Eliz_M's operatic effort
This topic was continued by Eliz_M's operatic effort - the encore thread.
Talk 2014 Category Challenge
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1ELiz_M
Hello, welcome to my first ever Category Challenge!
As I usually read 75-80 books a year, 70 books might be a stretch. Hopefully I've keep the categories broad enough to fit every book I read this year in somewhere (titles will only be listed once, regardless of how many categories they fit).
As you can probably tell from the categories, I am a wee bit obsessed with the 1001-Books-to-Read-Before-You-Die list(s) and am always looking for a way to encourage me to read the various titles.
One of my other goals is to read at least 40 books that I owned prior to 2014 (indicated with an *).
Hmmm... what else should be said here? I'll have a think, peruse more threads, and come back to add more later.
Updated 30-June-2014:
Total books read: 65
Books owned pre-2014 read: 22
Books owned post-2014 read: 14
Number of books bought: 77
As I usually read 75-80 books a year, 70 books might be a stretch. Hopefully I've keep the categories broad enough to fit every book I read this year in somewhere (titles will only be listed once, regardless of how many categories they fit).
As you can probably tell from the categories, I am a wee bit obsessed with the 1001-Books-to-Read-Before-You-Die list(s) and am always looking for a way to encourage me to read the various titles.
One of my other goals is to read at least 40 books that I owned prior to 2014 (indicated with an *).
Hmmm... what else should be said here? I'll have a think, peruse more threads, and come back to add more later.
Updated 30-June-2014:
Total books read: 65
Books owned pre-2014 read: 22
Books owned post-2014 read: 14
Number of books bought: 77
2ELiz_M
Second Quarter Reading Ideas:
1001 Books Group Challenge: The Bus Conductor Hines*, Ancestral Voices*, Small Remedies, Cataract (BPL), Typical (BPL),In Parenthesis, Southern Seas, Compassion (LO), Life of Christ (LO), The Making of Americans (BPL), Under Satan's Sun (BPL), Retreat Without Song (LO), The Apes of God (BPL), Insatiability (LO), The Bells of Basel (LO), Broad and Alien is the World (LO), House in the Uplands (BPL), Disobedience/Two Adolescents (BPL), The Opposing Shore (BPL), The Devil to Pay in the Backlands (LO), Time of Silence (LO), Jahrestage/Anniversaries (NYPL), A World for Julius (BPL), The Engineer of Human Souls (BPL), Couples, Passerby (LO), Professor Martens' Departure (BPL), The Young Man (LO), Cigarettes (BPL), Ballad for Georg Henig (LO), The Last World (LO), Asphodel (BPL), The Triple Mirror of the Self (LO), City Sister Silver (BPL), The Clay Machine-Gun/Buddha's Little Finger (BPL)
GR reading challenges
International Reading: Under the Yoke, Promise at Dawn,The Bridge on the Drina*
Award-winners:Troubles, Morvern Callar, Soldiers of Salamis, Jack Maggs, The Crying of Lot 49, Vernon God Little, Southern Seas, In Parenthesis, The City and the City
Author Chain:Lucky Jim, Money, Loving, A Day Off, Disappearance, Small Remedies, Waterland, Mother's Milk, Blaming, Summer Will Show
April
Real-life book club: The Good Lord Bird
GeoCAT (Eastern Europe): On the Edge of Reason, Ashes and Diamonds, The Street of Crocodiles, Under the Yoke,The Bridge on the Drina, As If I Am Not There
1001 Books:There but for the
GR group book:Henry V
May
Real-life book club: Noise, the Political Economy of Music
GeoCAT (South Asia): The Home and the World,The Great Indian Novel, The Shadow Lines*, The Triple Mirror of the Self, Small Remedies
GR group topic (4/15 - 5/25): Love in Excess, The Female Quixote,The Vicar of Wakefield, The Crab-flower Club, Hyperion
June
Real-life book club:The Golem and the Jinni
GeoCAT (Islands and Bodies of Water):
1001 Books:The Radetzky March
GR group topic (5/26 - 7/7): London Fields, Cause for Alarm, The Magus, Casino Royale, Z.
GR group topic (6/16-7/27): Compassion, The Hive, All Souls, Your Face Tomorrow
1001 Books Group Challenge: The Bus Conductor Hines*, Ancestral Voices*, Small Remedies, Cataract (BPL), Typical (BPL),
GR reading challenges
International Reading: Under the Yoke, Promise at Dawn,
Award-winners:
Author Chain:
April
Real-life book club: The Good Lord Bird
GeoCAT (Eastern Europe): On the Edge of Reason, Ashes and Diamonds, The Street of Crocodiles, Under the Yoke,
1001 Books:
GR group book:
May
Real-life book club: Noise, the Political Economy of Music
GeoCAT (South Asia): The Home and the World,
GR group topic (4/15 - 5/25): Love in Excess, The Female Quixote,
June
Real-life book club:
GeoCAT (Islands and Bodies of Water):
1001 Books:
GR group topic (5/26 - 7/7): London Fields, Cause for Alarm, The Magus, Casino Royale, Z.
GR group topic (6/16-7/27): Compassion, The Hive, All Souls, Your Face Tomorrow
3ELiz_M
The First Emperor composed and premiered in 2006. This category is for books published in the 21st Century.
1. The Coroner's Lunch* by Colin Cotterill, pub. 2004
2. Snow* by Orhan Pamuk, pub. 2002
3. Soldiers of Salamis* by Javier Cercas, pub. 2001
4. The City & the City by China Miéville, pub. 2009
5. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood, pub. 2013
Possibilities: The Human Stain*, Mother's Milk*, Carry Me Down*, The Blind Side of the Heart*, A Gate at the Stairs*, Nemesis*
1. The Coroner's Lunch* by Colin Cotterill, pub. 2004
2. Snow* by Orhan Pamuk, pub. 2002
3. Soldiers of Salamis* by Javier Cercas, pub. 2001
4. The City & the City by China Miéville, pub. 2009
5. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood, pub. 2013
Possibilities: The Human Stain*, Mother's Milk*, Carry Me Down*, The Blind Side of the Heart*, A Gate at the Stairs*, Nemesis*
4ELiz_M
Hansel and Gretel was originally conceived by the composer's sister, who had written songs based on the fairly tale for her children. This category is for 1001 books commonly recommended for High School students.
1. Fathers and Sons* by Ivan Turgenev, pub. 1862
2. Henry V*^ by William Shakespeare
3.
4.
5.
Possibilities: Return of the Native, Member of the Wedding*, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Great Expectations, The Castle*, Of Human Bondage*, Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Brideshead Revisited*, Look Homeward, Angel*, The Mill on the Floss, Doctor Zhivago*, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Adam Bede, An American Tragedy, The Brothers Karamazov, The Diviners, Fifth Business, Main Street, Portrait of a Lady, The Vicar of Wakefield
^ Okay, not a 1001 List book, but if plays were included many Shakespeare works would have made the list!
1. Fathers and Sons* by Ivan Turgenev, pub. 1862
2. Henry V*^ by William Shakespeare
3.
4.
5.
Possibilities: Return of the Native, Member of the Wedding*, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Great Expectations, The Castle*, Of Human Bondage*, Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Brideshead Revisited*, Look Homeward, Angel*, The Mill on the Floss, Doctor Zhivago*, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Adam Bede, An American Tragedy, The Brothers Karamazov, The Diviners, Fifth Business, Main Street, Portrait of a Lady, The Vicar of Wakefield
^ Okay, not a 1001 List book, but if plays were included many Shakespeare works would have made the list!
5ELiz_M
Iphigénie en Tauride is a well-known ancient story that has been told in many forms by many great artists. This category is for 1001 books published prior to the 1800s.
1. Thomas of Reading by Thomas Deloney, pub. 1600
2. Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
3. Reveries of the Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, pub. 1782
4.
5.
Possibilities: Gargantua and Pantagrual*, The Unfortunate Traveller*, The Female Quixote*, A Sentimental Journey*, The Dream of Red Mansions, Caleb Williams*, Hyperion*
1. Thomas of Reading by Thomas Deloney, pub. 1600
2. Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
3. Reveries of the Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, pub. 1782
4.
5.
Possibilities: Gargantua and Pantagrual*, The Unfortunate Traveller*, The Female Quixote*, A Sentimental Journey*, The Dream of Red Mansions, Caleb Williams*, Hyperion*
6ELiz_M
La Fille du Régiment is a delightful, comic opera about the complications that ensue when the orphan girl raised by a regiment falls in love. This category is for "comic novels".
1. The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
2. The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor
3. Rameau's Nephew* by Denis Diderot
4. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
5.
Possibilities: The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, The Adventures of Roderick Random, Babbitt, The Adventurous Simplicissimus, The Enormous Room*, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*, Giles Goat-Boy, The Good Soldier Švejk*, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Joseph Andrews, Journey to the West, The Man of Feeling, Phineas Finn*, The Sot-Weed Factor, Under the Net, The Unfortunate Traveller*, What a Carve Up!*, World's End*, At Swim-Two-Birds, Portnoy's Complaint*, Infinite Jest*, Gargantua and Pantagruel*
1. The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
2. The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor
3. Rameau's Nephew* by Denis Diderot
4. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
5.
Possibilities: The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, The Adventures of Roderick Random, Babbitt, The Adventurous Simplicissimus, The Enormous Room*, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*, Giles Goat-Boy, The Good Soldier Švejk*, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Joseph Andrews, Journey to the West, The Man of Feeling, Phineas Finn*, The Sot-Weed Factor, Under the Net, The Unfortunate Traveller*, What a Carve Up!*, World's End*, At Swim-Two-Birds, Portnoy's Complaint*, Infinite Jest*, Gargantua and Pantagruel*
7ELiz_M
La Damnation de Faust is an opera that is rarely staged; it is usually performed in a concert setting. This category is for 1001 list books with very few reviews (less than 11 reviews as of Jan. 1, 2014).
1. Lieutenant Gustl (None But the Brave) by Arthur Schnitzler, pub. 1900.
2. Memoirs of a Peasant Boy by Xosé Neira Vilas
3. Death Sentence by Maurice Blanchot
4. Monica by Saunders Lewis
5. Rituals by Cees Nooteboom
6. The Guiltless* by Hermann Broch
7. In Parenthesis by David Jones
8. The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger
9. The Shadow Lines* by Amitav Ghosh
10. Disobedience by Alberto Moravia
11. Loving by Henry Green
Possibilities: Democracy*, Loving Living Party Going*, World's End*, Paradise of the Blind*, The Crime of Father Amaro*, Contempt*, Genesis*, G*, Transit*, The Third Wedding*, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter*, Fado Alexandrino*, The Busconductor Hines*, Z*, The Passion According to G.H.*, Here's to You, Jesusa!*, The Irish R. M.*, Rameau's Nephew*, Summer Will Show*, All About H. Hatterr*, Eva Trout*, The Deadbeats, Under the Yoke, As If I Am Not There, Promise at Dawn, Cigarettes, Down Second Avenue, The First Garden, Hyperion*
1. Lieutenant Gustl (None But the Brave) by Arthur Schnitzler, pub. 1900.
2. Memoirs of a Peasant Boy by Xosé Neira Vilas
3. Death Sentence by Maurice Blanchot
4. Monica by Saunders Lewis
5. Rituals by Cees Nooteboom
6. The Guiltless* by Hermann Broch
7. In Parenthesis by David Jones
8. The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger
9. The Shadow Lines* by Amitav Ghosh
10. Disobedience by Alberto Moravia
11. Loving by Henry Green
Possibilities: Democracy*, Loving Living Party Going*, World's End*, Paradise of the Blind*, The Crime of Father Amaro*, Contempt*, Genesis*, G*, Transit*, The Third Wedding*, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter*, Fado Alexandrino*, The Busconductor Hines*, Z*, The Passion According to G.H.*, Here's to You, Jesusa!*, The Irish R. M.*, Rameau's Nephew*, Summer Will Show*, All About H. Hatterr*, Eva Trout*, The Deadbeats, Under the Yoke, As If I Am Not There, Promise at Dawn, Cigarettes, Down Second Avenue, The First Garden, Hyperion*
8ELiz_M
Thaïs is set in the Egyptian desert. This category is for books by "non-Western" authors.
