brenzi's 2013 Reading - February Frolics

A Dance to the Music of Time is a painting by Nicolas Poussin in The Wallace Collection in London. It was painted between 1634 and 1636. According to Wikipedia, four figures holding each other by the hand dance in a circle, as Time plays a lyre on the right. The scene is set in the early morning, with Aurora, goddess of dawn, preceding the chariot of Apollo the sun-god in the sky behind; the Hours accompany him and he holds a ring representing the Zodiac. According to Bellori, in Rospigliosi's scheme the four dancers were, beginning with the one at the back seen mostly from behind: Poverty, Labour, Riches, and Pleasure or Luxury. These represent a progression in human life, completed by Pleasure or Luxury leading to Poverty again. As the Four Seasons Poverty would be Autumn, Labour Winter, and so on. The suggestion of Anthony Blunt that, unusually for a group of the seasons, Autumn/Poverty at the rear of the group was male is now generally accepted, and the museum now describe him as Bacchus. The painting is the basis for the Anthony Powell series of the same name which I am reading, one novella per month, for the rest of the year.

OTS – Off the Shelf (books owned at least six months)

L - library book

NF – Non-fiction







BOOKS READ IN 2013

14. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia - Mohsin Hamid - ER - 4 stars
13. Geek Love - Katherine Dunn - OTS - 4.5 stars
12. The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Guy - L - 4.5 stars
11. A Buyer's Market - Anthony Powell - OTS - 4 stars
10. Galore - Michael Crummey - Canada - OTS - 5 stars
9. Excellent Women - Barbara Pym - UK - OTS - 4.3 stars
8. The River of Doubt - Candice Millard - OTS - Brazil - 4.5 stars
7. Barchester Towers - Anthony Trollope - eBook - UK - 5 stars
6. The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien - OTS - Viet Nam - 4.4 stars
5. The Line -- Olga Grushin - L - Russia - 4.4 stars
4. We Die Alone - David Howarth - NF - eBook - Norway - 3.8 stars
3. A Question of Upbringing - Anthony Powell - UK - OTS - 3.7 stars
2. The Burgess Boys - Elizabeth Strout - ER - 4.5 stars
1. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy- L - Russia - 4.9 stars

Currently Reading:



BOOKS THAT CAME INTO THE HOUSE THIS YEAR:

JANUARY

Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 Laura M. Mac Donald- PBS
The Enchanted April - Elizabeth Von Armin - PBS
Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places - Bill Streever - eBook
Palladian - Elizabeth Taylor - PBS
Strength in What Remains - Tracy Kidder - PBS
The Best American Short Stories 2012 - Tom Perrotta - eBook
Company of Liars - Karen Maitland - PBS
The Eyes of Venice - Alessandro Barbero - Talking Leaves Bookstore
How It All Began - Penelope Lively - Talking Leaves Bookstore

FEBRUARY

Frenchman's Creek - Daphne Du Maurier - PBS
Home From the Vinyl Cafe - Stuart McLean - PBS
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia- Mohsin Hamid - ER
The Curse of Chalion - Lois McMaster Bujold - eBook.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian - Sherman Alexie - PBS
The Wreath (Kristin Lavransdatter I) - Sigrid Undset - PBS
Two Days in Aragon - M. J. Farrell - PBS

Here’s where I go when I’m looking for something short to read. Books of less than 250 pages or so:

January Summary

Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy - As well known as this book is, I wasn’t really aware of the story line; it was part love story, part family story, part adulterous affair and an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end with a main protagonist that wasn’t really very likable. Multiple storylines told by a core group of characters, pretty much all related in one way or another. This all worked well to form what I found to be a riveting narrative. And it all worked to make the book’s opening sentence, ”All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” serve as the opening salvo for everything that happens in the story. In addition, Tolstoy offers up through the narrative, the idea that we are all the victims of our choices.

The Burgess Boys – Elizabeth Strout – Strout hits another homerun with this tale of family divided by secrets. Bob and Jim Burgess return from careers in NYC to help their sister Susan save her son Zach from time in prison and find a town torn apart by racial disharmony and a house still holding the secrets of their youth. As they help their sister and Zach they also discover each other’s lives aren’t what they seem, and a secret buried years ago, reveals itself and changes their lives.

A Question of Upbringing – Anthony Powell – the first novella in the twelve book series, A Dance to the Music of Time set the stage for what is to come. So far, four school chums in Britain, graduate and are ready to face either university or a career and we’re along for the ride as the 1920s fade and the 1930s introduce themselves to the world. I’m really looking forward to the next novella.

We Die Alone – David Horvath – a WWII survival story like none other. Jan Baalsrud is the lone survivor from an ally-trained unit that sailed from the Shetland Islands to Nazi-occupied Norway in order to train the Norwegian resistance. The mission was unsuccessful and the story of Jan’s survival as he makes his way across the Arctic north to freedom in Sweden with the help of a selfless group of citizens is displays remarkable courage.

The Line – Olga Grushin - Olga Grushin’s sophomore effort turns out to be a transformative novel based on the lowly line which begins to form at a kiosk in Soviet Russia. People begin to queue up before they even know what is being sold. In a place used to shortages of nearly everything, it doesn’t really matter what the line is actually for, it’s bound to be something that’s needed. Soon a rumor starts that the kiosk will sell tickets to a concert by a famous exiled composer, who will return for one last performance. The people have no idea that they will wait for almost a year before the 300 tickets are actually distributed. But during that year, the line changes from a horde of unnamed faces into a unique community as the people wait and are disappointed as, day to day, the kiosk remains unmanned with signs that only serve to frustrate: Closed for Accounting, Out with the Flu, Closed will reopen on Monday, etc. But the line is a constant, day in and day out, and the community created there meshes into an eager assemblage, all hoping to get something out of the concert that will assure them a better, improved future.

The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien – this memoir/fiction/short story collection of O’Brien’s time in combat during the Viet Nam War is riveting. The stories are heartbreaking and reveal the depth of despair that one of the worst times in our country’s history brought about. The stories also reveal the camaraderie apparent in the relationships between these brave soldiers.

MY BUDDY

BEST OF 2012

Fiction

Bleak House by Charles Dickens
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz
Juliet in August by Dianne Warren
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (reread)
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn

Non-fiction

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Columbine by Dave Cullen
Inferno: The World at War 1939-1945 by Max Hastings

Hi Bonnie- How is one of my favorite LTers doing? Congrats on the Feb thread! I like your short reads idea. I have had a copy of Guide to the Birds of East Africa in the stacks forever.
I read the 1st 70 pages of Tigana. I have a feeling this will be a keeper but I am still trying to sort out the characters.

Happy New Thread, Bonnie. I love seeing the pictures of Buddy, especially the one where he's relaxing in his own leather bed!

Lovely new thread, Bonnie. I love the thread topper - and the explanation of the painting.

Your basket of books looks delectable. I love the thought of dipping in and grabbing one that appeals.
I agree with you in that less than 250 pages is a quick and accessible read. They are a good in-between book if you have been immersed in a chunkster.

*new thread- yay!*

Love your new thread, Bonnie! Superb! You certainly had a commendable January. I'm with Megan in that I wanted to reach into your book basket and see what I might like to pick up!

Happy February thread, Bonnie. You have read some great books this year so far. I love your pictures.

It was so nice to open your new thread and see the Poussin painting! I also love the book basket. What a great idea.

>4 msf59: Hi there Mark, yes it does take a while to sort out the characters in Tigana. I just picked up my next Kay book from the library today---The Lions of Al-Rassan---another door stopper. And yes, I've been meaning to read A Guide to the Birds of East Africa forever.

>5 phebj: Hi Pat, yep, Buddy is lightly snoring away on his couch as we, er, speak LOL. That's his best trick;-)

>6 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie, that painting and its use as the basis for Powell's books is a fascinating story.

>7 LovingLit: They are a good in-between book if you have been immersed in a chunkster. Bam! You hit the nail on the head, Megan. That is exactly when that basket comes in handy.

>8 lit_chick: Well, Nancy, you might pick up a Barbara Pym or Morality Play or an Angela Carter or an Albert Cossery or a Shirley Jackson or A High Wind in Jamaica.....

>9 BLBera: Thanks Beth, yes I'm pleased with my reading this year so far and especially the book I will probably finish tomorrow---Barchester Towers is looking like a 5 star read:-)

>10 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, the more I look at that painting the more I notice details that I never noticed before.

Barchester Towers is looking like a 5 star read:-)

Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

It's curious what a sense of ownership I feel. :)

Happy new thread!! Adorable doggy!

>12 lyzard:: you're like the Yoda of Barchester, Liz.

Yoda of Barchester. LOVE it! Liz, you have a new handle : ).

Great new thread Bonnie! Buddy is looking adorable as always!

I love the comic in #281 on your last thread! So right!

The Yoda of Barchester I am!?

>17 lyzard:: "tutor you I will," says Liz.
Warning: thread hijack
Just for fun, see if you can turn these Yoda quotes into ones that reference Barchester or its inhabitants!

Hi Bonnie!
Love the book basket idea. My struggle is picking out books to read in bed. I haven't dropped anything on my face yet, but I try to pick books that are easy to hold, manageable print, and nothing nightmare inducing. If I pick some out in the light of day and basket them in my bedroom, I wouldn't be tempted by all the other books on my shelf that juamp out at me as I am looking for something light weight.

Nice new thread - and I am glad your current read River of Doubt is one I already read ;-) I liked it a lot.

>12 lyzard: And well you should Liz. You do own it. And me hahaha. For as long as you consent to tutor Anthony Trollope I will follow:-)

>13 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba!

