for whom she has a particular affection. I'll be forever grateful to Linda for introducing me to the songs of Montreal's Kate and Anna McGarrigle, (Heart Like A Wheel) but she also was one of the first artists to record songs by Jackson Browne, Randy Newman, Eric Kaz, John David Souther, Warren Zevon, Michael Nesmith and on and on.
But, I digress a bit - easy enough to do with an artist of Ronstadt's stature - because what I really want to tell you about is, of course, this new book which is, quite simply, one of the best books about music I've ever read. For example, here's Ronstadt on the pleasures and perils of making music with other people:
"When I hire a musician to record or perform, the first thing I look for is a shared sensibility. Whatever the musician listened to or read or saw or where he lived growing up informs every note he plays in a myriad of ways. There are so many choices to make - how loud or soft to play a note, exactly where to place it rhythmically, what kind of textural or melodic embellishment to incorporate, where to add a harmony, how to voice a chord - all done in a split second. It simply can't be done on a conscious level but becomes a matter of instinct enabled by long practice. When a compatible group of players is assembled to serve a clearly defined musical vision, the result can be pure joy. If the group lacks a shared sensibility, it is pure misery."
In fact, this book is exactly the sort of book on music I'm always hoping to read but seldom see in rock star memoirs. It's wonderfully clear sighted and informative about the creative process - a challenge to write about in any discipline - with only enough personal information to give you a better picture of the person responsible for the art. Linda, I can't help it if I'm still in love with you.
I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard Linda Ronstadt's voice. I was riding in my Dad's old Chevy Impala and we had just turned on to Croyland Avenue, in my hometown, and this voice came out of the car radio: "You and I travel to the beat of a different drum ...". When the song ended the dj announced that we'd been listening to the Stone Ponys. But who was that singer?, I wanted to know, for I was already smitten - it was love at first listen.
Ronstadt often writes dismissively of her singing, particularly in her early recordings, in her wonderful new memoir, Simple Dreams, but I think she should give herself a bit more credit. While it's true that, as her career progressed, the material she took on and performed so brilliantly challenged her in ways that the earlier material did not, she's always been one of the most interesting and seductive singers - male or female - in all of pop music. Consider the depth and range of her catalog - from pure country to r&b to mariachi to Gilbert and Sullivan and La Boheme to the Great American Songbook to bluegrass and on and on. In one of her more recent recordings she even took on cajun music and then, part way through the album, she slips in this gorgeous, spare heartfelt version of the old Left Banke song, Walk Away Renee, and makes it sound completely at home with the rest of the material. Along the way she has championed some of the best songwriters of the modern era, both American and Canadian, for whom she has a particular affection. I'll be forever grateful to Linda for introducing me to the songs of Montreal's Kate and Anna McGarrigle, (Heart Like A Wheel) but she also was one of the first artists to record songs by Jackson Browne, Randy Newman, Eric Kaz, John David Souther, Warren Zevon, Michael Nesmith and on and on.
But, I digress a bit - easy enough to do with an artist of Ronstadt's stature - because what I really want to tell you about is, of course, this new book which is, quite simply, one of the best books about music I've ever read. For example, here's Ronstadt on the pleasures and perils of making music with other people:
"When I hire a musician to record or perform, the first thing I look for is a shared sensibility. Whatever the musician listened to or read or saw or where he lived growing up informs every note he plays in a myriad of ways. There are so many choices to make - how loud or soft to play a note, exactly where to place it rhythmically, what kind of textural or melodic embellishment to incorporate, where to add a harmony, how to voice a chord - all done in a split second. It simply can't be done on a conscious level but becomes a matter of instinct enabled by long practice. When a compatible group of players is assembled to serve a clearly defined musical vision, the result can be pure joy. If the group lacks a shared sensibility, it is pure misery."
In fact, this book is exactly the sort of book on music I'm always hoping to read but seldom see in rock star memoirs. It's wonderfully clear sighted and informative about the creative process - a challenge to write about in any discipline - with only enough personal information to give you a better picture of the person responsible for the art. Linda, I can't help it if I'm still in love with you.