1. Chaka by Thomas Mofolo, a Lesotho author, book set in an area that is part of present-day South Africa.
2. The Dark Child by Camara Laye, a memoir of his childhood in Guinea.
3. In the Heart of the Seas by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, an Israeli author, book details a journey to Israel.
4. God's Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène, a Senegalese writer, novel of the 1947 railroad strike on the Dakar-Niger line.
5. Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, a Kenyan writer, novel about the impact of the Mau Mau rebellion.
Possibilities: A Dream of Red Mansions, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin, Monkey: A Journey to the West, Leaden Wings, Half of Man is Woman, Money to Burn, Facundo, Tent of Miracles, Dom Casmurro, The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cuba*, The Hour of the Star, The Devil to Pay in the Backlands, 2666*, Autumn of the Patriarch, The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll, Dirty Havana Trilogy*, Disappearance, Small Remedies, The Shadow Lines*, Black Box*, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Matigari, The River Between, Here's to You, Jesusa!*, The Burning Plain, In Search of Klingsor, Broad and Alien is the World, A World for Julius, The Time of the Hero*, A Dry White Season*, Down Second Avenue, Snow*, Memory of Fire*, Paradise of the Blind*
1. Chaka by Thomas Mofolo, a Lesotho author, book set in an area that is part of present-day South Africa.
2. The Dark Child by Camara Laye, a memoir of his childhood in Guinea.
3. In the Heart of the Seas by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, an Israeli author, book details a journey to Israel.
4. God's Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène, a Senegalese writer, novel of the 1947 railroad strike on the Dakar-Niger line.
5. Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, a Kenyan writer, novel about the impact of the Mau Mau rebellion.
Possibilities: A Dream of Red Mansions, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin, Monkey: A Journey to the West, Leaden Wings, Half of Man is Woman, Money to Burn, Facundo, Tent of Miracles, Dom Casmurro, The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cuba*, The Hour of the Star, The Devil to Pay in the Backlands, 2666*, Autumn of the Patriarch, The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll, Dirty Havana Trilogy*, Disappearance, Small Remedies, The Shadow Lines*, Black Box*, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Matigari, The River Between, Here's to You, Jesusa!*, The Burning Plain, In Search of Klingsor, Broad and Alien is the World, A World for Julius, The Time of the Hero*, A Dry White Season*, Down Second Avenue, Snow*, Memory of Fire*, Paradise of the Blind*
9ELiz_M
Les Contes d'Hoffmann is based on based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann. This category is for short story collections.
1. Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.* by E. Somerville
2. The Burning Plain and Other Stories by Juan Rulfo
3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4.
5.
Possibilities: Typical, Pricksongs and Descants, Reasons to Live, Exercises in Style*, The Street of Crocodiles
1. Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.* by E. Somerville
2. The Burning Plain and Other Stories by Juan Rulfo
3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
4.
5.
Possibilities: Typical, Pricksongs and Descants, Reasons to Live, Exercises in Style*, The Street of Crocodiles
10ELiz_M
Armida is an opera written for one soprano, six tenors, and two basses. As the titled character and the lone female voice, Armida is the center of attention. This category is for books written by women.
1. The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector
2. Wide Sargasso Sea* by Jean Rhys
3. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
4. Nox by Anne Carson
5. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
6. A Day Off by Storm Jameson
7. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Possibilities: The Twins, Summer Will Show*, Small Remedies, The Sea, the Sea*, The Quest for Christa T., Quartet in Autumn, Play It As It Lays*, Pavel's Letters, Nights At The Circus*, Love's Work, Love in Excess, Love in a Cold Climate*, Looking for the Possible Dance, The Life and Death of Harriett Frean, Indigo, Here's to You, Jesusa!*, The Grass Is Singing*, The First Garden, The Female Quixote*, Excellent Women*, Eva Trout*, Cider with Rosie, Carry Me Down*, Blaming, Astradeni, As If I Am Not There, Alberta & Jacob, Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.
1. The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector
2. Wide Sargasso Sea* by Jean Rhys
3. Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
4. Nox by Anne Carson
5. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
6. A Day Off by Storm Jameson
7. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Possibilities: The Twins, Summer Will Show*, Small Remedies, The Sea, the Sea*, The Quest for Christa T., Quartet in Autumn, Play It As It Lays*, Pavel's Letters, Nights At The Circus*, Love's Work, Love in Excess, Love in a Cold Climate*, Looking for the Possible Dance, The Life and Death of Harriett Frean, Indigo, Here's to You, Jesusa!*, The Grass Is Singing*, The First Garden, The Female Quixote*, Excellent Women*, Eva Trout*, Cider with Rosie, Carry Me Down*, Blaming, Astradeni, As If I Am Not There, Alberta & Jacob, Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.
11ELiz_M
The Nose is an absurdist opera based on Gogol's short stories and employs a chaotic montage of styles. This category is for post-modern books.
1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas* by Hunter S. Thompson (postmodern literature)
2. The Autumn of the Patriarch* by Gabriel García Márquez (postmodern writers list)
3. S. by Doug Dorst
4. The Crying of Lot 49* by Thomas Pynchon (postmodern literature)
5. Cigarettes by Harry Mathews
Possibilities: 2666*, Underworld*, Infinite Jest*, What a Carve Up!*, Democracy*, Lanark: A Life in Four Books*, Life: A User's Manual*, The Magus*, Gravity's Rainbow*, Ada or Ardor*, V.*, The Sot-Weed Factor, At Swim-Two-Birds, Giles Goat-Boy, G.*, Nox
1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas* by Hunter S. Thompson (postmodern literature)
2. The Autumn of the Patriarch* by Gabriel García Márquez (postmodern writers list)
3. S. by Doug Dorst
4. The Crying of Lot 49* by Thomas Pynchon (postmodern literature)
5. Cigarettes by Harry Mathews
Possibilities: 2666*, Underworld*, Infinite Jest*, What a Carve Up!*, Democracy*, Lanark: A Life in Four Books*, Life: A User's Manual*, The Magus*, Gravity's Rainbow*, Ada or Ardor*, V.*, The Sot-Weed Factor, At Swim-Two-Birds, Giles Goat-Boy, G.*, Nox
12ELiz_M
Le Comte Ory is another delightful comic opera, this one features jokes, misunderstandings and men dressed as nuns. This category is for LGBT books.
1. The Counterfeiters by André Gide
2. There but for the by Ali Smith
3. The Wars by Timothy Findley
4.
5.
Possibilities: The Guermantes Way*, The Holy Terrors, The Line of Beauty*, The Member of the Wedding*, The Memoirs of Hadrian*, Myra Breckinridge, The Swimming-Pool Library*, Young Törless, Á Rebours, Naked Lunch, Junky, Bouvard and Pécuchet, Absolute Beginners, Of Human Bondage*, Hadrian the Seventh, Summer Will Show*, Brideshead Revisited*
1. The Counterfeiters by André Gide
2. There but for the by Ali Smith
3. The Wars by Timothy Findley
4.
5.
Possibilities: The Guermantes Way*, The Holy Terrors, The Line of Beauty*, The Member of the Wedding*, The Memoirs of Hadrian*, Myra Breckinridge, The Swimming-Pool Library*, Young Törless, Á Rebours, Naked Lunch, Junky, Bouvard and Pécuchet, Absolute Beginners, Of Human Bondage*, Hadrian the Seventh, Summer Will Show*, Brideshead Revisited*
13ELiz_M
Manon is described as "the quintessential example of the charm and vitality of the music and culture of the Parisian Belle Époque". This category is for 1001 list books published 1870-1914.
1. Diary of a Nobody* by George Grossmith, pub. 1892
2. Dom Casmurro* by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, pub. 1899
3.
4.
5.
Possibilities: The Crime of Father Amado*, Drunkard*, The Red Room, The Brothers Karamazov*, Nana*, The Portrait of a Lady, The House by the Medler Tree, Epitaph of a Small Winner*, Bouvard and Pecuchet, A Woman's Life, Against the Grain, Germinal*, The Quest, Pierre and Jean, Under the Yoke, The Child of Pleasure, Eline Vere*, La Bete Humaine, Thais, Down There, New Grub Street*, Jude the Obscure*, What Maisie Knew, Fruits of the Earth, Some Experiences of an Irish RM*, None But the Brave (Lieutenant Gustl), Memoirs of My Nervous Illness*, The Way of All Flesh, Hardrian the Seventh, The Inferno
1. Diary of a Nobody* by George Grossmith, pub. 1892
2. Dom Casmurro* by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, pub. 1899
3.
4.
5.
Possibilities: The Crime of Father Amado*, Drunkard*, The Red Room, The Brothers Karamazov*, Nana*, The Portrait of a Lady, The House by the Medler Tree, Epitaph of a Small Winner*, Bouvard and Pecuchet, A Woman's Life, Against the Grain, Germinal*, The Quest, Pierre and Jean, Under the Yoke, The Child of Pleasure, Eline Vere*, La Bete Humaine, Thais, Down There, New Grub Street*, Jude the Obscure*, What Maisie Knew, Fruits of the Earth, Some Experiences of an Irish RM*, None But the Brave (Lieutenant Gustl), Memoirs of My Nervous Illness*, The Way of All Flesh, Hardrian the Seventh, The Inferno
14ELiz_M
Un ballo in maschera forced by both censors and an unfavorable political climate, this opera underwent three title changes and one major setting change before it could be performed. This category is for banned books.
1. Amok by Stefan Zweig (his books were burned in Nazi Germany)
2. Brideshead Revisited* by Evelyn Waugh (ALA Banned & Challenged Classics list)
3. The Radetzky March* (his books were banned in Nazi Germany)
4.
5.
Possibilities: An American Tragedy, Doctor Zhivago*, The First Circle, The Gulag Archipelago, Naked Lunch, The Satanic Verses*, Tropic of Cancer, Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Julie, or the New Heloise, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame*, Thérèse Raquin, L'Assommoir*, Nana*, La Bête Humaine, Germinal*, Nausea*, Gargantua and Pantagruel*, Jacques the Fatalist*, Lost Illusions*, Eugénie Grandet*, Thaïs, Fruits of the Earth, The Honorary Consul*, The Last Temptation of Christ*, Berlin Alexanderplatz, U.S.A.*, The Good Soldier Švejk*, Amerika*, The Castle*, Man's Fate*, The Magic Mountain*, Professor Unrat, Doctor Faustus*, The Guermantes Way*, Sodom and Gomorrah*, The Captive & The Fugitive*, Time Regained, None But The Brave (Lieutenant Gustl), The Case of Sergeant Grischa
1. Amok by Stefan Zweig (his books were burned in Nazi Germany)
2. Brideshead Revisited* by Evelyn Waugh (ALA Banned & Challenged Classics list)
3. The Radetzky March* (his books were banned in Nazi Germany)
4.
5.
Possibilities: An American Tragedy, Doctor Zhivago*, The First Circle, The Gulag Archipelago, Naked Lunch, The Satanic Verses*, Tropic of Cancer, Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Julie, or the New Heloise, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame*, Thérèse Raquin, L'Assommoir*, Nana*, La Bête Humaine, Germinal*, Nausea*, Gargantua and Pantagruel*, Jacques the Fatalist*, Lost Illusions*, Eugénie Grandet*, Thaïs, Fruits of the Earth, The Honorary Consul*, The Last Temptation of Christ*, Berlin Alexanderplatz, U.S.A.*, The Good Soldier Švejk*, Amerika*, The Castle*, Man's Fate*, The Magic Mountain*, Professor Unrat, Doctor Faustus*, The Guermantes Way*, Sodom and Gomorrah*, The Captive & The Fugitive*, Time Regained, None But The Brave (Lieutenant Gustl), The Case of Sergeant Grischa
15ELiz_M
Parsifal, while not Wagner's longest opera nor the one that took the longest to compose, it is four and a half hours long and was composed over a period of 25 years. This category is for 1001 list books of more than 500 pages.
1. The Power Broker* by Robert A. Caro^ (1162 pages without appendices)
2. The Golden Days by Cao Xueqin (525 pages without appendices)
3. The Recognitions by William Gaddis (956 pages)
4.
5.
Possibilities: , 2666*, Phineas Finn*, The Guermantes Way*, Sometimes a Great Notion*, Of Human Bondage*, The Golden Notebook*, Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Ada, or Ardor*, The Glass Bead Game*, The Unconsoled*, Eline Vere*, Look Homeward, Angel*, What a Carve Up!*
^Okay, this is not a 1001 list book, but inexplicably it was chosen by my book club for our January meeting.