>14 lauralkeet:, 15, 17, 18 Will wait to see what Liz comes up with. Nancy, are you going to join us for Dr. Thorne or did you already read that one too?

>16 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle, I'm glad you enjoyed the cartoon. It pretty much defines my life:-)

>19 -Cee-: Hi Cee, I'm guessing you're having trouble with books in bed because of the shoulder. What about an eReader? I can't remember whether or not you have one. But yes light easy reading before bed is always good:-)

7.

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope 5 stars

MY REVIEW

It’s been over two hundred years since his death, but I’ve finally made acquaintances with Anthony Trollope. Happily, he was such a prolific author, I will have many opportunities to get to know him really well and I am pretty much ecstatic about the prospect. Barchester Towers was such a delight that I will be in for the long haul, reading through his oeuvre.

In the second book in his Chronicles of Barsetshire series, the action picks up some five years after the conclusion of the previous book, The Wardenand many of the same characters appear. The inclusion of some new, rather dynamic characters adds tremendous interest and propels the action forward in unexpected ways.

For the uninitiated, perhaps a little information about what Trollope’s themes involve in these first two books. Heavy doses of the differences between the High and Low church dominate the narrative, just as it raged at that time in the 1850s in England. I know what you’re thinking….could anything be more borrringgg? Well if that was all Trollope talked about, it certainly would not hold my, OK anyone’s, interest, for very long. Fortunately, he has created a cast of characters that is nothing short of brilliant: complex, fully fleshed, three-dimensional characters that provided the necessary fireworks when they interacted. For instance, take the thoroughly slimy Obadiah Slope (with a Dickensian name like that, you know right away he is beneath contempt). He’s new to the cathedral town, and brings with him new, and bleak ideas, that he tries to push on the locals through his role as chaplain to the (also new), henpecked and bullied Bishop Proudie, whose nagging wife has the kind of irritating personality that makes it so easy to imagine her as the true Bishop, rather then her diffident and easily intimidated husband. Everything of any consequence flows through her. There’s no going around this over-sized personality and the one time that Slope tries to, he discovers his powers are completely ineffective.

Add to the mix the completely dysfunctional Stanhope family, recently forced back from a 12 year stint in Italy where Bishop Stanhope was recovering from a sore throat(!?). Mother, father and three adult children, they provide unending glimpses into the reasons why this family is in for a rude awakening at some point, as resources quickly diminish, and no one seems to want to figure out how to acquire, well, a living. Eldest daughter Charlotte manages the household and realizes she has the hopeless task of getting her indolent brother Bertie married to the lovely and wealthy widow Eleanor Bold and she goes about the task diligently. It’s not important to her whether or not her unmotivated but charming, brother has any interest in getting married. But Trollope created perhaps his most fascinating character when he created Charlotte and Bertie’s sister Signora Madeline Vesey Neroni. She’s left her abusive husband, responsible for her inability to walk, and returned home to live with her parents. She is fully aware of her beauty and flirts with any man who comes within striking distance of her couch, where she rules her world, leaving fawning men in the wake of her powerful personality. The fact that she feels the need to be carried around just adds to the mystique.

The local high church members are no match for the flamboyance of the interlopers and make up the solid citizen brigade. They are, for the most part, warm, loving characters who struggle to understand what’s happening to their quiet little cathedral town. Trollope puts everyone together and stirs the pot and the proverbial sparks fly. There’s a love story, a comeuppance or three, misunderstandings galore, a good men are hard to find scenario…well you get the idea. And all told with ironic humor that often had me laughing out loud.

”The features of Mrs. Stanhope’s character were even less plainly marked than those of her lord. The far niente of her Italian life had entered into her very soul, and brought her to regard a state of inactivity as the only earthly good. In manner and appearance she was exceedingly prepossessing…Her dress was always perfect: she never dressed but once a day, and never appeared till between three and four; but when she did appear, she appeared at her best. Whether the toil rested partly with her, or wholly with her handmaid, it is not for such a one as the author to even imagine….But when we have said that Mrs. Stanhope knew how to dress and used her knowledge daily, we have said all. Other purpose in life she had none.” (Page 91)

As readers, we’ve steeled ourselves for the most gut-wrenching, depression-inducing, tear-jerking endings imaginable because modern fiction has led us to that expectation. But there’s much to be said for the good, old-fashioned, happy ending. It happens so seldom in my reading anymore that it takes me completely unawares when it does occur. I was happy to be reminded of the satisfaction that accompanies that development. Very highly recommended.

Bonnie- Great review of Barchester Towers. And 5 stars too? Nice. I have never read Trollope, although it sounds like I should. On the List it goes.
I am over 200 pages into Tigana. It's very good. Readers shy away from "fantasy" but this is just good dramatic story-telling ,with some magical elements.

Barchester Towers was a 5 star read for me a couple of years ago. I'm glad you enjoyed it too!

>22 msf59: Thanks Mark, I loved the dry humor that Trollope uses so frequently. It was an absolutely wonderful read. Readers shy away from "fantasy" but this is just good dramatic story-telling ,with some magical elements. I think I liked Tigana for that exact reason. I'll be reading Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan later this month but did you notice that I'm reading River of Doubt? Fifty pages in and I'm already really enjoying the narrative.

>23 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie, if you're interested, there is a GR of the next volume Dr. Thorne in March. I'm looking forward to it.

OMG, River of Doubt is so good! I am crazy about Millard. Is she married? Wait, a second, so am I. Never mind.

>25 msf59: I am crazy about Millard. Is she married? Wait, a second, so am I. Never mind. Get ahold of yourself Mark haha. You've been looking at too many of those scantily clad librarians;-)

I'll plan on the group read of Dr. Thorne next month!

Super review of BT, Bonnie. I'm off to thumb it now. I can't wait for March and Dr. Thorne!

Bonnie, that is a delightful review of Barchester Towers! I am so glad you are loving Trollope. You are in a for a treat as you continue : ). *I'm off it thumb-up it, too!*

Fantastic review of Barchester Towers Bonnie. Thumb from me. :)

>27 cbl_tn: Yay Carrie, looking forward to it:)

>28 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura, I think we're all looking forward to it.

>29 lit_chick: Thank you Nancy, you were the one who originally piqued my interest in Trollope:)

>30 phebj: Thanks Pat!

I can but echo the praise for the Barchester Towers review, and cheer your choice of Millard's River of Doubt. I have applied a thumb to one and a palm-smacking to the other.

Great review of Barchester Towers, Bonnie. Trollope is another one that I have yet to read. I thought when I retired that I would have all the time in the world, but it doesn't feel that way when I face down these TBRs and wishlists. Sigh...

>32 richardderus: Thanks Richard, oh palm smacking eh? I hope that means River of Doubt is a good choice:)

>33 Linda92007: Thanks Linda, Ah yes, I've found that retirement is the land of diminishing returns, as far as time is concerned haha.

Hi, Bonnie! Nice new thread you have here.

Great review of Barchester Towers. Sounds like one I might like.

Happy new thread, Bonnie!! ;)

Beautiful "frontispiece" painting, Bonnie.

Wonderful review Bonnie. I've never considered reading Trollope but it's on my wish list now!! Sounds delightful.

>35 tymfos: Hi Terri, if you like old fashioned stories with great characters I think you'd like it:-)

>36 TinaV95: Thanks Tina!

>37 jadebird: Isn't it Ren? I don't know if you caught it but that painting is the basis for Anthony Powell's magnus opus A Dance to the Music of Time.

>38 RebaRelishesReading: I never considered reading him either Reba. But then I read a couple reviews that Nancy did last year and then saw that there was a tutored read and, well, like they say, the rest is history;-)

Congrats on a new thread! And I love the basket of "quick" reads. I have a pile of those, too. Just a little something to pick up the pace.

>40 Berly: Thanks Kim, yes I pretty much go to that basket nearly every month.

Bonnie, guess what I bought on my way back home today? Okay, you don't have to guess because I'm so excited I'll tell you: a beautiful Franklin Library edition of Barchester Towers for $1.00! My favorite used bookstore will be closing this week and there are bargains to be had. Please don't tell me I should read The Warden first.

*waving* at Bonnie

>42 Donna828: Yay Donna! How wonderful! And for $1 no less. But you do need to read The Warden first. And luckily it's short so you'll read it very quickly. And you need to go back to 2012 and find the thread for it so that you get all the explanations for all the church stuff. THEN you can settle in with Barchester Towers.

>43 alcottacre: Hi Stasia!!

What kind of reading are you doing??

Marking my calendar for Doctor Thorne in March. I'm just relieved it's not happening in February. Excellent review!

Such fun graphic, Bonnie. Hmmm, not sure if I am ever a casual reader, unless it's a magazine or the paper. Definitely the death grip for The Secret River. What a powerful story!

Love the graphic! I am pretty hard to engage when I am reading. My kids sometimes have to come right up and tap me on the shoulder and then they ask, "Didn't you here me calling your name?" Nope. I was in another world.

Enjoyed the Barchester Towers review and the kinds of reading graphic, Bonnie. I had a surprisingly good time with Barchester Towers, too, despite the unlikely subject matter.

>42 Donna828:: Donna, I second Bonnie's recommendation to read The Warden before reading Barchester Towers. I tried reading BT a couple of years ago and gave up on it. It bothered me because it should have been just my kind of read. The tutored read of The Warden inspired me to try again, and when I moved on to BT it all made so much more sense to me, and I cared about the characters in a way that I didn't on the first attempt.

Hi, Bonnie. Great review of *BT*. You'll be right ready for Doctor Thorne in March. Me too.
Love the reading graphic!

>46 AnneDC: Thanks Anne, yay for Dr. Thorne. Personally, I can't wait.

>47 vancouverdeb: Oh yes Deb, The Secret River is very powerful. I loved that book. Actually, it reminds me of the book I'm reading now, The River of Doubt. It's set in the Amazon rather than Australia but the problems with the natives and the effects of the environment are not dissimilar.

>48 Berly: Right you are Kim, been there, done that haha.

>49 jnwelch: That's just it Joe, the unlikely subject matter. Yet I adored the book. It was Trollope's skill at developing the unique personalities of all his characters.

>50 lauralkeet: I sent Donna the two tutored threads Laura. I found them to be invaluable too.

>51 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy, yep we're ready to go.

Great cartoon depiction of me reading! I should give a copy of that to my loved ones I think! :)

I had to read The Warden in college, and didn't like it at all, although I usually like the Victorians. I think I would be much more open to it now, and want to try to reread it, as well as read other books by Trollope.

Loving all the Trollope love... :)

Deborah, the tutored read threads are there to be used as a resource by anyone, and can be re-opened at any time if a reader has further questions. Please feel free to access them if you want.

I also strongly recommend reading The Warden before Barchester Towers, Donna - although as I always say at these moments, you probably won't appreciate it until after Barchester Towers. :)

>53 TinaV95: I think it sums it up very well Tina haha.

>54 arubabookwoman: Hi Deborah, I think The Warden might leave a college student looking for something more. Maybe I was wise to wait as long as I did to tackle these Victorian age writers because I have loved just about every one that I've read:-)

>55 lyzard: Uh I think you started all this Trollope stuff Liz ;-)

But not on purpose; or at least, not expecting a reaction. I've been preaching this stuff for years to no good effect, so that I'm used to being just a cry in the wilderness... :)

8.



The River of Doubt by Candice Millard 4.5 stars

MY REVIEW

”Suddenly the river made a sharp turn, and when they rounded the bend, the men saw a seething cauldron of white water, the prelude to world-class rapids. Surprised by the stark transformation of their placid river, they quickly drove their canoes ashore so that they could decide what to do next from the relative safety of the bank…Stretching before them for nearly a mile was a series of rapids. The river sped ‘with enormous velocity’ through rocks of friable sandstone that had been ‘deeply cut out, smashed to pieces and thrown one on top of the other by the rushing forth of the waters.’” (Page 174)

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt failed to win an unprecedented third term in the White House. By 1913, he had organized a group of men who would accompany him in an exploration of the thousand mile long River of Doubt through Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. In addition to his son Kermit, he was accompanied by Candido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Brazil’s most famous explorer, naturalist George Cherrie and a team of South American camaradas.

Candice Millard did a remarkable job bringing to light the tremendous feat accomplished by the Roosevelt expedition. Against improbable odds and in a way that left the experts in disbelief, Roosevelt and his crew faced mind-boggling adversity including starvation, disease, drowning, venomous snakes, unremitting whitewater rapids and even murder. And the possibility of being attacked by Indians, evidence of which is just about everywhere they turned. Add to the mix that Roosevelt himself was near death during a good portion of the trip and you have the makings of an astonishing bio.

It’s one thing to tell an adventure story like this in dry non-fiction prose. It’s quite another to put all the facts together in a narrative that fairly sings and has the reader on the edge of their seat from beginning to end. That’s what Millard has done: turned a presidential biography into a page turning thriller, and oh what a ride it is. Very highly recommended.

>57 lyzard: a cry in the wilderness Well apparently the pioneers have arrived haha.

It’s one thing to tell an adventure story like this in dry non-fiction prose. It’s quite another to put all the facts together in a narrative that fairly sings and has the reader on the edge of their seat from beginning to end. That’s what Millard has done: turned a presidential biography into a page turning thriller, and oh what a ride it is.

Yes. Exactly this.

Great review of River of Doubt Bonnie. I'm off to give it a thumb and put the book on my library list.

Bonnie- Excellent review of The River of Doubt! Now, you know why I LOVE this woman. She is batting a thousand right now. I wonder what she's doing next.
What are you doing next? Hmmmmm?

>60 richardderus: Yep, I know Richard.

>61 phebj: Thanks Pat, and yes, get it on your list.

>62 msf59: Thanks Mark, have you read Destiny of the Republic? I just pushed that one way up on my teetering tower. I'm now reading Excellent Women. It's a companion book to that gray shade thing you have on your thread;-)

Nice review of River of Doubt. Thumb for you.
I gave it the same rating and loved it.

I also love Excellent Women. You are picking some really good ones :-)

I thought you had read Destiny of the Republic! It was excellent. Now, you know why the LOVE is so prevalent. I'm not sure I want to know anything about Excellent Women...!

Thanks CEE, I am selecting some great books, aren't I? Of course I've been helped in that area by all the excellent recommendations that the folks around here supply on a regular basis.

>65 msf59: Nope you're ahead of me Mark. First I have to get the book. I had it in my hands at the book store the other day then put it down for some reason...duh!

Another vote for Destiny of the Republic - I thought it was absolutely terrific, far better than The River of Doubt which I also loved. Millard has a tremendous sense of history and her narrative was gripping and completely held my interest. Her take on Garfield was so perceptive and when I finished the book I really felt that this country had been cheated by the loss of such an educated, moral and astute president.

Sorry if I'm gushing....

>68 vivians: Gushing is perfectly fine Vivian, that's how I get my best book recommendations LOL. It's hard to imagine anything more gripping than The River of Doubt but I'll take your word for it.

I totally agree with Vivian about how great Destiny of the Republic is. Wonderful, wonderful book.

Wow, that is some review of The River of Doubt, Bonnie. Page turner, indeed.

Great review of The River of Doubt. Book sounds excellent.

>45 brenzi: I love the last cartoon! I'm sure we all know what that feels like. It is SUCH a great feeling to be that immersed in a book.

Excellent Women is excellent indeed, Bonnie! It''s a quiet sort of book , with a lot wit and social commentary.

Excellent review of The River of Doubt!

Bonnie, my wonderful son-in-law spent Sunday morning training me how to download audiobooks to my Mac and then to my new MP3 player. He used the book I had checked out of the library (A Hologram for the King) and then "tested" me with one of his books, River of Doubt. How's that for another serendipitous book happening? He also has the other Millard book that I can borrow.

I have downloaded The Warden to the iPad and will read it after I get through a few library books. This is another exciting month of reading for me.

>70 katiekrug: Thanks for the recommendation Katie!

>71 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, yep it certainly is that:-)

>72 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba, it is excellent.

>73 LovingLit: It's turning out to be my favorite kind of book Deb, slow-moving and contemplative. I'm at the halfway point now so I'll have it done fairly quickly too. Another + haha. Thanks.

>74 vancouverdeb: Whoa that is getting to be downright spooky Donna. I guess you are in for a great month of reading. It'll be hard to decide where to start LOL.

My hubby thinks I qualified for Hoarders quite some time ago tee hee.

Add my thumb, Bonnie. Great review.

ETA: >77 brenzi: I know the problem!

77 -- So very true!! :)

>78 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. Yep, I think we may all suffer from it;-)

>79 TinaV95: I admit that it's a problem Tina, but with so many of us in the same boat, how can it really be wrong?

Hoarders, LOL! Good one, Bonnie : ).

>81 lit_chick: :-)

Oh Bonnie! My husband has me pegged as a hoarder for a while. But hey - a good friend of mine has mom who is a true hoarder. Her mom had to build a second floor to her one story house in order have a place for herself. Her mom is a lovely and fun lady - but it's true -and a great story to tell husbands so they realize how normal we really are! :)

>83 vancouverdeb: Well of course you're absolutely right Deb. We're not hoarders. These are HOARDERS:

This, OTOH, is just, well, beautiful:-)

Ahem. That quote is a bit of a cheat, isn't it?? :)

Well, since I don't have a husband to harass me about books, LOL, I will settle very nicely for the gorgeous home library. Love, love, love!

>86 lyzard: I don't know what you mean Liz *bats eyes innocently* Do you mean to infer that Jane Austen didn't have a room that looked like that?? Well, in that case, I guess you're right;-)

>87 lit_chick: Yes, that is certainly lovely Nancy:-)

77 I think that is quite common around here! My husband laughs at me when I have to go around the house collecting all the books and putting them back in their place before the house looks like one big library!

Yikes! That is a scary book hoarder pic! Clearly, we all love of our books but what's the point if you could never find anything in that sad biblio-wasteland. I much prefer the bottom photo, although that's just a bit "stuffy" for me.

>>#88 I mean that it's Miss Bingley who says those things and she doesn't mean a word of it! - she's just sucking up to Mr Darcy - who to be fair does love books, and does have an excellent library.

The comment is perfect, just not the source. :)

>89 ChelleBearss: Yes Chelle, I know what you mean. I'm making a conscious effort to keep my books corralled in the bookcases I posted last month but it's a real struggle.

>90 msf59: Scary is right Mark, but I don't think I know what you mean by "stuffy." LOL

>91 lyzard: Oh...well, I wouldn't have ever picked up on that Liz, not unless I had just read the book yesterday (it's been a couple of years now). You certainly have a leg up on me in that department haha.

Prim. Proper. A bit to neat!

BTW- Less than a 100 pages in Tigana.

>93 msf59: Gee thanks Mark for defining it for me haha. I knew what you meant I just don't understand what you meant. See if you can puzzle that out.

I hope you liked Tigana. It got better as you progressed I thought.

Not enough books in the Austen room -- although it's a pretty room.