1. The Power Broker* by Robert A. Caro^ (1162 pages without appendices)
2. The Golden Days by Cao Xueqin (525 pages without appendices)
3. The Recognitions by William Gaddis (956 pages)
4.
5.
Possibilities: , 2666*, Phineas Finn*, The Guermantes Way*, Sometimes a Great Notion*, Of Human Bondage*, The Golden Notebook*, Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Ada, or Ardor*, The Glass Bead Game*, The Unconsoled*, Eline Vere*, Look Homeward, Angel*, What a Carve Up!*
^Okay, this is not a 1001 list book, but inexplicably it was chosen by my book club for our January meeting.
16ELiz_M
Don Giovanni is an opera that mixes serious and comic action. It has an Italian libretto, was created by a Viennese composer, is set in Spain, and premiered in Prague. This category is for miscellaneous books.
1. The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind
2. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
3. The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey
4. Southern Seas by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán
5. Jack Maggs* by Peter Carey
6. The Bridge on the Drina* by Ivo Andrić
7. Troubles* by J. G. Farrell
8. Morvern Callar by Alan Warner
9. Money* by Martin Amis
1. The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind
2. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
3. The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey
4. Southern Seas by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán
5. Jack Maggs* by Peter Carey
6. The Bridge on the Drina* by Ivo Andrić
7. Troubles* by J. G. Farrell
8. Morvern Callar by Alan Warner
9. Money* by Martin Amis
17paruline
What an interesting theme! Welcome to the challenge! I'm especially looking forward to your comments about the 1001 books with few reviews.
19rabbitprincess
Great setup! Good choices for your categories, especially Parsifal and Don Giovanni. (A friend of mine saw Parsifal recently and she said it was quite long.) Enjoy the challenge!
20ELiz_M
>17 paruline:, 18, 19 Thanks for the warm welcome.
I'm newish to LT and found this group by accident, but was intrigued. Hopefully the various CATs will make more sense to me as the year progresses.
I'm going to be tinkering with the categories for the next several weeks (and beyond?). I'm not particularly happy with Hansel & Gretel, but haven't figured out how to cram my reading goals into it yet....
Questions and suggestions are appreciated!
I'm newish to LT and found this group by accident, but was intrigued. Hopefully the various CATs will make more sense to me as the year progresses.
I'm going to be tinkering with the categories for the next several weeks (and beyond?). I'm not particularly happy with Hansel & Gretel, but haven't figured out how to cram my reading goals into it yet....
Questions and suggestions are appreciated!
21lkernagh
Welcome! Tinkering with categories is a normal obsession around here....;-) Love the categories you came up with and looking forward to seeing which books you read to fill them.
22DeltaQueen50
Welcome to the challenge. You've chosen an interesting theme and I will be looking forward to seeing which books you chose to fill them with.
23mamzel
I don't know if I've heard any of those operas! My mother listened to opera and I'll watch them when they come on PBS with subtitles. The last one I watched was the amazing production of Aida. It's so nice that you share this knowledge with us. Welcome to the challenge!
24thornton37814
Fun theme! Welcome to the challenge.
25MissWatson
Operas! What a delightful idea. Welcome!
26-Eva-
That's a great theme! Welcome - looking forward to following along. Plus, you put my favorite opera, Don Giovanni, in there, so what's not to like. :P
27LittleTaiko
I love it when I learn something from someone's categories. Have only seen a couple of operas so far, I'll be on the lookout for these.
28MissWatson
By the way, which version of Armida is that?
29katrinasreads
I love the theme, I am also a lover of the 1001 list, it will be great to see if we read any crossover books. I'm really looking forward to seeing which 1001 books have less than 11 reviews
30ELiz_M
>28 MissWatson: Ah, I had forgotten that there are quite a few different operas for Armida. The one I was referring to is by Rossini.
>23 mamzel: My mum is also quite an opera fan, but I am not and I hadn't heard of most (or possibly any) of these operas before I started working in the performing arts.
I have now linked each opera title to a video clip. They are not the best quality and not necessarily the best bits from these particular operas, but one has to make do with what is available.
>23 mamzel: My mum is also quite an opera fan, but I am not and I hadn't heard of most (or possibly any) of these operas before I started working in the performing arts.
I have now linked each opera title to a video clip. They are not the best quality and not necessarily the best bits from these particular operas, but one has to make do with what is available.
31MissWatson
Thank you, I think I will take a closer look at that. I listen mostly to pre-Mozart opera, so I wasn't aware that Rossini also took a spin with Tasso.
32ELiz_M
Thank goodness for vacation! I have finally sorted through my TBR list and filled in possibilities for each of my categories, as well as the January RandomCAT and as many GeoCATs as I could.
Now that my plan is all set, I can deviate from it at will! :)
Now that my plan is all set, I can deviate from it at will! :)
33VivienneR
Now that my plan is all set, I can deviate from it at will! :)
That's exactly what I'm thinking about my plan :)
That's exactly what I'm thinking about my plan :)
34MissWatson
Oh, what a laudable sentiment!
35PawsforThought
What a great theme! Love it! I have to say that while I by no means think of myself as particularly knowledgeable when it comes to opera, I did think I'd recognise more than I did.
Great opportunity to learn more, I guess!
Great opportunity to learn more, I guess!
36DeltaQueen50
>32 ELiz_M: - LOL! As soon as I have a reading plan down in black and white I start to second guess myself and get distracted by other books! So deviation is good.
37electrice
Good theme and looking forward your reviews !
>36 DeltaQueen50: Exactly :)
>36 DeltaQueen50: Exactly :)
38ELiz_M
>35 PawsforThought: Well, I did choose many lesser known operas (the exception being Don Giovanni)!
>36 DeltaQueen50: Yes, I tried to leave room to read on a whim, but if the catch-all category becomes over-full I'll have to reorganize. :)
>37 electrice: Thanks!
>36 DeltaQueen50: Yes, I tried to leave room to read on a whim, but if the catch-all category becomes over-full I'll have to reorganize. :)
>37 electrice: Thanks!
39ELiz_M
Ideas for GeoCATs
January - Canada and the US:
The First Garden, The Wars, The Diviners*
Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Walden*, Look Homeward, Angel*, The Crying of Lot 49*, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*, World’s End*
February - Middle East and North Africa
In the Heart of the Seas, Black Box*
March - Central America, Mexico and Caribbean
The Burning Plain, In Search of Klingsor, Wild Sargasso Sea
April - Eastern Europe
Broken April*, Ballad for Georg Henig, As If I Am Not There, On the Edge of Reason, The Good Soldier Svejk, Amerika, The Castle, The Case Worker, Ashes and Diamonds, Ferdydurke, The Street of Crocodiles, Quo Vadis, The Manor, Insatiability, The Forest of the Hanged, Alamut, A Day in Spring, Bosnian Chronicle, The Bridge on the Drina*, Death and the Dervish
May - South Asia (India etc)
June - Islands and Bodies of Water
Dirty Havana Trilogy*
July - Polar Regions
August - Western Europe
September - East Asia (China, Japan, etc.)
A Dream of Red Mansions, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin, Monkey: A Journey to the West, Leaden Wings, Half of Man is Woman, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Paradise of the Blind
October - South America
Heartbreak Tango, Money to Burn, Dom Casmurro, Epitaph of a Small Winner*, The Devil to Pay in the Backlands, Tent of Miracles, The Hour of the Star,
November - Australia and Oceania
The Man Who Loved Children, Voss, The Tree of Man
December - Sub-Saharan Africa
The Dark Child, Matigari, God's Bits of Wood, Chaka the Zulu, Down Second Avenue, A Dry White Season*
Ideas for RandomCATs
January -
A Gate at the Stairs, World's End
January - Canada and the US:
The First Garden, The Wars, The Diviners*
Uncle Tom's Cabin*, Walden*, Look Homeward, Angel*, The Crying of Lot 49*, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*, World’s End*
February - Middle East and North Africa
In the Heart of the Seas, Black Box*
March - Central America, Mexico and Caribbean
The Burning Plain, In Search of Klingsor, Wild Sargasso Sea
April - Eastern Europe
Broken April*, Ballad for Georg Henig, As If I Am Not There, On the Edge of Reason, The Good Soldier Svejk, Amerika, The Castle, The Case Worker, Ashes and Diamonds, Ferdydurke, The Street of Crocodiles, Quo Vadis, The Manor, Insatiability, The Forest of the Hanged, Alamut, A Day in Spring, Bosnian Chronicle, The Bridge on the Drina*, Death and the Dervish
May - South Asia (India etc)
June - Islands and Bodies of Water
Dirty Havana Trilogy*
July - Polar Regions
August - Western Europe
September - East Asia (China, Japan, etc.)
A Dream of Red Mansions, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin, Monkey: A Journey to the West, Leaden Wings, Half of Man is Woman, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Paradise of the Blind
October - South America
Heartbreak Tango, Money to Burn, Dom Casmurro, Epitaph of a Small Winner*, The Devil to Pay in the Backlands, Tent of Miracles, The Hour of the Star,
November - Australia and Oceania
The Man Who Loved Children, Voss, The Tree of Man
December - Sub-Saharan Africa
The Dark Child, Matigari, God's Bits of Wood, Chaka the Zulu, Down Second Avenue, A Dry White Season*
Ideas for RandomCATs
January -
A Gate at the Stairs, World's End
40clfisha
I have have S., looks amazing but I think it's going to require one focus! Be interested to see what you think of it, you might get to it before me.
41ELiz_M
First book of my first category challenge is completed! And weirdly, it is one of the very few non-fiction books I will read this year.
The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro
Now famed for his continuing series of biographies of Lyndon B. Johnson, Caro's first foray into biography was that of a now little-known public figure, Robert Moses. Caro began his writing career as a journalist and it was while working as investigative reporter for a New York City newspaper that he became interested in Moses. According to wiki, he came to the realization that "everything you've been doing is baloney. You've been writing under the belief that power in a democracy comes from the ballot box. But here's a guy (Moses) who has never been elected to anything, who has enough power to turn the entire state around, and you don't have the slightest idea how he got it."
Caro's efforts to understand how Moses acquired the power to shape New York (city and state) for centuries to come resulted in the daunting 1162-page (excluding notes & index), Pulitzer-prize winning biography. Caro includes all the details necessary to fully comprehend the man without overwhelming the dramatic arc of a tragic hero. And make no mistake, Moses was a tragic hero -- he achieved unprecedented power and wielded it to accomplish an unprecedented, unfathomable number of public works (in the wiki category Robert Moses projects there are 117 pages - everything from the 1964 World's Fair to Grand Central Parkway to Orchard Beach to Wollman Rink) and after 44 years as "The Master Builder", his change of fortune was brought about by his own actions. Not only is this biography thorough, it is remarkably engaging.
The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro
Now famed for his continuing series of biographies of Lyndon B. Johnson, Caro's first foray into biography was that of a now little-known public figure, Robert Moses. Caro began his writing career as a journalist and it was while working as investigative reporter for a New York City newspaper that he became interested in Moses. According to wiki, he came to the realization that "everything you've been doing is baloney. You've been writing under the belief that power in a democracy comes from the ballot box. But here's a guy (Moses) who has never been elected to anything, who has enough power to turn the entire state around, and you don't have the slightest idea how he got it."
Caro's efforts to understand how Moses acquired the power to shape New York (city and state) for centuries to come resulted in the daunting 1162-page (excluding notes & index), Pulitzer-prize winning biography. Caro includes all the details necessary to fully comprehend the man without overwhelming the dramatic arc of a tragic hero. And make no mistake, Moses was a tragic hero -- he achieved unprecedented power and wielded it to accomplish an unprecedented, unfathomable number of public works (in the wiki category Robert Moses projects there are 117 pages - everything from the 1964 World's Fair to Grand Central Parkway to Orchard Beach to Wollman Rink) and after 44 years as "The Master Builder", his change of fortune was brought about by his own actions. Not only is this biography thorough, it is remarkably engaging.
42electrice
>41 ELiz_M: OK, great review, this one is going on the BB list ! It'll of course count for at least 3 or 4 books ...
43ELiz_M
>42 electrice: Excellent, it is worth it! The book has 50 chapters - some very short, some 40ish pages - so it's easy to read in small doses over the course of several weeks (or several days of vacation).