>>#92 Uber-Nerd...yeah, I know. :)

Well, Bonnie, I'm some where in between picture one and picture two.... that's all I'll say! :)

The book hoarder picture made me look nervously at my (tidy) pile of recent acquisitions that haven't been shelved yet. Guess what I'll be doing today?

Hi Bonnie - It sounds like Millard is someone to add to my wishlist. Great review of River of Doubt. I love #77 -- my daughter would agree that I am getting close.

>95 RebaRelishesReading: Never quite enough is there Reba. Well maybe there are enough in #84;-)

>96 lyzard: Hah! That would be your term, not necessarily mine Liz. Mine would be more along the lines of super smart and totally divested of anything in the classic mode (or something like that).

>97 vancouverdeb: Well Deb, unless you're willing to show a picture, how will we know??;-)

>98 Donna828: Oh well, that's a fun job Donna. I envy you that:-)

>99 BLBera: Thanks Beth, yes, that's one you should add to your list; well-worth the effort:-)

9.



Excellent Women by Barbara Pym 4.3 stars

MY REVIEW

This was my first Barbara Pym novel. It will not be my last. To say it was delightful doesn’t begin to cover it. She had that often-attempted but seldom-achieved quality that few authors possess: she was able to turn a book about, well, nothing into a book that I found hard to put down. Considering the fact that I had just finished a book of high adventure and suspense this was such a complete turn-around that I should have found it, dare I say? Boring? But no, not in the least. For me, it read like a riveting thriller.

The excellent women of the title are the intelligent, accommodating, repressed women of the 1950s who were regularly taken advantage of by men. The protagonist, Mildred Lathbury, certainly falls into that category as she goes about her solitary life, working at her little part-time job as a sort of social worker for impoverished elderly gentlewomen and volunteering for her church. But when Rockingham and Helena Napier move into the flat below hers, her world is turned upside down as she gets a birds eye view of what life looks like for someone who is not among the excellent women because Helena is an anthropologist and her life is certainly quite different from any other woman that Mildred knows. Yet even these people seem to take advantage of the well-meaning, always accommodating Mildred. And when a young widow moves into town and makes a move for Mildred’s unmarried minister, things suddenly turn ugly very quickly.

The beauty of the novel is the way that Pym presents and clarifies the little scenes that take place in Mildred’s seemingly hum-drum life. She seems to have three men who might prove to be husband material, if only they weren’t so, well, needy. Pym’s writing manages to explain things in the most delightful way:

”I sat quietly, sometimes turning my head, and it was on one of these occasions that, to my surprise and dismay, I found myself looking straight at Everard Bone, who was coming in at that moment. He looked back at me without any sign of recognition. I suppose I was indistinguishable from many another woman in a neutral winter coat and plain hat and I was thankful for my anonymity. But he was unmistakable. His tall figure, his well-cut overcoat, his long nose and his fair hair were outstanding in this gathering of mediocrity. I felt that I could almost understand the attraction he might have for the kind of person who is drawn to the difficult, the unusual, even the unpleasant.” (Page 43)

Did I mention that the excellent women always blame themselves for just about everything? No one else ever seems to be blame-worthy. I wonder if this is where the British stiff upper lip originated. I don’t know any excellent women. Most of the women I know are independent thinking women who would not hesitate to put a man in his place. But I know there are a few of these excellent women left today, left-overs from the 50s who resemble Mildred and her friends in Barbara Pym’s novel. I’ll read a few more of her novels this year and then I will have to get a bio of her because I read where she actually took a lover or two. Very unlike her heroine Mildred.

Great review, Bonnie. You've got me interested in Barbara Pym now. I'm off to put this one on my library list.

Excellent Women was my first Barbara Pym, too. Love your review!

Great reviews - just what we expect of you, Bonnie!
I have to agree with Reba that there aren't nearly enough books in that very posh library. Also the picture of the book hoarder's room is so reassuring - I'm not anywhere close to that bad. Really!

Wonderful review! And I am sooo happy!
Already read that one... whew! Dodged that BB ;-)

What a great review! This was my first Pym too, a few years ago, and you brought back some fond memories.

>102 phebj: Thanks, I'm glad I could interest you in this novel Pat. I think you'll enjoy it.

>103 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie, I wonder if most people start with this one?

>104 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy, I'm glad to hear you're not anywhere near as consumed as the hoarder. I hope none of us are, really:-)

>105 -Cee-: Thanks Cee, already read it huh? Well I might get you with my next read---Galore---and it's a humdinger!

>106 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura, I'm glad I could remind you of the book:-)

Ohh another thumb for an excellent review! Excellent Women really is excellent, isn't it! :)

I'm with Peggy: Great reviews - just what we expect of you, Bonnie! I have never read anything by Barbara Pym either, Bonnie. So I have to change that after reading your remarks on Excellent Women. Thumb!

Brava! My first Pym was Quartet in Autumn back in the 1980s. I was too young for it, but I loved her voice.

>108 vancouverdeb:. Thank you Deb, it really was excellent.

>109 lit_chick:. Thanks Nancy, oh I think you would like Barbara Pym; just a quiet, contemplative read but loaded with lovely nuanced prose.

>110 richardderus:. Thanks Richard, I could see how you might have been too young. They should publish books with an age appropriate label, like they do with children's books LOL. I guess I was just the right age to appreciate EW.

um... better late than never?

Not caught up but being sociable :)

I understand completely Kath. There are not too many of us that stay caught up:-)

I'm almost at the halfway point in Galore by Michael Crummey and it's starting to shape up as a 5 star read. Myth, fable, rich quirky characters, ghosts that seem all too real, rich, rich language, metaphor---need I say more? I literally cannot put it down. Absolutely delightful. And to think that it's been sitting on my shelf for over two years. Gah! How many more hidden gems are lurking on my shelves , waiting to take me by surprise?

I've read Quartet in Autumn more than once, and it is my favorite Pym. It's much darker than her other works--issues of aging and loneliness. Have you read Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor? It has a similar feel.

Hi there Deborah, I have not read Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont...yet. I hope to when I get the book. My library doesn't have it. I will be reading Quartet in Autumn in June as part of the Barbara Pym Centenary.

Bonnie - Great reviews of The River of Doubt and Excellent Women. River of Doubt has been on my TBR pile for some time now and The Destiny of the Republic also looks very interesting, but the hoarder picture has me a bit nervous!

Thanks Linda, I would say that you could read River of Doubt just about anytime now. And yes, I am actively seeking Destiny of the Republic.

From Galore by Michael Crummey:

"He managed to drag himself up into the passageway before a pintail of churning water swallowed him, the wild current turning and turning him until he lost track of up and down and east and west. His lungs burning in the black chill and he surrendered to the scald of it finally, taking in mouthfuls of cold salt just for the relief, knowing it was the end of him. A strange, narcotic peace flooding his limbs when he gave himself up to the notion. He wasn't a religious man but a vision of what Paradise might be came to him, a windowed room afloat on an endless sea, walls packed to ceiling with all the books ever written or dreamed of. It was nearly enough to make giving up the world bearable."

Now that you mention it...

Wow, that sounds great! I'll have to start tracking Galore down. I had it on my WL after it came out and it faded away.....

Mark, take my word for it, this book would be right up your alley. Seriously. I'll finish it tomorrow but I wish it could go on forever. yes, it's that good!

That's a great quote Bonnie. I'll be looking for your review!

122.... Ditto! That is a pretty attention catching quote. Can't wait to read the whole review!

Hmm , maybe I will be trying to track down Galore as Chelle suggested to me a couple of days ago - and now you are so keen on it.

Oh yes Deb, you need to track it down ASAP.

Maybe I'm going to get all my 5 star reads in in the first couple months of the year;-)

10.



MY REVIEW

Galore by Michael Crummy 5 stars

I don’t know what just happened to me. I was minding my own business, my February reads already planned and stacked up on a shelf, when suddenly I was overcome by the desire for a spontaneous read, something that has been sitting on my shelves for a long time, something I haven’t given a second thought to since I placed it on my shelf, something that another member of our 75 group posted about on three different threads. Hello Galore! Nice to meet you. And just like that I was sucked into a fantastical world like none I’ve been in before. Part fable, part myth, part old fashioned family saga, an epic novel like no other, a charming romp through two centuries on the New Foundland coast, I could hardly stand coming up for air as I consumed the narrative in hungry gulps.

A whale beaches itself on the shores of the isolated town of Paradise Deep, just in time for the famished residents to finally feel hope of being sated. As they hack away at the carcass they are shocked to find a man inside, alive, mute and reeking of fish. They soon name him Judah (although he calls himself God’s nephew) and he is absorbed into a community that is already full to over-flowing with odd, eccentric, strangely endearing characters. And as we learn their stories, and watch those complex stories fold in on themselves and into the next generation, it’s the continuing saga of this fantastical community that tears at the sensibilities which the author renders with grace and aplomb. These hardscrabble characters fight each other, the land, the sea and the elements. The harsh New Foundland weather with its extremes in temperature and precipitation and the rolling sea provide tremendous obstacles to any shred of happiness these characters might grasp. Between poor fish hauls and total or partial crop failure, life in Paradise Deep makes it seem hardly like, er, paradise. But Judah, the albino found within the beached whale, seems to be some kind of talisman for the people. Their luck seems to change. The fish are plentiful and they’re harvesting bumper crops.