44ELiz_M
(01/05/14) Category: Iphigénie en Tauride -- 1001 books published prior to the 1800s
Finished a what should have been a "quickie", Thomas of Reading by Thomas Deloney. Published in 1600 or so, it is a short book containing 15 anecdotes that all loosely involve one of six clothiers. Unfortunately, this was an example of the importance of editions -- the ebook edition was SO bad -- a scan/character recognized file of book that was published with ye olde characters, and some sentences were unreadable and others took far to long to parse.
Finished a what should have been a "quickie", Thomas of Reading by Thomas Deloney. Published in 1600 or so, it is a short book containing 15 anecdotes that all loosely involve one of six clothiers. Unfortunately, this was an example of the importance of editions -- the ebook edition was SO bad -- a scan/character recognized file of book that was published with ye olde characters, and some sentences were unreadable and others took far to long to parse.
45ELiz_M
(01/08/14) Category: The Nose -- post-modern books
Finished Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Oddly fascinating -- definitely a rubbernecking kind of book. It is a book that is hard to classify -- some libraries have it in nonfiction/journalism, some in biography, and some in fiction. The book describes a couple of drug-crazed trips Thompson took in Vegas while supposedly on assignment for Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone. Given some of the incidents hinted at (the narrative being too disconnected to actually describe most events), I hope the book is fiction.
Finished Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Oddly fascinating -- definitely a rubbernecking kind of book. It is a book that is hard to classify -- some libraries have it in nonfiction/journalism, some in biography, and some in fiction. The book describes a couple of drug-crazed trips Thompson took in Vegas while supposedly on assignment for Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone. Given some of the incidents hinted at (the narrative being too disconnected to actually describe most events), I hope the book is fiction.
46LittleTaiko
Agree with your hope that the book is fiction. Read it last year and was entertained and slightly horrified at the same time.
47ELiz_M
(01/11/14) Category: Thaïs - books by "non-Western" authors
Chaka by Thomas Mofolo is the fictionalized story of the legendary Zulu warrior that through brutality and military genius conquered many people and created the Zulu nation. The book, written in 1910, was a fascinating study of the corrupting influence of ambition and power.
Chaka by Thomas Mofolo is the fictionalized story of the legendary Zulu warrior that through brutality and military genius conquered many people and created the Zulu nation. The book, written in 1910, was a fascinating study of the corrupting influence of ambition and power.
48ELiz_M
(01/13/14) Category: Armida -- books written by women
The Hour of the Star by by Clarice Lispector
I am still overwhelmed by this novella. It's odd, difficult, and possibly brilliant. I can't decide.
The Hour of the Star by by Clarice Lispector
I am still overwhelmed by this novella. It's odd, difficult, and possibly brilliant. I can't decide.
49ELiz_M
(01/14/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- 1001 list books with very few reviews (less than 11 reviews as of Jan. 1, 2014)
None but the Brave (aka Lieutenant Gustl) by Arthur Schnitzler, pub. 1901
Another very short novella. A fascinating early use of stream of consciousness. Gustl is rather impatient and short-tempered after suffering through an evening concert. He exchanges impolite words during the post-concert crowd and receives an insult to his honor. An insult that can only be assuaged by death -- either kill the insulter or commit suicide. The reader listens to Gustl thoughts through it all and through the sleepless night as he worries over the impending crisis and through it's conclusion in the early hours of the next day. Schnitzler touches upon large themes and questions as well as the inconsequential minutia that comprise consciousness in a charmingly realistic manner.
None but the Brave (aka Lieutenant Gustl) by Arthur Schnitzler, pub. 1901
Another very short novella. A fascinating early use of stream of consciousness. Gustl is rather impatient and short-tempered after suffering through an evening concert. He exchanges impolite words during the post-concert crowd and receives an insult to his honor. An insult that can only be assuaged by death -- either kill the insulter or commit suicide. The reader listens to Gustl thoughts through it all and through the sleepless night as he worries over the impending crisis and through it's conclusion in the early hours of the next day. Schnitzler touches upon large themes and questions as well as the inconsequential minutia that comprise consciousness in a charmingly realistic manner.
50ELiz_M
(01/15/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- 1001 list books with very few reviews (less than 11 reviews as of Jan. 1, 2014)
Memoirs of a Peasant Boy by Xosé Neira Vilas, pub. 1962.
This charming novella purports to be the journal of a poor boy from a rural community in Galicia, Spain. The perspective is that of the young man looking back on his lonely childhood in a small village from his current position as a servant in a larger town. Because no one understands him, he empties his thoughts and feelings into a notebook. The narration is a simple, straightforward portrayal of his life, each chapter/memory is almost a self-contained story but together they encompass the hardships and comforts of life in 1930s Spain.
Memoirs of a Peasant Boy by Xosé Neira Vilas, pub. 1962.
This charming novella purports to be the journal of a poor boy from a rural community in Galicia, Spain. The perspective is that of the young man looking back on his lonely childhood in a small village from his current position as a servant in a larger town. Because no one understands him, he empties his thoughts and feelings into a notebook. The narration is a simple, straightforward portrayal of his life, each chapter/memory is almost a self-contained story but together they encompass the hardships and comforts of life in 1930s Spain.
51mamzel
A girl asked me for name of books which had never been checked out because she wanted to read something no one else had read. I thought that was pretty cool. Teens never fail to amaze me.
52clfisha
Intrigued by the Hour of the Star! Going to keep my eye out for that one, I love books that leave you undecided.
53ELiz_M
>52 clfisha: It's short! After thinking about it a few days, I did write a review. I really liked the New Directions edition (the cover is pretty) translated by Benjamin Moser. He also has written a biography about Lispector: Why This World.
54ELiz_M
>51 mamzel: What a fabulous sentiment! I love requesting books from storage in the Brooklyn Library system -- I always feel as if I am "rescuing" them.
55ELiz_M
(01/21/14) Category: Iphigénie en Tauride -- 1001 books published prior to the 1800s
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter by Anonymous, published 900
I love being in a city with two good library systems. So when I suddenly decide I want to read a somewhat obscure book, I can get it the same day. This book is lovely! It contains a modern Japanese rewriting by Yasunari Kawabata, gorgeous illustrations by Masayuki Miyata, and a translation by Donald Keene.
It is an old, old story that may have been written as satire, but now reads like a fairy tale. The Old Bamboo Cutter finds a tiny girl in a stalk of Bamboo and brings her home to his wife. The tiny girl grows into a beautiful young woman and all the young men seek out her home, hoping for a glimpse of her. The Bamboo Cutter, now very old, urges her to marry. To appease him, she agrees -- but only to the man that successfully completes an impossible task.....
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter by Anonymous, published 900
I love being in a city with two good library systems. So when I suddenly decide I want to read a somewhat obscure book, I can get it the same day. This book is lovely! It contains a modern Japanese rewriting by Yasunari Kawabata, gorgeous illustrations by Masayuki Miyata, and a translation by Donald Keene.
It is an old, old story that may have been written as satire, but now reads like a fairy tale. The Old Bamboo Cutter finds a tiny girl in a stalk of Bamboo and brings her home to his wife. The tiny girl grows into a beautiful young woman and all the young men seek out her home, hoping for a glimpse of her. The Bamboo Cutter, now very old, urges her to marry. To appease him, she agrees -- but only to the man that successfully completes an impossible task.....
56ELiz_M
(01/23/14) Category: Iphigénie en Tauride -- 1001 books published prior to the 1800s
The Reveries of a Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, pub. 1782.
This was less entertaining than his Confessions, possibly because there was more abstract philosophizing and less of an autobiographical focus. It was also the last thing Rousseau wrote, and it is incomplete. It definitely suffered from a complete lack of explanatory notes for this lay person that has no philosophy background.
It did reinforce my belief that Rousseau was an unreliable narrator. There was less crazy on display, but it leaked out once in a while. For example, on one of his walks he meets a small child from a nearby farm that greets him with the complete enthusiasm of the very young. After spending some minutes with the child, he goes to chat with the father, "I was ready to quit the child to go speak to {the father} when I saw I had been forestalled by a man of evil look, who appeared to me to be one of these spies who follow my track incessantly...." Another example is his reaction on coming upon a factory unexpectedly: "For I felt quite sure that there were perhaps not two men in this factory who were not initiated into the plot which the preacher Montmollin had headed against me..."
What is fascinating about reading Rousseau is that he was a little bit nuts, so when reading his autobiographical writings, I am always wondering how much of the portrayal of events is his paranoia/persecution complex and how much is an accurate portrayal of the very real campaign against him and his writings.
The Reveries of a Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, pub. 1782.
This was less entertaining than his Confessions, possibly because there was more abstract philosophizing and less of an autobiographical focus. It was also the last thing Rousseau wrote, and it is incomplete. It definitely suffered from a complete lack of explanatory notes for this lay person that has no philosophy background.
It did reinforce my belief that Rousseau was an unreliable narrator. There was less crazy on display, but it leaked out once in a while. For example, on one of his walks he meets a small child from a nearby farm that greets him with the complete enthusiasm of the very young. After spending some minutes with the child, he goes to chat with the father, "I was ready to quit the child to go speak to {the father} when I saw I had been forestalled by a man of evil look, who appeared to me to be one of these spies who follow my track incessantly...." Another example is his reaction on coming upon a factory unexpectedly: "For I felt quite sure that there were perhaps not two men in this factory who were not initiated into the plot which the preacher Montmollin had headed against me..."
What is fascinating about reading Rousseau is that he was a little bit nuts, so when reading his autobiographical writings, I am always wondering how much of the portrayal of events is his paranoia/persecution complex and how much is an accurate portrayal of the very real campaign against him and his writings.
57electrice
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter seems like good entry in Japanese folklore. It's on the BB list. Are there a lot of illustrations, well enough, in any case ?
We had to read Les Confessions for french baccalaureate. It was literally and simply put, a torture. Rousseau, never again :( What did you think of Confessions ? I'm interested to know because I only had the thoughts of my fellow teenage students at the time ...
We had to read Les Confessions for french baccalaureate. It was literally and simply put, a torture. Rousseau, never again :( What did you think of Confessions ? I'm interested to know because I only had the thoughts of my fellow teenage students at the time ...
58ELiz_M
>57 electrice: How many illustrations is enough? ;) It seems to be about 10% illustrations, 50% Japanese text and 40% English translation. And The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is the earliest of Japanese folklore -- it is referenced in The Tale of Genji as the "ancestor of all romances."
I thought more or less the same about Confessions as I did about Reveries -- Rousseau was a little nuts. Some of it was tortuous; it felt as though it was written for a very contemporary audience that knew of the events in his life, so Rousseau only hinted at traumatic happenings or mentioned them in passing. It was sometimes fascinating because not only was he paranoid, people WERE out to get him; so it was fun guessing at how much was fact and how much was fiction.
I thought more or less the same about Confessions as I did about Reveries -- Rousseau was a little nuts. Some of it was tortuous; it felt as though it was written for a very contemporary audience that knew of the events in his life, so Rousseau only hinted at traumatic happenings or mentioned them in passing. It was sometimes fascinating because not only was he paranoid, people WERE out to get him; so it was fun guessing at how much was fact and how much was fiction.
59electrice
>58 ELiz_M: Right, 10 % percent seems fair :) Not like one measly illustration ... Oh, The Tale of Genji, from your comment I gather that you read it ? If so, how is it, another one that I'm interested in ...
Well his paranoia and egocentric attitude were not fun at the time because we had to make a commentary, but I see how it could be ;)
Well his paranoia and egocentric attitude were not fun at the time because we had to make a commentary, but I see how it could be ;)
60ELiz_M
>59 electrice: I read The Tale of Genji very slowly over the course of two months; it was my subway reading. I found it to be very enjoyable in small doses and comparaed it to being a habitual watcher of "Friends" -- you can't really binge-watch sitcoms because all the episodes have the same arc, but watching regularly (daily/weekly) over the course of months, you become familiar with the pacing of the episodes and characters. That is how I felt about Genji; it episodic and there are a handful of characters that reappear many times and many characters that are only present for one or two stories.
One of the difficulties is the differences in social norms. While written by a woman, to modern day standards Genji can seem rather more extreme/vile than Humbert Humbert, as most of the episodes are stories of his sexual conquests. To me it felt like a parody, using a comedic touch to expose court life.