If you’re looking for intricate plotting, you’re looking at the wrong book. This book is about deeply flawed and complex characters and Crummey is a genius in his skill at character portrayal and, thereby, telling the fascinating tales that make up the narrative. King-me Sellers, the self-proclaimed patriarch is at constant odds with the enigmatic Devine’s Widow, who some claim is a witch and who practices some unexplainable medical procedures. They dominate their respective families who are at war with each other throughout the course of the book. There’s a jealous husband who dies and yet comes crashing through the ceiling and becomes a permanent fixture in the frightened community; a priest who doesn’t exactly play by the rules:

”’You’d be a half-decent priest if you gave up the drinking and whoring,’ Devine’s Widow told him. ‘Half-decent,’ he said, ‘wouldn’t be worth the sacrifice.’ He was mean and mercurial and abrupt, the sort of man you could imagine slipping through an outhouse hole when circumstances required it. He was fond of quoting the most outrageous or scandalous confessions from his recent travels, he named names and locations, adulteries and sexual proclivities and blasphemies. He had no sense of shame and it was this quality that marked him as a man of God in the eyes of his parishioners.” (Page 18)

And when a new doctor finally comes ashore and the patients line up he treats a beautiful young woman in just the way she asks to be treated. She may only have two teeth that need to be extracted but he acquiesces when she asks that he pull them all, ‘they’re only going to cause her grief later on and she’ll as like be somewhere she got no one to pull them.”

As one generation dies off and we meet up with the next generation we find the years are flying by and, coincidentally, the pages seem to be turning themselves until we come to the end and find we’re right back where we started. But oh my, what a time we had getting there. Very highly recommended.

Woot! That is a fine review, Bonnie. The force of the book bullet nearly killed me!

Great review, Bonnie" I've had this one on my shelves for quite some time, too...

Bonnie- All I needed to see was the 5 star rating. Good enough for me. Did you see DA? I loved it. The best of the season!

Bonnie, yet another wonderful review.

Bonnie - I bought Galore on sale for my Kindle at least a year and a half ago. I haven't given it a second look, but that's about to change! Thanks for nudging me toward a book that's right at my fingertips!

Wow to that review Bonnie! Heading off to give it a thumb right now!

>127 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, where would we be w/o the ol' book bullets?

>128 katiekrug: Thanks Katie, I'm wondering what other gems I have lurking on my shelves haha.

>129 msf59: Yes DA was very good. I wonder how it's going to end next week?

>130 Whisper1: Thanks Linda!

>131 porch_reader: Oh I hope you enjoy it as much as I did Amy; very gritty.

>132 TinaV95: Thanks Tina!

Geez, Bonnie. Quit reading all these great books. My wish list is killing me! And so is my thumb. Yup, I had to thumbs up your stellar review for a book I was unfamiliar with but now I have to have it! Btw, I just finished my first 5-star book this year...and I gave it a full five rather than rounding up. Must be something in the air! Whatever it is, I like it and hope it continues.

Thumbs up for another fabulous review, Bonnie! I'll echo Bonnie and say could you quit reading all of these fabulous books! What's a girl to do!

I was going to add Galore to my wish list but discovered it's already there. Great review!

Superb review of Galore, Bonnie! I'll definitely add it to my wish list.

Oh Boy! Trouble, trouble, trouble - I've seen one or two 5 star reviews for Excellent Women and Galore but I hesitated adding them to the WL, however, when the five star reveiws exceed the fingers on my hand I must add. Wonderful reviews of both, Bonnie.

Great review ! If I didn't love that book already, this would convince me to read it :)

Hi Bonnie, just stopping by to wish you a lovely week. LOL about the pic of the hoarder - and yeah, you are right THAT's not us! Although, I do have some book piles along walls, presently *grin*.

Great review of Galore, Bonnie! Another one that I have sitting on my TBR list that is now crying out to be read.

OK. OK. OK.
It's already ordered and on its way to my hot little hands.

I've had Galore on my WL for at least a year - both on LT and Amazon. Why did I never buy it? I hadn't read your enticing review ;-) Thanks for finally getting to it, Bonnie!

Just echoing what everyone else has been saying, Bonnie! Your reviews have been excellent, the book bullets are kiling me, and my TBR pile is threathening to topple over! :-0

>134 Donna828: Thanks Donna, b-b-but, b-b-b-but stop reading great books?? That's just not going to happen. Not purposely anyway. It is hard to get into a new book after a 5 star read so I'm tepidly tip-toeing into the second book in Vol.1 of A Dance to the Music of Time.

>135 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah, and you're right, what is a girl to do? Ignore fabulous books when they literally jump into your hands from your own bookshelves?;-)

>136 SandDune: Thanks Rhian, I can only imagine how many unbelievably good books lurk on my WL. What can we do when we're stuck with these impossibly short 24 hour days!

>137 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl, Anytime i can add to your very exclusive WL is a pleasant surprise. Of course it doesn't begin to compare to the many, many titles I've garnered from you ;-)

>138 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda, you have a treat in store:-)

>139 mckait: Thanks Kath, wasn't it absolutely wonderful?? I actually have his debut novel on my shelves too, River Thieves.

>140 drachenbraut23: Hi there Bianca, so good to see you posting again. You're right, I find myself being very vigilant about my book piles and trying to get them shelved ASAP.

>141 Linda92007: Thanks Linda, well, if you already own it....BTW, I just got notice from PBS that a copy of Vol. 1 of Kristin Lavransdatter is on its way to me, speaking of WL fulfillments.

>142 -Cee-: Yay CEE! I hope you like it as much as Kath and I did. And thanks for the thumb!

>143 Nancy618: Oh thanks Nancy, I know what you mean. My teetering tower is always er, on edge.

Wow, great review of Galore Bonnie. Another book to add to the library list!

Great review of Galore, Bonnie. You have been lucky with 5 star reads this year. How will you follow this up?

>145 phebj: Thank you Pat, hope you like it:-)

>146 BLBera: Thanks Beth, I have been lucky, haven't I? I will continue to count my blessings. I'm now reading the second book in Vol. 1 of A Dance to the Music of Time. I'm apparently not suffering from a book hangover because I'm enjoying it.

Bonnie, I should not have come over here to catch up with your thread. Very dangerous, as it turns out. I'll just lie here for a bit trying to recover from all of the book bullets that hit me, shall I?

>148 Crazymamie: Get up Mamie! Get up! There's no point laying there. If it's not me it would just be one of these other enablers. There's no hiding. Haha.

**SIGH** There are no words...

Now that is just beautiful!

No words, indeed. O-M-G!

>150 brenzi: Love it!

GASP!

Who has to dust? lol
I volunteer ;-)

Oh hey lovely visitors Pat, Nancy, Darryl, Tina and CEE, breathtaking isn't it? And yes CEE I would also be happy to dust it as long as I could look at it every day:-)

I don't know about dusting but it IS truly beautiful.

It is that Reba, it is that:-)

>141 Linda92007: Only volume 1 of Kristin Lavransdatter? You really must read all three together, but I am happy to hear that you will at least be poised to start!

>159 brenzi: I can actually read that very easily. What is that supposed to imply?

I can read that very easily too -but then again, spelling was never my strong point. I love the library and the spiral staircase.

>150 brenzi: GAWJUSS book porn!

I'm adding my thumbs to the piles for the reviews of Excellent Women and Galore, Bonnie. That sounds weird, doesn't it? Maybe we should give gold coins for good reviews, or something like that.

I'm another fan of Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. Good read, and quite moving.

Whoo hooo!! 5 stars for Galore! So glad that you loved it!! Thanks for helping spread the love

>160 Linda92007: Yes I know I need to read all three together Linda but I didn't want a clunky chunkster so I'm getting the three books, one at a time and when I have all three I will read them. After Anna Karenina I swore I wouldn't willingly read a big book. Of course it doesn't apply to the door stoppers that are already on my shelves like A Suitable Boy, Truman, Sacred Games, Life and Fate, The Crimson Petal and the White and on and on. But I will read them because they are all books that I want to read. I just won't buy a book that's available as three separate books. Right now I'm reading A Dance to the Music of Time, another biggie, around 750 pages.

>161 Linda92007: Actually it's not really unusual that you can read it Linda. You're just really smart;-)

>162 vancouverdeb: Isn't that library just breathtaking Deborah? I just love it.

>163 richardderus: I know Richard, it's just soooooo beautiful.

>164 jnwelch: Thanks Joe, but I don't think anyone's going to pass out gold coins for stating the obvious haha. Reviews for good books almost write themselves, at least in my experience. Must look harder for Mrs. Palfrey. Oh wait, I know next week is actually my Thingaversary. That is if I remember it. Last year I celebrated sometime in April I think haha.

>165 ChelleBearss: Thanks to you Chelle. Otherwise it would still be sitting on my shelf LOL.

Hi Bonnie- Just letting you know, I am really enjoying the Burgess Boys. I am nearly a 100 pages in but have no idea where this baby is going. I love her writing and her characters.
Are you still watching Justified? I'm a week behind but I think it's been another solid season.

Oh I'm glad you're enjoying The Burgess Boys. I loved it Mark. Yes we're still watching Justified and yes it's been very good. Do you watch Shameless? Well it is....shameless that is. LOL

>159 brenzi: wow, that is cool! I had trouble with the word SOME in the first bit, but the rest was like reading normal words!?

No, I haven't tried Shameless. I am always hesitant trying a new show. Friends and family have been raving about the new Kevin Bacon thriller but I just don't want to commit. Is Shameless good?

>169 LovingLit: Isn't it amazing how the brain works Megan?

>170 msf59: I can't really recommend Shameless because it's just so disgusting Mark. And we've been watching Kevin Bacon's new show but we're about to pull the plug on it. Too predictable. But the show we really like is The Americans on FX. 1980s and Russian spies are living in the US as husband and wife. Really good. Keri Russell is the star.

I get to miss the BB from Galore because I already have the book in the BlackHole. Whew!

Well Stasia, I'll try harder the next time;-)

No, no - I do not need anyone trying harder to add books to the BlackHole!

B-b-b-but Stasia, you're taking all the fun out of it;-)

11.



A Buyer's Market by Anthony Powell 4 stars

This is a NON-REVIEW of A Buyer’s Market, the second volume in the 12 volume A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell. The characters are beginning to be fleshed out a little more completely by the author but the narrator, Nick Jenkins is still a complete cipher. I’m beginning to wonder if we will ever get to really know him.

We aregetting to know Widmerpoole whose awkwardness is still rather apparent and as a matter of fact he is dumped on, quite literally, by a young woman that both he and Nick have fallen for. At a dance, Barbara Goring dumps a sugar bowl over his head.

Most of the little action there is, takes place at one social event or another. In one night alone, Nick and his entourage attend a dinner followed by a dance followed by a party.

Nick attends the events with Mr. Deacon, an artist who is an old friend of his parents and his rather disreputable girlfriend Gypsy Jones. The last event they attend, Mrs. Adriadis’s party does not end well when she asks Mr. Deacon to leave. Nick’s old school chum Charles Stringham shows up and actually ends up getting married before the book ends..

I’m really enjoying this series and surprisingly, this slow pace (one volume per month) seems to be working for me. The writing is outstanding and I enjoy Powell’s dry sense of humor. In chapter two, Nick’s Uncle Giles makes an appearance again:

”Uncle Giles's standard of values was, in most matters, ill-adapted to employment by anyone except himself. At the same time, I can now perceive that by unhesitating contempt for all human conduct but his own -- judged among his immediate relatives as far from irreproachable -- he held up a mirror to emphasise latent imperfections of almost any situation that momentary enthusiasm might, in the first instance, have overlooked. His views, in fact, provided a yardstick to the proportions of which no earthly yard could possibly measure up.” (Page 96)

I love that!

Loved your non-review review, Bonnie. How delightful to immerse yourself in a series of twelve : ). Great quote : ).

Hi Bonnie - I love 150 -- as long as I wouldn't have to dust it. I'm envious of the excellent reading year you're having so far. I haven't come close to a 5-star read yet.

Just checking in, Bonnie. The library in 150 is so gorgeous that I'd be intimidated if I were ever left alone there. Many thanks for your good reviews. Keep reading and writing!

Widmerpool and the sugar bowl: *snort* That's a memorable scene ! Powell makes sure you don't forget it, too ... glad you are enjoying the series Bonnie. As you said, very little actually happens and yet it's sooo good.

>177 lit_chick: Uncle Giles really makes me smile Nancy. I just love the dry English humor.

>178 BLBera: I'm sorry you haven't read anything close to 5 stars yet Beth but lots of my recommendations come from you so I can't understand it LOL.

>179 LizzieD: Oh I bet you could get used to it Peggy. I bet some of those tomes are folio editions of Dickens;-)

>180 lauralkeet: Hi Laura, yes it's one of those fairly quiet books that make you want to stop and think and savor what you're reading:-)

Hi, Bonnie! Just catching up. Great reviews, and love the photo in 150.

>183 tymfos: Thanks Terri, don't you just love staring at the picture? Makes me feel so good:-)

12.



The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay 4.5 stars

MY REVIEW

My second foray into the historical fantasy genre has only gone to show that you (or, more specifically, I) never know what genres are lurking out there that you (I) are going to fall in love with. Another homerun by Guy Gavriel Kay has made that plain to me. The fact that this really closely resembles historical fiction, a genre near and dear to my heart, certainly helps. It really has everything: many threaded plotlines, complex characters, heroes and villains, romance and, for those blood-thirsty fans, violence, all blended beautifully by the hand of a master writer. I may have a small quibble with the twisting turning, slightly saccharine ending but I was sobbing uncontrollably by that point so it hardly matters.

If you refer to the map at the beginning of the book you’ll see something that a very amateurish sixth grader might have drawn when attempting to draw the Iberian Peninsula. And of course you will never have heard of any of the places indicated on the map. This is the fantasy. This country, while it doesn’t actually exist, shares some historical attributes with Spain in medieval times. And just to assist you to figure out who’s who the author provides a helpful playbill listing all the main characters and their alliances.

It’s basically a story about a country’s history, and its people who, over hundreds of years have fought in brutal wars and lost so much for the things they hold dearest. For now, the thing they hold dearest is the piety that has been destroyed over the years by outlaw kings. So once again, the warring is on. Ammar ibn Khairan, poet, diplomat, soldier, is fighting for King Almalik of Cartadan until things go horribly wrong. Rodrigo Belmonte, feared military leader from a northern Jaddite nation, also finds himself driven into exile following the death of the king he loved. The two join forces, if temporarily, to fight for another nation. Accompanying them is the lovely and accomplished court physician Jehane---do you see where I’m going here? And do you also see that there’s something for everyone in the wonderfully fulfilling history of a proud people?

Now I’m thinking I must try that other genre: straight fantasy. I won’t have much trepidation this time. Who knows, with all this exploration of new-to-me genres could it be possible that I might one day try out that formerly anathema-to-me genre---chick lit? Is it possible that there’s something to be said for it after all? On second thought, I don’t want to act as if I’ve completely lost my mind ;-)

Uh oh. I'm starting to feel compelled to try something by Guy Gavriel Kay!

Yep once you get that feeling Pat, it's time to act. You won't be sorry. I liked this one even more than Tigana.

Good writing is good writing, Bonnie. And I agree with you--I think Lions touched me at a deeper emotional depth than Tigana.

You won't find The Curse of Chalion that much of a stretch from Kay. Although the land is more removed from reality, it also has roots in Spanish culture, and it is also a story that weaves strong personalities in and out of the politics of cultures. While not as labyrinthine, I think Bujold's characters are better developed and more fun.

Hi Bonnie- Excellent review of The Lions of Al-Rassan. This is another stand-alone, right? This one is at the top of my Kay list, along with Under Heaven which Benita raved about.
Maybe you'll be ready for A Game of Thrones at some point! And Bonnie doing chick-lit: I don't see it!

187: "I liked this one even more than Tigana."
I knew it! I may have wasted the fifty cents I spent on Tigana! Now you have me wanting to read Lions instead. Oh well, either one would be a stretch for me. I guess I'll have to decide what to do when I get in the mood for a fantasy book. Another compelling review, Bonnie.

Hmmm... guess I'll be looking for Lions.
February is not long enough :{

>188 ronincats: I think the problem, Roni, is that I never really knew what fantasy was exactly. Then when my hubby started watching Game of Thrones, it looked somewhat like historical fiction so when Valerie challenged me to read Tigana I thought well, why not. I'm looking forward to The Curse of the Chalion.

>189 msf59: Thanks Mark, yes it is a stand alone. And I am thinking about Game of Thrones. Haha chick lit...

Oh, you've done it again, Bonnie. What a fab review of The Lions of Al-Rassan! I'm uber-impressed and inspired by your exploration of new genres. Well done!

Brava for growing and changing, while writing ever-so-pithy reviews!

>190 Donna828:. How'd I miss you Donna? Well thank you anyway. Where exactly do you find books for $.50 anyway? They're not even that cheap at the library sales around here. And these fantasies are not that much of a stretch either. Just expand your comfort zone a wee bit. And anyway, didn't I see you reading The Hobbit recently? Did you know Tolkien's estate asked Kay to finish up an incomplete book?

>191 -Cee-:. Hey there CEE, didn't see you sneaking in there. I agree---February isn't long enough. neither are the other eleven months of the year. The days aren't long enough either. Neither are the years. LOL

>193 lit_chick:. Thanks Nancy, come to think of it, I think I'm just about out of new genres to explore. Well, other that that one I mention at the end of my review. And that's not going to happen....not knowingly anyway.

>194 richardderus: Thanks Richard, yep, growing and changing. I like that designation:-)

#185 Thumbed your review of The Lion of al-Rassan - sounds a great read. I'm desperately trying to get around to Tigana but failing miserably at the moment.

Planning to explore Chick Lit , are you Bonnie! :) Good for you for you exploring fantasy -and perhaps pure fantasy as you mention. I seem to have a hole in my brain when it comes to appreciating fantasy, sci - fi, and romance, among other areas that I can think of right now.

Hi Bonnie, Wonderful review of The Lions of al-Rassan any duly thumbed. Historical fantasy is not my cup of tea but this sounds too good to pass up.

*Flees in horror* Like a phoenix, Kristin Lavransdatter rises from the ashes of the past to leap out and instill fear again. Yikes. I have vivid memories of the last invasion :P

Burgess Boys was good. I hated the ending. It just annoyed me.

You have been a busy Bonnie!

Wonderful review, Bonnie! I can't wait to try Kay's work. I second Mark regarding Game of Thrones. All the things you mention liking about The Lions of Al-Rassan are present in the GoT series - especially the multiple plot lines and complex characters. Good stuff.

>196 SandDune: Thanks Rhian, well I know how hard it can be to squeeze in books when your mind is on what you're reading or what you have planned to read. I just threw the rest of my reading plans for the month out the window to read a book that's been on my shelf a long, long time. Right now there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to my reading. Haha.

>197 vancouverdeb: Uh you will have to look long and hard to find any chick lit in my reading Deb haha.

>198 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda, Historical fantasy is not my cup of tea That's what I thought a couple of months ago. It's these enablers on LT who can talk me into just about anything, I guess.

>199 mckait: Wow Kath, Like a phoenix, Kristin Lavransdatter rises from the ashes of the past to leap out and instill fear again no sure I've ever had that kind of reaction to a book but I'll certainly keep it in mind. Linda gave it 5 stars so we shall see.