One of the difficulties is the differences in social norms. While written by a woman, to modern day standards Genji can seem rather more extreme/vile than Humbert Humbert, as most of the episodes are stories of his sexual conquests. To me it felt like a parody, using a comedic touch to expose court life.
61ELiz_M
(01/25/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- 1001 list books with very few reviews (less than 11 reviews as of Jan. 1, 2014)
Death Sentence by Maurice Blanchot, pub. 1948
I have been rendered somewhat speechless by this book. It is so surreal that I really don't know what happened or what to say about it. It appears to be written in two sections. In the first, the narrator details his interactions with J., a dying young woman. The second part takes place during the bombing of Paris during WWII. The first part is much more lucid with something that resembles a story. The second part is not -- reading summaries/reviews it apparently revolves around three women, but I only remember one.
Part of the frustration is that early on Blanchot teases the reader with hints of what is to come: {This story} could actually be told in ten words. That is what makes it so awful. There are ten words to say. A few pages later, he describes a mysterious attack a woman has after she attempts to open a closest door where the narrator kept "proof of these events". However, the narrator is never able to say those ten words or describe "the events". I believe this is the authors intention - to meditate on the impossibility of language and words to convey one's experiences. However, I needed a few more markers, a few more bread crumbs to help me follow his tortuous intent.
It is a book that would have been greatly helped by an introduction or a translators note -- something that frames the book and sets realistic expectations. I think if I reread it, I will enjoy it tremendously.
Death Sentence by Maurice Blanchot, pub. 1948
I have been rendered somewhat speechless by this book. It is so surreal that I really don't know what happened or what to say about it. It appears to be written in two sections. In the first, the narrator details his interactions with J., a dying young woman. The second part takes place during the bombing of Paris during WWII. The first part is much more lucid with something that resembles a story. The second part is not -- reading summaries/reviews it apparently revolves around three women, but I only remember one.
Part of the frustration is that early on Blanchot teases the reader with hints of what is to come: {This story} could actually be told in ten words. That is what makes it so awful. There are ten words to say. A few pages later, he describes a mysterious attack a woman has after she attempts to open a closest door where the narrator kept "proof of these events". However, the narrator is never able to say those ten words or describe "the events". I believe this is the authors intention - to meditate on the impossibility of language and words to convey one's experiences. However, I needed a few more markers, a few more bread crumbs to help me follow his tortuous intent.
It is a book that would have been greatly helped by an introduction or a translators note -- something that frames the book and sets realistic expectations. I think if I reread it, I will enjoy it tremendously.
62clfisha
Making a note of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, thank you. I admit I just couldn't get through Tale of Genji for the reasons you mention, it's languishing upstairs on my tbr, poor thing.
63ELiz_M
(01/26/14) Category: Don Giovanni -- this category is for miscellaneous books.
The Pigeon Patrick Süskind, pub. 1987.
After Death Sentence, The Pigeon was refreshingly straight-forward. Set in Paris, it depicts the shattering of a man's world. Jonathan Noel is an ordinary, 50-year-old bank guard. After a childhood marred by WWII and the loss of his parents, followed by military service and a failed marriage in his early adulthood , Jonathan "came to the conclusion that you cannot depend on people, and that you can live in peace only if you keep them at arms length". So for the next thirty years, he lives a self-contained life in a tiny room in a boarding house, a job as a bank security guard, and an unvarying routine. Until one day what should have been an insignificant event, a small deviation in his rigid existence, decomposes his inner world.
The Pigeon Patrick Süskind, pub. 1987.
After Death Sentence, The Pigeon was refreshingly straight-forward. Set in Paris, it depicts the shattering of a man's world. Jonathan Noel is an ordinary, 50-year-old bank guard. After a childhood marred by WWII and the loss of his parents, followed by military service and a failed marriage in his early adulthood , Jonathan "came to the conclusion that you cannot depend on people, and that you can live in peace only if you keep them at arms length". So for the next thirty years, he lives a self-contained life in a tiny room in a boarding house, a job as a bank security guard, and an unvarying routine. Until one day what should have been an insignificant event, a small deviation in his rigid existence, decomposes his inner world.
64electrice
>60 ELiz_M: Added The Tale of Genji to the WL. Good tip on the approach to read it. I tend to get bored with fairy tales or folklore literature if I read it in one sitting but one learn so much about what make a culture unique this way that it's a must for me. Thanks !
65aliciamay
>63 ELiz_M: What a cliff hanger of a review! The Pigeon isn't available at my library, but it looks like tracking down this book will be worth the effort.
You mentioned earlier that you weren't satisfied with your Hansel and Gretel category. Not sure if that's still the case, but if so my thought is you could include 1001 books with young characters. I'm thinking Oliver Twist, Life of Pi, The God of Small Things. And then again you've probably read all those already ; )
You mentioned earlier that you weren't satisfied with your Hansel and Gretel category. Not sure if that's still the case, but if so my thought is you could include 1001 books with young characters. I'm thinking Oliver Twist, Life of Pi, The God of Small Things. And then again you've probably read all those already ; )
66ELiz_M
>62 clfisha: Yay!
>64 electrice: I hope you enjoy it! I think there is a penguin edition that has lots of endnotes and info on culture-specific things (such as the significance of various colored-kimonos) if you end up reading a paper copy.
>65 aliciamay: Yeah, I had to cave and buy a copy of The Pigeon because ALL of the library copies in two systems were marked as "Consult Librarian" (which usually means they are missing). But I am glad I did; I found it to be a well-crafted novella.
>64 electrice: I hope you enjoy it! I think there is a penguin edition that has lots of endnotes and info on culture-specific things (such as the significance of various colored-kimonos) if you end up reading a paper copy.
>65 aliciamay: Yeah, I had to cave and buy a copy of The Pigeon because ALL of the library copies in two systems were marked as "Consult Librarian" (which usually means they are missing). But I am glad I did; I found it to be a well-crafted novella.
67ELiz_M
(01/28/14) Category: Thaïs -- "non-Western" authors
The Dark Child by Camara Laye
This was a delightful read. It is a memoir of the author's childhood in Guinea, written while he was attending school in France. As such, it is an idealistic memoir and casts a golden glow over his childhood. His parents are wonderful, his childhood was easy and mostly untroubled. Even when describing the vicious bullying he experienced at one of his childhood schools, the events seem glossed over. It was fascinating to read about a foreign life and culture as imagined by ne who both experienced it and was distanced from it.
ETA: If there are any snake lovers out there, there is a fascinating episode in the first few pages.
The Dark Child by Camara Laye
This was a delightful read. It is a memoir of the author's childhood in Guinea, written while he was attending school in France. As such, it is an idealistic memoir and casts a golden glow over his childhood. His parents are wonderful, his childhood was easy and mostly untroubled. Even when describing the vicious bullying he experienced at one of his childhood schools, the events seem glossed over. It was fascinating to read about a foreign life and culture as imagined by ne who both experienced it and was distanced from it.
ETA: If there are any snake lovers out there, there is a fascinating episode in the first few pages.
68ELiz_M
(01/30/14) Category: Don Giovanni -- this category is for miscellaneous books.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Oh Hemingway. Even in a memoir, Hemingway is still writing in his distinctive description-free style. It does take some getting used to and this book didn't really click with me as well as his short stories or novels. Also, I wish I had read this book right after The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, as they are both memoirs of the same time period and each book includes stories of the other author.
Generally, it was a fun read. I loved hearing about the other authors of the time period. Fitzgerald (of course) steals the show, but there are mentions of Ezra pound, James Joyce, and Ford Maddox Ford among others. And this is half the fun -- hearing the opinions of one famous author on other famous authors. I was mildly surprised at how much admiration Hemingway expressed for The Great Gatsby and James Joyce. It is also fascinating to hear Hemingway discuss his writing and see the interpretation he puts on the events in his life. I am slightly tempted to read a biography for a more objective view of Hemingway.
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Oh Hemingway. Even in a memoir, Hemingway is still writing in his distinctive description-free style. It does take some getting used to and this book didn't really click with me as well as his short stories or novels. Also, I wish I had read this book right after The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, as they are both memoirs of the same time period and each book includes stories of the other author.
Generally, it was a fun read. I loved hearing about the other authors of the time period. Fitzgerald (of course) steals the show, but there are mentions of Ezra pound, James Joyce, and Ford Maddox Ford among others. And this is half the fun -- hearing the opinions of one famous author on other famous authors. I was mildly surprised at how much admiration Hemingway expressed for The Great Gatsby and James Joyce. It is also fascinating to hear Hemingway discuss his writing and see the interpretation he puts on the events in his life. I am slightly tempted to read a biography for a more objective view of Hemingway.
69whitewavedarling
This lurking snake lover is just popping up to say hello and thank you :) And, I'm moving A Moveable Feast up on the tbr, too. I'm reading his Garden of Eden right now, and really enjoying it, odd as it is.
70ELiz_M
>69 whitewavedarling: Glad to see I'm not the only person that is fond of Hemingway's writing!
71ELiz_M
(02/01/2014) Category: La Damnation de Faust - 1001 list books with very few reviews (less than 11 reviews as of Jan. 1, 2014).
Monica by Saunders Lewis
It is well written and Lewis perverts a standard literary device in a clever fashion. At the first the novel appears to begin with a framing device -- A young bed-ridden neighbor narrates how Monica finds a pretext to stay at her house and in conversation, Monica starts to relate her history. But Lewis does something unusual--rather than just using it as an excuse for the story, he intersperses Monica's memories of what happened with the story told to the neighbor, thus exposing a double image of the past and showing the reader both what Monica is and what she believes herself to be. And then the evening is over and Monica returns home, becomes the narrator of her story in real-time, and the neighbor is not mentioned again. Unfortunately, even with such an intriguing opening structure, the novel seemed somewhat flat to me.
Monica by Saunders Lewis
It is well written and Lewis perverts a standard literary device in a clever fashion. At the first the novel appears to begin with a framing device -- A young bed-ridden neighbor narrates how Monica finds a pretext to stay at her house and in conversation, Monica starts to relate her history. But Lewis does something unusual--rather than just using it as an excuse for the story, he intersperses Monica's memories of what happened with the story told to the neighbor, thus exposing a double image of the past and showing the reader both what Monica is and what she believes herself to be. And then the evening is over and Monica returns home, becomes the narrator of her story in real-time, and the neighbor is not mentioned again. Unfortunately, even with such an intriguing opening structure, the novel seemed somewhat flat to me.
72ELiz_M
(02/01/2014) Category: The First Emperor - 1001 list books published in the 21st Century.
The Coroner's Lunch^ by Colin Cotterill, pub. 2004
This was a delightful read; just what I needed to take my mind off a bad afternoon. I loved the set-up, the introduction of Dr. Siri and his assistants and how he became a reluctant Coroner at the age of 72. Reading about his life in Laos and learning a little about the history and customs was fascinating. But i was disappointed in the second half of the book. I would have much preferred a mystery without a supernatural twist.
^ Okay, this is not a 1001-list book, but it is pretty rare for me to read anything published this century, so I am going to include it here anyways.
The Coroner's Lunch^ by Colin Cotterill, pub. 2004
This was a delightful read; just what I needed to take my mind off a bad afternoon. I loved the set-up, the introduction of Dr. Siri and his assistants and how he became a reluctant Coroner at the age of 72. Reading about his life in Laos and learning a little about the history and customs was fascinating. But i was disappointed in the second half of the book. I would have much preferred a mystery without a supernatural twist.
^ Okay, this is not a 1001-list book, but it is pretty rare for me to read anything published this century, so I am going to include it here anyways.
73ELiz_M
(02/07/14) Category: Thaïs -- books by "non-Western" authors
In the Heart of the Seas by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, pub. 1948
For me, this book very definitely fits in a "non-Western" category -- it was completely foreign to me. This little novel tells the story of a group of Jewish people and their decision to journey to Israel. They encounter obstacles, hardships, and every-day miracles and through it all their faith and their religious stories sustain them. The language is deceptively simple, but the author uses the patterns of speech found in sermons -- repeated refrains, call and answer, and so on. It reads like a parable, but one steeped in a history, religion, and culture of which I am ignorant. The book deserves more stars, but while I recognize the beauty of the writing, I didn't particularly enjoy reading it.