>200 katiekrug: Thanks Katie, I can see A Game of Thrones is in my future. And I believe it was your review, where you described it as a kind of historical fiction, that convinced me to give it a whirl. So thanks for that.

Good review! I loved Tigana so I don't doubt for a second that I would love The Lions of Al-Rassan!

Thanks Chelle, I think you're absolutely right. You may love it even more than Tigana:-)

My poor little Buddy is all tuckered out tonight. I think maybe he was chasing birds today...in his dreams.

Bonnie, that's adorable! I love it when dogs sleep on their backs especially when their feet start running.

>204 brenzi: Awwww! I just want to scratch his little belly.

>205 phebj: Well then Pat, you would love watching Buddy because he does it all the time and we can't stop laughing LOL.

>206 Copperskye: Yeah I know the urge Joanne:-)

Buddy is absolutely TOO sweet, Bonnie. SO tuckered!

Awww, Buddy needs a tummy rub! So cute!

Buddy is adorable!

Hi Bonnie - Buddy definitely needs a tummy rub. Great review of the Kay book -- I will have to try him. You're turning into a fantasy promoter -- who knew?

Aww Buddy is so adorable!
My two have been exceptionally annoying today because it's a beautiful day and they want to spend every minute outside. After a nice long run in the yard they are now sleeping and it's a beautiful sight.

Hello Nancy, Katie, Laura, Beth and Chelle, thanks for visiting. Buddy thanks you for the compliments. he'd tell you himself but he's busy, uh, sleeping right now haha.

Beth---You're turning into a fantasy promoter -- who knew? well, I've read two historical fantasies that I've really enjoyed and I will definitely read more, but literary fiction will always comprise the largest part of my reading life. Although I do love my narrative non-fiction. And biographies. And the occasional mystery. Oh well, it's all good:-)

I have no idea how I came to possess the book I'm reading now. It's been sitting on my shelf for years and it was just a spontaneous read and it is by far the strangest book I've read in a long time. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn is not for the feint of heart (or stomach). Has anyone read it? It was published in 1989 and I can't say I heard anything about it at that time but it was a finalist for the National Book Award. I should finish it tomorrow and I can't decide if I love it or hate it. It's one of those books---quite shocking in its way.

Both my dog and my cat habitually sleep on their backs--I need to get some pictures.

>214 brenzi: from the tags on the book page, Geek Love sounds freaky! I like the tags for it and your descriptions of it make me want to read it. Ill look forward to your review!

>215 ronincats: Oh I know Roni it is absolutely habitual and the last two dogs we had before Buddy did the same thing. That said we always find it to be hysterically funny. And yes, put up some pictures. I must find your thread....

>216 LovingLit: Freaky is a good word for it Megan. I can promise that the review will be.....interesting, to say the least. LOL.

I'm all caught up. Nice reviews and Buddy pic.

Geek Love is a book I loved, and also the first book I ever lent to my then-boyfriend, now-husband (so I guess it worked out). Not that I've recommended many to him, probably about 4 at this point. But that was the first. My daughter also read it last year while she was visiting and really liked it.

I have Geek Love on my shelf, too, Bonnie. I think it ended up there after Stasia reviewed it (I think!).

>218 jadebird: Thanks Ren!

>219 ursula: Good to know Ursula. I have mixed feelings about it but the writing is outstanding so it will probably end up being a good read altogether. What an imagination the author has!

>220 katiekrug: Oh yes, I bet it was Stasia, now that you mention it Katie.

Hi Bonnie- Opinion seems to be divided on Geek Love but the folks who like it, really like it, so I've had it on my WL for a couple of years. Glad you are diving in.
I received my copy of Galore today. I hope I can bookhorn it in next month.

bookhorn ... now there's a keeper of an expression!

>222 msf59: I hope you can bookhorn it in too Mark. And I think Geek Love may qualify as a Fantasy.There is one aspect of the book that certainly does. Or magical realism anyway. That would make three fantasy reads this month for me! Wow! I'm impressed with myself;-)

>223 lit_chick: He certainly has a way with words, doesn't he Nancy?

Ditto what Peggy said in message 179

I'm just smiling looking at your little buddy! My lady gets herself very tuckered out too! Hmm - Geek Love - I can't wait to see what you think of it. I must admit that I have a blind spot when it comes to fantasy, so I'm intrigued by your conversion! :)

>225 Whisper1: Thanks Linda!

>226 vancouverdeb: Have you actually tried any historical fantasy Deb? It was not at all what I expected. I finished Geek Love this afternoon but I have to let it settle before I put a review together.

I have to agree with this.

I don't really think I'm an introvert but that list works for me.

Love the list!

Love the list, too! Explains my booky-introvert perfectly!

>228 brenzi: Excellent meme. I'm not especially introverted, but that's a wonderful explanation of why books rule.

Hmm - I'm somewhat an introvert - and I do love your list!

Love your 10 Reasons! Waiting patiently for the verdict on Geek Love.

Love that list, Bonnie. And the picture of Buddy! And your latest read by Kay sounds like one for the WL. Hope your Monday is off to a great start.

Hi Reba, Roni, Nancy, Richard, Deb, Mark and Mamie, thanks for visiting. I'm glad you could find something to think about in that list.

Mamie, The Lions of Al-Rassan is terrific and I think you would like it.

Mark, your wish is my commend....

13.



Geek Love by Katherine Dunn 4.5 stars

MY REVIEW

Katherine Dunn is either a genius or the most depraved human being on the face of the planet. How else to explain a book that is both repugnant and thoughtful, repellent yet moving, unsettling and also thought provoking. Easily the most bizarre, stomach-turning, freakishly off the wall book I’ve read….ever. While reading it I felt, at turns, both guilty (for continuing with the reading right up until the end) and victimized (by a writer whose lovely turn of a phrase and obvious skill as a writer of shining prose roped me in like no one’s business). And now that I’ve finished (and oh boy, what a finish!!---more about that later) I find that I’m torn by this book of opposites. What does it say about me, as a human being, that I wasn’t repulsed enough by the subject matter to ditch this book? The power it held over me was palpable.

The story revolves around a carnival family. Aloysius and Lily have been running Al’s father’s carnival for some time but their inherited business has been slowly going downhill and the normal carnival attractions are not drawing the crowds anymore. Al comes up with what he thinks is a brilliant idea: if the freaks he really needs are no longer available, he and Lil will reproduce their own. As our narrator, hunchback albino Olympia explains it:

”I was born three years after my (conjoined twin) sisters. My father spared no expense in these experiments. My mother had been liberally dosed with cocaine, amphetamines, and arsenic during her ovulation and throughout her pregnancy with me. It was a disappointment when I emerged with such commonplace deformities. My albinism is the regular pink-eyed variety and my hump, though pronounced, is not remarkable in size or shape as humps go. My situation is far too humdrum to be marketable on the same scale as my brother’s and sisters.’ Still, my parents noted that I had a strong voice and decided I might be an appropriate shill and talker for the business.” (Page 8)

So there you have it. Exploitation of children in the worst possible way. This is what made it such a difficult read. But, then again, the story that the author weaves is just so darn, well, unputdownable. Olympia alternates between the story of her childhood and growing up and her life now as an adult. I have only touched on the questionable moral issues this book delves into. Dunn really wants you to think about what constitutes beauty and goodness in the world and what we do to people who don’t quite measure up in our own self-determined ways. She looks at human nature and relationships with a microscope and challenges ideas of what love is and what we mean by “normal.” Quite fascinating. Also, interesting that the author has not produced another book since this one was published in 1983 and was a finalist for the National Book Award. This may have taken so much out of her that she is completely drained. I know I was by the end of the book.

Oh and about that ending…completely worth the price of admission. I was quite literally on the edge of my seat and with a death grip on the book. Yes, it’s that good. But this book is not for the meek. It is coarse, revolting, heartbreaking, wacky, shocking, and extraordinarily touching. Approach with extreme caution. But I hope you approach. I’d like to talk to someone about it.

Oh my, that sounds absolutely horrifying!!

Great review of Geek Love Bonnie. I have a RL friend who has recommended that book to me but I've never gotten a hold of a copy.

I remember reading The Girls after you reviewed it and loving it and I don't think I would have picked it up on my own once I found out what the subject matter was. I will have to check out Geek Love from the library and give it a try.

Phew, what a ride ... even your review of Geek Love, never mind the book: coarse, revolting, heartbreaking, wacky, shocking, and extraordinarily touching. I don't think I'd know whether to read, stop reading, run ... Thumb again, Bonnie!

>238 RebaRelishesReading: Well, yes and no Reba, it's not a book you can easily categorize. That's putting it mildly, haha.

>239 phebj: Thanks Pat, yes I thought of The Girls several times as I was reading this one. I would probably have never picked this book up but I actually thought it was about a couple of nerds falling in love haha. What a surprise! And that was after reading only a few pages because Dunn lays it all out right away.

>240 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, I don't think I'd know whether to read, stop reading, run Exactly, except for the fact that it was like watching a horrible accident---you can't look but then you can't look away either. I was actually glued to the book and the ending...oh my!

Okay, thumb for that review which leaves me, like Nancy, wondering what to do about it. I just might have to give it a go against my better judgement!

Thanks Mamie, there you go. This might not be one you would want to share with your girls haha.

Oh boy, my library list if getting hammered this afternoon, Geek Love is the third book Ive added in ten minutes! Thanks!

Happy to oblige Megan. It's the least I could do;-)

>237 brenzi: Brava! Reviews con brio are very satisfying.

I'm thinking maybe I'll pass on that one, Bonnie.