In the Heart of the Seas by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, pub. 1948
For me, this book very definitely fits in a "non-Western" category -- it was completely foreign to me. This little novel tells the story of a group of Jewish people and their decision to journey to Israel. They encounter obstacles, hardships, and every-day miracles and through it all their faith and their religious stories sustain them. The language is deceptively simple, but the author uses the patterns of speech found in sermons -- repeated refrains, call and answer, and so on. It reads like a parable, but one steeped in a history, religion, and culture of which I am ignorant. The book deserves more stars, but while I recognize the beauty of the writing, I didn't particularly enjoy reading it.
74PawsforThought
70. I like old Papa too!
75psutto
One of these days ill actually get around to tale of Genji the size does put me off though. I was half hoping, half dreading that someone would pick it in my blindfold category
77ELiz_M
>76 .Monkey.:. Oh good! I was hoping this little book would find a more appreciative audience. :)
If you have trouble finding it, let me know. It shouldn't cost much to ship to Europe.
If you have trouble finding it, let me know. It shouldn't cost much to ship to Europe.
78ELiz_M
>75 psutto:. It can be a commitment. Maybe it would be a good bedside book -- read a story or two before bed? It might not take as long as you think that way.
79.Monkey.
I just checked on Abe, my go-to for finding books, and they don't have any copies of it! :O I could probably count on one hand the number of times they've not had any copies of a title I'm looking for, goodness! If you're sure it wouldn't put you out any, I'm definitely interested in reading it (and I'd even promise to make sure it wouldn't languish on the shelves ;)).
80-Eva-
->72 ELiz_M:
Dr. Siri and company are such a lovely group of characters. The series continues in the same vein, so you have some great ones ahead of you.
Dr. Siri and company are such a lovely group of characters. The series continues in the same vein, so you have some great ones ahead of you.
81ELiz_M
>79 .Monkey.: I suspect there are no NEW copies. But there do seem to be a few used copies available through Better World Books: http://www.betterworldbooks.com/in-the-heart-of-the-seas-id-9780299207045.aspx#a.... They have free shipping worldwide.
Or send me a shipping address & I can send on my almost-new copy. I'd rather give it to someone that will read it than just drop it off a local charity.
Or send me a shipping address & I can send on my almost-new copy. I'd rather give it to someone that will read it than just drop it off a local charity.
82ELiz_M
I have been terribly lazy about updating BOTH of my reading threads (here and in the 1001-books group). Ooops.
83ELiz_M
(02/11/2014) Category: La Damnation de Faust - 1001 list books with very few reviews (less than 11 reviews as of Jan. 1, 2014).
Rituals by Cees Nooteboom, pub. 1980
The story of Rituals is told by Inni Wintrop, a man with enough money to float through life dabbling in a handful of ad hoc professions. Through family and work he first encounters Arnold Taads, a former champion skier, deeply unhappy, who has regimented every minute of every day in order to avoid living in them. Many years later Inni meets Philip Taads, the son Arnold never acknowledged. Philip leads an austere, timeless existence attempting to efface himself in meditation and the purity of tea ceremony.
Although the plot may seem, well, rather plot-less, I found the book to be completely enthralling. The language is exquisite and the thoughts on the nature of existence were mostly handled with a light touch -- not overly academic or preachy, but blended into the narrator's thoughts without becoming a 20-page treatise. I cannot begin to explain how mesmerizing I found this novella.
Rituals by Cees Nooteboom, pub. 1980
The story of Rituals is told by Inni Wintrop, a man with enough money to float through life dabbling in a handful of ad hoc professions. Through family and work he first encounters Arnold Taads, a former champion skier, deeply unhappy, who has regimented every minute of every day in order to avoid living in them. Many years later Inni meets Philip Taads, the son Arnold never acknowledged. Philip leads an austere, timeless existence attempting to efface himself in meditation and the purity of tea ceremony.
Although the plot may seem, well, rather plot-less, I found the book to be completely enthralling. The language is exquisite and the thoughts on the nature of existence were mostly handled with a light touch -- not overly academic or preachy, but blended into the narrator's thoughts without becoming a 20-page treatise. I cannot begin to explain how mesmerizing I found this novella.
84.Monkey.
Have you bought from betterworldbooks before? I've heard that they stick large non-removable stickers on their books, so have steered clear of them when they're one of the options when I'm looking for titles on Abe. I don't like my books intentionally defaced like that! You'd think a large seller would have better practices :|
85ELiz_M
>84 .Monkey.: I get quite a few books from BWB, actually. The books listed by a library are the ones with the worst non-removable stickers & I avoid those. Most of the rest of the sellers are bookstore/charities that list the same books on amazon. Some have barcode-like stickers on the spine that are hard to get off, but a little patience and a light dampening of the sticky residue usually takes care of it. A couple of times I've returned, at no cost and for a full refund, a book that was labeled as used-good, but had large stickers plastered on the cover.
86mamzel
We use a product called Undu to remove stickers. It works really well, especially on shiny finishes.
87.Monkey.
Ah that's good they'll take them back. I'd still prefer to buy from the rest who don't do it to begin with, though! I've bought from a number of sellers on Abe and none of them have put any stickers, thank goodness.
88-Eva-
I'm so happy to see your review for Rituals since I recently realized I have a copy in my bookshelf. Thanks!
89ELiz_M
(02/16/14) Category: Thaïs -- books by "non-Western" authors
God's Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène , pub. 1960
This engaging novel is set primarily in Senegal and depicts the events surrounding the 1947 railroad strike. There is Ad'jibid'ji, a young girl that is fascinated by the meetings of the railroad workers and tells her grandfather that she has "to start learning what it means to be a man" because "men and women will be equal one day" and her grandmother Niakoro, steeped in the old ways, who believes "knowledge should not belong to children, but to their elders." There is the enigmatic Bakayoko, the leader of the strike whom does not make an appearance until more than halfway through the book and his local strike leaders in Theis, Dakar, and Bamako. There are chapters narrated by obedient wives, market women, and prostitutes. There are stories told by the very old that remember the brutality and hardships of the strike many years ago and the young apprentices that fearlessly and unintentionally find ways to frighten the white bosses. There are the stories of the the white bosses, their wives and a failed anthropologist. All of these viewpoints create a all-encompassing narrative; it is the story of an entire community and a culture on the brink of change deftly told through many voices.
God's Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène , pub. 1960
This engaging novel is set primarily in Senegal and depicts the events surrounding the 1947 railroad strike. There is Ad'jibid'ji, a young girl that is fascinated by the meetings of the railroad workers and tells her grandfather that she has "to start learning what it means to be a man" because "men and women will be equal one day" and her grandmother Niakoro, steeped in the old ways, who believes "knowledge should not belong to children, but to their elders." There is the enigmatic Bakayoko, the leader of the strike whom does not make an appearance until more than halfway through the book and his local strike leaders in Theis, Dakar, and Bamako. There are chapters narrated by obedient wives, market women, and prostitutes. There are stories told by the very old that remember the brutality and hardships of the strike many years ago and the young apprentices that fearlessly and unintentionally find ways to frighten the white bosses. There are the stories of the the white bosses, their wives and a failed anthropologist. All of these viewpoints create a all-encompassing narrative; it is the story of an entire community and a culture on the brink of change deftly told through many voices.
90ELiz_M
>86 mamzel: Thanks! I knew such a thing existed, but hadn't found the right combo of words to google...
>88 -Eva-: If you read Rituals in the near future, I will be very interested in your review. Perhaps you'll be less tongue-tied and more coherent than I! ;)
>88 -Eva-: If you read Rituals in the near future, I will be very interested in your review. Perhaps you'll be less tongue-tied and more coherent than I! ;)
91ELiz_M
(02/18/14) Category: Les Contes d'Hoffmann -- short story collections
Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. by E. Somerville
A mostly fun and sometimes obtuse collection of stories centered on Major Sinclair Yeates. Yeates retired from the army and took a position of Regional Magistrate in Western Ireland, where he encounters many colorful characters and endures many more unfortunate incidents. James Herriot's stories seem to owe a debt to Somerville, but for mehis stories are more successful. While both authors depict the trials of country life as experienced by a hapless outsider that is frequently the butt of the stories jokes, The Irish R.M was published in 1899 and so many of the stories center on obscure-to-me nuances of social class, horses, and fox-hunting that i was mystified more often than I was amused. If you happen to stumble across a copy, I do recommend "Trinket's Colt". The surprise ending had me laughing out loud on the subway.
Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. by E. Somerville
A mostly fun and sometimes obtuse collection of stories centered on Major Sinclair Yeates. Yeates retired from the army and took a position of Regional Magistrate in Western Ireland, where he encounters many colorful characters and endures many more unfortunate incidents. James Herriot's stories seem to owe a debt to Somerville, but for mehis stories are more successful. While both authors depict the trials of country life as experienced by a hapless outsider that is frequently the butt of the stories jokes, The Irish R.M was published in 1899 and so many of the stories center on obscure-to-me nuances of social class, horses, and fox-hunting that i was mystified more often than I was amused. If you happen to stumble across a copy, I do recommend "Trinket's Colt". The surprise ending had me laughing out loud on the subway.
92electrice
>89 ELiz_M: Good review of God's Bits of Wood. It looks like it's a lively story :)
93-Eva-
->91 ELiz_M:
Another one that's been languishing on my Mt.TBR - I need to get around to that one too! :)
Another one that's been languishing on my Mt.TBR - I need to get around to that one too! :)
94ELiz_M
>92 electrice: Thank you!
>92 electrice:, 93 It's one of the better books i have read so far this year!
>92 electrice:, 93 It's one of the better books i have read so far this year!
95ELiz_M
The book gods were smiling on me this weekend.
I went to a church book sale ($1-2 books!) and picked up 12 books, although only 10 of them "count" as two of them are decent-condition replacements for even worse editions.
But the purchase I am the most excited about is a pristine copy of Rituals, which i read a few weeks ago & instantly put on my wishlist.
I went to a church book sale ($1-2 books!) and picked up 12 books, although only 10 of them "count" as two of them are decent-condition replacements for even worse editions.
But the purchase I am the most excited about is a pristine copy of Rituals, which i read a few weeks ago & instantly put on my wishlist.
96ELiz_M
Time to play catch-up. Life got too busy to read all of the LT threads, maintain two threads of my book reviews and read more books to be reviewed...
97ELiz_M
(02/23/14) Category: Hansel and Gretel -- 1001 books commonly recommended for High School students.
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
I made the mistake of listening to an audiobook for this title. The parts I paid attention to and understood were fun and engaging, but all of the philosophical discussions and monologues went in one ear and out the other. And I definitely misheard the conclusion of a scene -- I could have sworn one of the characters died, but he was alive and well later on in the audiobook.....oops. I will definitely have to re-read this someday!
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
I made the mistake of listening to an audiobook for this title. The parts I paid attention to and understood were fun and engaging, but all of the philosophical discussions and monologues went in one ear and out the other. And I definitely misheard the conclusion of a scene -- I could have sworn one of the characters died, but he was alive and well later on in the audiobook.....oops. I will definitely have to re-read this someday!
98ELiz_M
(02/24/14) Category: Le Comte Ory -- LGBT books
The Counterfeiters by André Gide
This novel might have been a victim of it's own success -- the first half was marvelous, starting off rather dramatically and then introducing a large cast of characters and their soap-operaesque interrelations. The author skillfully dropped hints and foreshadowed an explosive climax, but then somehow diverted the various story lines into other avenues...
The writing is beautiful throughout and I loved the many layers of reality (one character is an author writing a novel called "The Counterfeiters"). I also loved the various ways the idea of counterfeit was used -- a subplot with counterfeit coins, the false faces people wear in social interactions, etc. But somehow, what started off as a six-star read lost luster halfway through.
The Counterfeiters by André Gide
This novel might have been a victim of it's own success -- the first half was marvelous, starting off rather dramatically and then introducing a large cast of characters and their soap-operaesque interrelations. The author skillfully dropped hints and foreshadowed an explosive climax, but then somehow diverted the various story lines into other avenues...
The writing is beautiful throughout and I loved the many layers of reality (one character is an author writing a novel called "The Counterfeiters"). I also loved the various ways the idea of counterfeit was used -- a subplot with counterfeit coins, the false faces people wear in social interactions, etc. But somehow, what started off as a six-star read lost luster halfway through.
99ELiz_M
And now for the book buying update. My favorite used bookstore has monthly 30% off sales. I have been trying to avoid these, as I have far too many unread books at home already. But it was a rough couple of weeks at work and winter has been so long and.....well I only picked up 11 books:
The Story of the Stone: Vol. 1, The Golden Days (because I was currently reading a bad library ebook edition that had no easy access to the cast of characters)
Collected Fictions (because I have been looking for a perfect condition used edition for YEARS. And I finally found one!)
The Return of the Native (because I need to get over my reluctance to read Hardy. I might love Hardy)
Lucky Jim (a like-new NYRB edition!)
Testament of Youth (it was mis-shelved in fiction and I forgot to return it to the non-fiction section....)
Adam Bede (in good condition and very inexpensive)
The Pilgrim's Progress (my current version was free and heavily underlined and needed replacement)
The Captive & The Fugitive (I am working on collecting the complete modern library set, probably from the same individual who is donating their editions as they finish reading them)
Death of an Englishman, Siren of the Waters, and Random Violence (to add to my colorful crime collection):
The Story of the Stone: Vol. 1, The Golden Days (because I was currently reading a bad library ebook edition that had no easy access to the cast of characters)
Collected Fictions (because I have been looking for a perfect condition used edition for YEARS. And I finally found one!)
The Return of the Native (because I need to get over my reluctance to read Hardy. I might love Hardy)
Lucky Jim (a like-new NYRB edition!)
Testament of Youth (it was mis-shelved in fiction and I forgot to return it to the non-fiction section....)
Adam Bede (in good condition and very inexpensive)
The Pilgrim's Progress (my current version was free and heavily underlined and needed replacement)
The Captive & The Fugitive (I am working on collecting the complete modern library set, probably from the same individual who is donating their editions as they finish reading them)
Death of an Englishman, Siren of the Waters, and Random Violence (to add to my colorful crime collection):
100ELiz_M
(03/04/14) Category: Les Contes d'Hoffmann -- short story collections
The Burning Plain and Other Stories by Juan Rulfo
Set in the desert-plains of Mexico, these short stories masterfully depict glimpses of the hardscrabble land and the harsh conditions of existence. Rulfo's sparse prose evokes vivid images. The many snapshots of life are presented by various narrators and through different narrative techniques, story by story aggregating into bleak, and yet beautiful, whole.
The Burning Plain and Other Stories by Juan Rulfo
Set in the desert-plains of Mexico, these short stories masterfully depict glimpses of the hardscrabble land and the harsh conditions of existence. Rulfo's sparse prose evokes vivid images. The many snapshots of life are presented by various narrators and through different narrative techniques, story by story aggregating into bleak, and yet beautiful, whole.
101rabbitprincess
Ooh, a very colourful crime collection indeed! Great haul. :)
103clfisha
Love the book haul photo and making a note of The Burning Plain and Other Stories, intriguing.
105ELiz_M
>101 rabbitprincess:, >102 lkernagh: I accidentally became obsessed with these editions when buying a handful of books for vacation last summer. I have to admit many titles were bought due to spine color rather than mystery content!
106ELiz_M
>103 clfisha: I hope you can find it; the author appears to be an overlooked gem.
107ELiz_M
>104 hailelib: Exactly! Used book sales are a treasure hunt and this time I found the chest of gold!
108lkernagh
many titles were bought due to spine color rather than mystery content!
I would do that,too!
I would do that,too!
109ELiz_M
(03/06/2014) Category: Parsifal -- 1001 list books of more than 500 pages
The Golden Days by Cao Xueqin
For one of "The Great Chinese Novels" written in the late 1700s, I expected it to be tougher going, more archaic somehow. However, the translation feels really modern.
What is tough is the gazillion characters. The character list is 6 single-spaced pages! There are three genealogical charts! After a while, I just stopped keeping track. If the author couldn't write characters that were distinct enough for me to tell them apart, I wasn't going to be able to place them correctly in the family tree.
Oh, and the one aspect that was definitely not modern: each chapter ends with "But if you want to know what happened with 'x' you must read about it in the following chapter". Fun at first, boring after the 12th time, and really irritating by the 25th. And guess what, Volume 1 ends with, "and if you want to know what happened next, you must read the next volume". I'm still trying to decide if I want to know what happens next.
The Golden Days by Cao Xueqin
For one of "The Great Chinese Novels" written in the late 1700s, I expected it to be tougher going, more archaic somehow. However, the translation feels really modern.
What is tough is the gazillion characters. The character list is 6 single-spaced pages! There are three genealogical charts! After a while, I just stopped keeping track. If the author couldn't write characters that were distinct enough for me to tell them apart, I wasn't going to be able to place them correctly in the family tree.
Oh, and the one aspect that was definitely not modern: each chapter ends with "But if you want to know what happened with 'x' you must read about it in the following chapter". Fun at first, boring after the 12th time, and really irritating by the 25th. And guess what, Volume 1 ends with, "and if you want to know what happened next, you must read the next volume". I'm still trying to decide if I want to know what happens next.
110ELiz_M
(03/11/2014) Category: The Nose -- post-modern books
The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García Márquez
Okay, THIS book was difficult. I think there may have been a grand total of 14 sentences. And while the the writing is fluid and pulled me along, the slightest distraction meant it was impossible to pick up where I left off (since there are no paragraphs or visual pauses).
The The premise is fascinating and the writing is phenomenal, but it's also exhausting and not enjoyable, per se. And, oh, because it's GGM there is the requisite dirty-old-man having sexual relations with a-barely-pubescent-girl scene. This one was kinkier than I expected.
I wonder if this novel would be better on audio or even more difficult to follow?
The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García Márquez
Okay, THIS book was difficult. I think there may have been a grand total of 14 sentences. And while the the writing is fluid and pulled me along, the slightest distraction meant it was impossible to pick up where I left off (since there are no paragraphs or visual pauses).
The The premise is fascinating and the writing is phenomenal, but it's also exhausting and not enjoyable, per se. And, oh, because it's GGM there is the requisite dirty-old-man having sexual relations with a-barely-pubescent-girl scene. This one was kinkier than I expected.
I wonder if this novel would be better on audio or even more difficult to follow?
111lkernagh
I think there may have been a grand total of 14 sentences.
Okay. As much as I love run on sentences and stream of consciousness writing, that one sounds like it just kept on going.... and going.... and going. Kind of like the Energizer Bunny. I haven't read enough of Gabriel García Márquez's works to figure out if that would work for me, or not, so placing that one on the backburner for now.
Okay. As much as I love run on sentences and stream of consciousness writing, that one sounds like it just kept on going.... and going.... and going. Kind of like the Energizer Bunny. I haven't read enough of Gabriel García Márquez's works to figure out if that would work for me, or not, so placing that one on the backburner for now.
112-Eva-
"I think there may have been a grand total of 14 sentences."
Haha! Yeah, those are fasten-your-seatbelt ones - just strap yourself in and go along for the ride!
Haha! Yeah, those are fasten-your-seatbelt ones - just strap yourself in and go along for the ride!
113ELiz_M
>111 lkernagh: Yes, it definitely requires concentration & patience. I may re-read it someday, when I am retired and have fewer distractions
>112 -Eva-: It certainly was one heck of a carnival ride!
>112 -Eva-: It certainly was one heck of a carnival ride!
114ELiz_M
(03/16/2014) Category: The Nose -- post-modern books
S. by Doug Dorst
This was a fun read. It is a multi-layered book conceive by J.J. Abrams and written by Doug Dorst. First, there is The Ship of Theseus the last book by the literary enigma V.M. Straka, published in 1949. Straka was both an author and a radical whose views and writings and grassroots protests defied an international conglomerate, forcing him to maintain strict secrecy over his whereabouts and his very existence. Second, there is Eric, a disgraced graduate student who's dissertation attempts to unravel the identity of Straka, but whose research was stolen, and is about to be published by, his academic adviser. Eric has been expelled from university, but stealthily maintains a presence on campus to continue his research in an attempt to prove his former adviser wrong and repair his damaged reputation. Forced to duck out of the library in a hurry, he leaves his copy of The Ship of Theseus where a student worker, Jen, finds it. She collects his papers and leaves them for Eric to find the next day, writing a note on the title page of the novel. This leads to a marginalia conversation between the two as Jen becomes intrigued by Straka and his mystery and is drawn into the Literary rivalry and international intrigue surrounding him. The story of Eric Jen unfolds through notes written in book and items pertaining to research and their world left for each other in the pages of the book.
While the presentation of these two stories is fun and effective, I found the writing, particularly the text of The Ship of Theseus to be rather variable. At times it was fascinating, but more often it was tedious, chapters were ploddingly written as filler to give the other story places to go. I get that Dorst/Abrams needed to maintain the conceit of two individuals exchanging a book that would be able to instantly see the new notes, but scattering them randomly through the text with not enough context is going to irritate and alienate many of your readers. I shouldn't search multiple websites to find out "how to read" the book & in what order. (Hints: correct placement of inserts, Guide to reading the book)
Overall it was fun, but too much attention was placed on the gimmick and not enough on the story. Possession did this better.
S. by Doug Dorst
This was a fun read. It is a multi-layered book conceive by J.J. Abrams and written by Doug Dorst. First, there is The Ship of Theseus the last book by the literary enigma V.M. Straka, published in 1949. Straka was both an author and a radical whose views and writings and grassroots protests defied an international conglomerate, forcing him to maintain strict secrecy over his whereabouts and his very existence. Second, there is Eric, a disgraced graduate student who's dissertation attempts to unravel the identity of Straka, but whose research was stolen, and is about to be published by, his academic adviser. Eric has been expelled from university, but stealthily maintains a presence on campus to continue his research in an attempt to prove his former adviser wrong and repair his damaged reputation. Forced to duck out of the library in a hurry, he leaves his copy of The Ship of Theseus where a student worker, Jen, finds it. She collects his papers and leaves them for Eric to find the next day, writing a note on the title page of the novel. This leads to a marginalia conversation between the two as Jen becomes intrigued by Straka and his mystery and is drawn into the Literary rivalry and international intrigue surrounding him. The story of Eric Jen unfolds through notes written in book and items pertaining to research and their world left for each other in the pages of the book.
While the presentation of these two stories is fun and effective, I found the writing, particularly the text of The Ship of Theseus to be rather variable. At times it was fascinating, but more often it was tedious, chapters were ploddingly written as filler to give the other story places to go. I get that Dorst/Abrams needed to maintain the conceit of two individuals exchanging a book that would be able to instantly see the new notes, but scattering them randomly through the text with not enough context is going to irritate and alienate many of your readers. I shouldn't search multiple websites to find out "how to read" the book & in what order. (Hints: correct placement of inserts, Guide to reading the book)
Overall it was fun, but too much attention was placed on the gimmick and not enough on the story. Possession did this better.
115ELiz_M
(03/16/14) Category: Les Contes d'Hoffmann -- short story collections
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
After the previous two novels, I needed a something a little more straight-forward. And due to the frequent LT mentions of Sherlock and Benedict Cumberbatch, I decided to re-read some of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Doyle's fact-oriented detective and linear narratives were a refreshing change.
In my mystery reading, I prefer those in which an unusual or occult incident is investigated and discovered to have a rational explanation rather than the current fad of detectives solving seemingly ordinary crimes through the use of supernatural powers. I thought this was a well-balanced collection with a variety of stories including one or two in which Holmes was bested by his adversary. As with any collection some stories were better than others, some had rather bizarre and exceedingly solutions, The Adventure of the Speckled Band. My favorite story was The Man with the Twisted Lip.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
After the previous two novels, I needed a something a little more straight-forward. And due to the frequent LT mentions of Sherlock and Benedict Cumberbatch, I decided to re-read some of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Doyle's fact-oriented detective and linear narratives were a refreshing change.
In my mystery reading, I prefer those in which an unusual or occult incident is investigated and discovered to have a rational explanation rather than the current fad of detectives solving seemingly ordinary crimes through the use of supernatural powers. I thought this was a well-balanced collection with a variety of stories including one or two in which Holmes was bested by his adversary. As with any collection some stories were better than others, some had rather bizarre and exceedingly solutions, The Adventure of the Speckled Band. My favorite story was The Man with the Twisted Lip.
116ELiz_M
(03/21/2014) Category: The First Emperor - 1001 list books published in the 21st Century.
I had tried to read this book once before, but abandoned it. I picked it up again a few weeks ago somewhat due to the persistently cold winter we're having, hoping the weather would turn spring-like because I was reading a winter book (it didn't work).