Hmmm- that was very brave of you, Bonnie, to read Geek Love. It sounds , well, different. Great review!! Thumbworthy! I'm going to have to check my library for Geek Love and see for myself!

As for Joseph Boyden's latest book, as far as I can see it was published in 2010 - Louis Riel & Gabriel Dumont. I've not seen it before, but I have read an excellent book on the topic , a graphic novel Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography by Chester Brown. It was really quite interesting and well done. If you can imagine, it was 1st year Canadian Lit course book that my son took 5 years back. It did win a couple of awards here in Canada. I've only read a few graphic novels, but that was one I really learned a lot from. Of course the story of Louis Riel varies quite a bit, according to who writes or speaks about it.

#237 Great review of Geek Love - but it doesn't sound like one I'm going to be reading very soon!

Fantastic review of Geek Love. How you can make such a repellent book interesting, is astounding. I've had this one on my WL for ages, I'll have to finally snag a copy.

Great review of Geek Love, Bonnie, but I'm not sure I am quite ready for it. I wonder what led the author to this subject. Her biography says that she is a boxing journalist, which strikes me as a bit odd in itself.

Holy Smoke.. What a review.. what a book! Wow...
off to thumb...

Hot review alert! That is an awesome review of Geek Love, Bonnie. Next time I'm in the mood for a "stomach-turning, freakishly off the wall book" I'll give this one a whirl. Lol. I think I'll be inclined to try your recent recommendation for historical fantasy first, though. You are really branching out in your reading. Good for you!

Another great, thumbs up review, Bonnie and another bb straight through my bookshelf! Looks like I wouldn't want to read this one after The Dinner of which Pat has written a very good yet cautious review. Lots of edgy books out there.

Before I leave, I'm just going to bend down and tickle Buddy's little tummy.

>246 richardderus: Thanks Richard, being a dolt when it comes to the Spanish language, I had to look up con brio and find that it means with spirit. I like that. Thanks so much.

>247 ronincats: Chicken;-) Luckily there are many other books for you to read Roni.

>248 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb, I had no idea he wrote Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont. It doesn't even appear on his website; will have to start the hunt.

>249 SandDune: Thanks Rhian, it will definitely not be a book for everyone.

>250 msf59: Thanks Mark, that review pretty much wrote itself. There was just so much to say about it. Some books I'm at a total loss for anything to say, even if I liked them.

>251 Linda92007: Thanks Linda, I did see that she is a boxing journalist and I also read that she has had a novel about boxing in the works for years and years. This book was written in 1983 so she has had 30 years to come up with a new one and still, nothing.

>252 mckait: Thanks Kath, Holy Smoke sums it up quite nicely. It was that kind of book.

>253 Donna828: Thanks Donna, haha, you definitely need to be in the mood for a "stomach-turning, freakishly off the wall book". Apparently I was;-) I think you would find The Lions of Al-Rassan to your liking.

>254 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda, and look at Buddy, just smiling his cute dog smile haha. Yeah, you wouldn't want to read two edgy, unsettling books in a row, that's for sure.

Another thumb for that excellent review of Geek Love, Bonnie. Not my cuppa, sounds like, but I hope to kibitz on discussions of it when others read it.

Thanks so much Joe. You'd have to be in the right frame of mind for it Joe. By that, I'm thinking slightly deranged. LOL

Looky, looky what I snagged from the ER program



I really loved his Let the Great World Spin

I love the book / introvert post!!!! :)

Fantastic review of Geek Love! Going to add it to my wish list & thumbs up the review now!

Bonnie, I got Transatlantic too! Yippee!

I'd already thumbed the Geek Love review before I arrived. I can't quite decide if it's for me..... And I also love the book/introvert post. Yep.
I was too dumb to ask for *Transatlantic* (which I might not have gotten), but I did get the promise of Blood and Beauty, the Sarah Dunant, and I'm hopeful about it.

>259 TinaV95: Thank you Tina, I think that introvert post rings a lot of bells. I hope you find Geek Love to your liking:-)

>260 Donna828: Yay Donna, we can read it simultaneously. Go to March TIOLI and add your name to mine and Suzanne's for a shared read.

>261 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy, I always ask for only one book so I almost always get what I ask for. I can't think of a time when I didn't. I have read one book by Dunant and I did like it, so here's to good ER books;-)

14.



How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid 4 stars

MY REVIEW

In Mohsin Hamid’s follow-up to his rather unsettling but absolutely riveting novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, he once again utilizes an unnamed narrator who has put together this self help book for anyone who is interested in accumulating great wealth. Each chapter is entitled with the steps that will be necessary to achieve the goal, from move to the city, get an education, don’t fall in love, and avoid idealists to befriend a bureaucrat and have an exit strategy.

The narrator follows two individuals for about fifty years and explains, through the appropriate steps, their rise from poverty stricken youths to wealthy entrepreneurs. It makes it easier for those following the advice given in the book, to see how these two have managed to make a success of themselves against all odds. The author did something I can’t say I’ve seen before: he addresses both the reader and the character at the same time so that both are getting the advice simultaneously. It’s very effective. As our main character and his family are finally leaving the country the author gives us this:

”A month later you are well enough to ride with your brother and sister on the roof of the overloaded bus that bears your family and threescore cramped others to the city. If it tips over as it careens down the road, swerving in mad competition with other equally crowded rivals as they seek to pick up the next and next groups of prospective passengers on this route, your likelihood of death or at least dismemberment will be extremely high. Such things happen often, although not nearly as often as they don't happen. But today is your lucky day.” (Page 14)

The two characters are never named either but that hardly matters as their stories could apply to just about anyone living in Pakistan. Hamid adopts the same stark, abrupt language that he used so successfully in his last book and although it was effective, I didn’t find it to be as powerful. That does not mean that this book was any less meaningful or absorbing.

The book goes a long way toward explaining the abject poverty, lack of education, treatment of women and far flung corruption that exists in this part of the world and make it difficult for the average person to lift themselves out of the chronic destitution that effects so many. And I found myself really caring about these somewhat cardboard-like characters which is, in itself, mystifying.

This is an author that I will continue to follow as his books really examine a part of the world that is so utterly mysterious and inexplicable. Each book adds to the demystification and provides the necessary background to understand an enigmatic part of the world.

Bonnie- I am very jealous about the McCann! I snagged a memoir but not that one. Boo! Remember, who one of your best book buddies is! Hint, hint, nudge, nudge!
Good review of the latest Hamid book. I really want to get to the Reluctant Fundamentalist first.
I am loving Love in the Time of Cholera. At the halfway point this is a 5 star read. I wonder what you didn't like about it? It's perfect historical fiction, beautifully written, with a lovely romantic theme. Hmmmm!!

Hi Bonnie -
Buddy is so darn cute! Reminds me of the night I got up and noticed Loki in his dog bed laying paws up like that. It freaked me out - cuz I have never seen him do that before. I had to go over and confirm he was still breathing. I guess that must have been an especially tiring day for him???

Geek Love - don't think so :{

Lions of Al-Rassan - for sure!

Hi-ho Bonze, upgethumbed the review, and ordered the book. I am putty in your hands.

Well done, Bonnie! I'm another who upgethumbed the review for How to Get Filthy Rich. Interesting observation about Hamid's use of the same language works differently between this one and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Makes perfect sense, actually.

Great review of How to Get Filthy Rich. Another thumb from me!

>264 msf59: Hi there Mark, consider it yours. I only ever request one book from the ER offerings. And I always get what I opt for. (I hope I didn't just jinx myself;-)

And you should read The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It could be maybe it wasn't the right time for me to read Love in the Time of Cholera. 5 stars you say? Sounds like I should reread it.

>265 -Cee-: All of our dogs have done that so I was never very surprised at it CEE. However, one of the Springer Spaniels would always do this soft yipping while she slept while laying like that and she was the absolute funniest. We always said she was chasing birds in her sleep. She was a really sweet dog. No Geek Love? Chicken;-)

>266 richardderus: Thanks Richard. I do my best;-)

>267 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy, he writes very powerfully and gives his narrators a very unique voice. I like him a lot and have his debut novel sitting on my shelf.

>268 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb!

Wow Bonnie, You are truly hitting them out of the park lately! Wonderful, wonderful reviews!

When did you read the Marquez?

>270 Copperskye: Thank you Joanne, and to think that most of them are books I actually own. It's all good.

>271 msf59: Hmmm, maybe 2000, I can't really remember. Maybe in the 90s.

BLT, huh? Now, that makes sense. LOL. So are you reading the Collector next month? I hope to start it in less than 2 weeks, hopefully before the Stegner G.R. at mid-month.

Yes definitely BLT. I'm hoping to read The Collector in March but I'm reading two chunksters and two GRs so I hope I can get it all in Mark.

BLT! So much has changed in our reading lives, right? What are the chunsters?

Bonnie, Not to interrupt, but Love in the Time of Cholera is one of my all time favorites..... :)

>276 msf59:. The Chunksters are Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum and Dr. Thorne by Anthony Trollope but I should be able to fit it in Mark. And you are right, so much has changed since LT.

>277 Copperskye:. Thanks Joanne, I think I may give it another go.

Good sounding books here, as always :)

>258 brenzi: Me too!

Great review of How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. I found The Reluctant Fundamentalist very thought-provoking and I am disappointed that this one seems to not be quite as powerful.

Hi Bonnie. Good review of How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. I loved The Reluctant Fundamentalist as well as Moth Smoke.

>279 mckait: I keep trying Kath:-)

>280 Linda92007: Oh good Linda. I'm really looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong, How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is still quite good and the review on NPR thought this was his best book yet.

>281 phebj: Thanks Pat. I have Moth Smoke on my shelf and look forward to reading it.