I am glad I tried reading this again, it was a better time for the book and i not only finished it, but enjoyed it. I can see why it felt a slog the first time through -- the narrator is not the protagonist causing a curious distance between the reader and the story. But it also allowed the building of tension as the narrator alluded to events that happen years after the timeline of the story, so while you know something bad happened you know it didn't cause the death of various characters. This time I had more patience for the more long-winded diatribes by bit players and was more able to apprciate the beauty of the writing, even if i didn't always understand the points of view put forth.
I had tried to read this book once before, but abandoned it. I picked it up again a few weeks ago somewhat due to the persistently cold winter we're having, hoping the weather would turn spring-like because I was reading a winter book (it didn't work).
I am glad I tried reading this again, it was a better time for the book and i not only finished it, but enjoyed it. I can see why it felt a slog the first time through -- the narrator is not the protagonist causing a curious distance between the reader and the story. But it also allowed the building of tension as the narrator alluded to events that happen years after the timeline of the story, so while you know something bad happened you know it didn't cause the death of various characters. This time I had more patience for the more long-winded diatribes by bit players and was more able to apprciate the beauty of the writing, even if i didn't always understand the points of view put forth.
117PawsforThought
I've been an a classical music binge lately and I just listened to all the clips you linked to in your categories. Such wonderful music! I especially like Hansel and Gretel - it was lovely! Thanks for introducing me to it.
118rabbitprincess
Speckled Band is one of my favourite Holmes stories, probably *because* it's so bizarre. Adventures is a great collection overall though, especially since it has the classic "A Scandal in Bohemia."
119ELiz_M
>117 PawsforThought: I am glad you enjoyed it! I saw a preview performance that was open to school children, which was hilarious -- they kids were so responsive; it was like being at a sporting event with cheers and boos and all! They loved the over-the-top food food fight scene.
120ELiz_M
>118 rabbitprincess: Yes, "A Scandal in Bohemia" was also fun! Interesting to see Homes bested, and by a woman no less. ;)
121PawsforThought
119. Oooh, I really want to watch the whole thing now. I shall search for it.
122LittleTaiko
Speckled Band is one of my favorites! So twisted and creative.
I'm actually going to see an opera next week - Barber of Seville. Have you seen it?
I'm actually going to see an opera next week - Barber of Seville. Have you seen it?
123ELiz_M
>122 LittleTaiko: The Barber of Seville is a fun opera! Although, it's hard not to prefer the Looney Tunes version ;)
124ELiz_M
(03/29/14) Category: Thaïs -- books by "non-Western" authors
Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
A dense, well-written book by a Kenyan author. The story begins with the rounding-up of several people by the police for questioning in an arson/murder inquiry. One of the men detained by the police, Munira, is allowed to write his version of the events. His narrative begins twelve years in the past with his arrival in a rural village. His story is also the story of the decline of the farming community and traditional way of life and the sudden "modernization" of the town that by-passed so many of the village's inhabitants. But it also the story of four strangers to the town, Munira, Abdulla, Wanja, and Karega, and how the entanglement of their pasts impact the future, ultimately leading to the homicide.
On a side note, I was pleased to discover this book referenced Chaka and God's Bits of Wood, two books I read earlier this year!
Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
A dense, well-written book by a Kenyan author. The story begins with the rounding-up of several people by the police for questioning in an arson/murder inquiry. One of the men detained by the police, Munira, is allowed to write his version of the events. His narrative begins twelve years in the past with his arrival in a rural village. His story is also the story of the decline of the farming community and traditional way of life and the sudden "modernization" of the town that by-passed so many of the village's inhabitants. But it also the story of four strangers to the town, Munira, Abdulla, Wanja, and Karega, and how the entanglement of their pasts impact the future, ultimately leading to the homicide.
On a side note, I was pleased to discover this book referenced Chaka and God's Bits of Wood, two books I read earlier this year!
125ELiz_M
I've updated my second post with ideas about the next three months of reading (so much fun!)
And Happy Thingaversary to me! I haven't bought my books yet. I am planning on spending money at St. Marks Bookshop, a small independent store in the East Village that is desperately trying to raise funds in order to move to a less expensive space nearby.
And Happy Thingaversary to me! I haven't bought my books yet. I am planning on spending money at St. Marks Bookshop, a small independent store in the East Village that is desperately trying to raise funds in order to move to a less expensive space nearby.
126MissWatson
Happy Thingaversary and have fun choosing your books!
129rabbitprincess
Happy Thingaversary and enjoy your shopping!
130ELiz_M
Thanks everyone!
I had a whole list of books I wanted to buy and ended up with none of them! Instead, I picked up Nox by Anne Carson. It is a book I had heard about a few years ago when it first came out due to it's collage-like structure and unique form. The back says: "When my brother died I made an epitaph for him in the form of a book. This is a replica of it, as close as we could get." Since it's not available at the library, I bought it. I was also looking for a Mediterranean vegetarian cookbook and ended up with The Duke's Table: The Complete Book of Vegetarian Italian Cooking.
I had a whole list of books I wanted to buy and ended up with none of them! Instead, I picked up Nox by Anne Carson. It is a book I had heard about a few years ago when it first came out due to it's collage-like structure and unique form. The back says: "When my brother died I made an epitaph for him in the form of a book. This is a replica of it, as close as we could get." Since it's not available at the library, I bought it. I was also looking for a Mediterranean vegetarian cookbook and ended up with The Duke's Table: The Complete Book of Vegetarian Italian Cooking.
131ELiz_M
First Quarter Summary:
Books read: 32
Books bought: 39
Pages read this quarter: 7935
Average pages per book: 240.5
Categories:
The First Emperor - books published in the 21st Century: 3/5
Hansel and Gretel - 1001 books commonly recommended for High School students: 1/5
Iphigénie en Tauride - 1001 books published prior to the 1800s: 3/5
La Fille du Régiment - "comic novels": 0/5
La Damnation de Faust - 1001 list books with very few reviews: 6/5
Thaïs - books by "non-Western" authors: 5/5
Les Contes d'Hoffmann - short story collections: 3/5
Armida - books written by women: 3/5
The Nose - post-modern books: 3/5
Le Comte Ory - LGBT books: 1/5
Manon - books published 1870-1914: 0/5
Un ballo in maschera - banned books: 0/5
Parsifal - books of more than 500 pages: 2/5
Don Giovanni - miscellaneous books: 3/5
Best Books: Rituals, The Counterfeiters, God's Bits of Wood, The Pigeon, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,
The Hour of the Star
Books read: 32
Books bought: 39
Pages read this quarter: 7935
Average pages per book: 240.5
Categories:
The First Emperor - books published in the 21st Century: 3/5
Hansel and Gretel - 1001 books commonly recommended for High School students: 1/5
Iphigénie en Tauride - 1001 books published prior to the 1800s: 3/5
La Fille du Régiment - "comic novels": 0/5
La Damnation de Faust - 1001 list books with very few reviews: 6/5
Thaïs - books by "non-Western" authors: 5/5
Les Contes d'Hoffmann - short story collections: 3/5
Armida - books written by women: 3/5
The Nose - post-modern books: 3/5
Le Comte Ory - LGBT books: 1/5
Manon - books published 1870-1914: 0/5
Un ballo in maschera - banned books: 0/5
Parsifal - books of more than 500 pages: 2/5
Don Giovanni - miscellaneous books: 3/5
Best Books: Rituals, The Counterfeiters, God's Bits of Wood, The Pigeon, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,
The Hour of the Star
132ELiz_M
Once again, I see I am terribly behind in reviews.
(03/30/14) Category: Armida -- books written by women
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat, audiobook narrated by Narrated by Robin Miles.
The narrator was wonderful; she had a (presumably) Haitian accent that is stronger for older Haitians and much less present for Edwidge and her American siblings.
The book a memoir, dedicated to the memories of her father and her "second father" -- the uncle that raised her when her parents first left Haiti for NYC. It focuses on the events surrounding the deaths of both her uncle and her father and the birth of her first child. The story is heartbreaking, though beautifully told.
I was hoping more it it would take place in Haiti and give me a better understanding of recent events in the country, but as it was her personal memories it was only occasionally laced with background, factual information.
(03/30/14) Category: Armida -- books written by women
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat, audiobook narrated by Narrated by Robin Miles.
The narrator was wonderful; she had a (presumably) Haitian accent that is stronger for older Haitians and much less present for Edwidge and her American siblings.
The book a memoir, dedicated to the memories of her father and her "second father" -- the uncle that raised her when her parents first left Haiti for NYC. It focuses on the events surrounding the deaths of both her uncle and her father and the birth of her first child. The story is heartbreaking, though beautifully told.
I was hoping more it it would take place in Haiti and give me a better understanding of recent events in the country, but as it was her personal memories it was only occasionally laced with background, factual information.
133ELiz_M
(03/30/14) Category: Don Giovanni -- miscellaneous books
The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey, audiobook narrated by Simon Prebble
This was a good running errands/household chores audiobook. The narrator was quite good and I found myself cooking more than usual the week I was listening....
It's the first mystery featuring Peter Diamond, an old-timer British constable with a reputation for a quick temper. Diamond believes most crimes are solved through police work, but with strapped resources, it is best to focus on interviews and getting a confession.
Lovesey contrasts Diamond with a young up-and-comer in the force, Wakefield?. The relationship between the two is neither antagonistic nor bonding, which was a nice touch. It made Diamond more human -- he doesn't suffer fools lightly, but will also accept good ideas no matter who espouses them.
It's a good, solid mystery and generally rooted in reality. My main complaint is that while I understand that in the real world murders take time and drudgery to solve, I read mysteries (rather than be a detective) because I want to know the good parts. This could have used a little less drudgery-filler. Also,not one, but two people accidentally found the dead body within hours of her murder? Seriously?
The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey, audiobook narrated by Simon Prebble
This was a good running errands/household chores audiobook. The narrator was quite good and I found myself cooking more than usual the week I was listening....
It's the first mystery featuring Peter Diamond, an old-timer British constable with a reputation for a quick temper. Diamond believes most crimes are solved through police work, but with strapped resources, it is best to focus on interviews and getting a confession.
Lovesey contrasts Diamond with a young up-and-comer in the force, Wakefield?. The relationship between the two is neither antagonistic nor bonding, which was a nice touch. It made Diamond more human -- he doesn't suffer fools lightly, but will also accept good ideas no matter who espouses them.
It's a good, solid mystery and generally rooted in reality. My main complaint is that while I understand that in the real world murders take time and drudgery to solve, I read mysteries (rather than be a detective) because I want to know the good parts. This could have used a little less drudgery-filler. Also,
134ELiz_M
(03/31/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- books with fewer than 10 reviews
The Guiltless by Hermann Broch
Broch's publisher wanted to put together a collection of stories that had been published in various magazines. When Broch received the galleys, he didn't think the stories were worthy of re-publication because the world had changed so much between the 1930s and the the late 1940s. So, he wrote six additional stories and then connected the new stories and the five stories published previously with lyrical poems, titled "Voices", creating a new entity.
So, part of my confoundedness, I think, is due to the structure -- the characters don't make sense because they weren't necessarily written as the same character. While some chapters were haunting and beautiful they did not make up for the the chapters that were dry and boring or filled with incomprehensible (to me) monologues.
The Guiltless by Hermann Broch
Broch's publisher wanted to put together a collection of stories that had been published in various magazines. When Broch received the galleys, he didn't think the stories were worthy of re-publication because the world had changed so much between the 1930s and the the late 1940s. So, he wrote six additional stories and then connected the new stories and the five stories published previously with lyrical poems, titled "Voices", creating a new entity.
So, part of my confoundedness, I think, is due to the structure -- the characters don't make sense because they weren't necessarily written as the same character. While some chapters were haunting and beautiful they did not make up for the the chapters that were dry and boring or filled with incomprehensible (to me) monologues.
135ELiz_M
(04/01/14) Category: The First Emperor -- books published in the 21st century
Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas, pub. 2001
A difficult, but fascinating meta-fictional novel that portrays the present-day narrator's efforts to research, write, and revise a true tale about a true tale that took place in the last days of the Spanish Civil War.
Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas, pub. 2001
A difficult, but fascinating meta-fictional novel that portrays the present-day narrator's efforts to research, write, and revise a true tale about a true tale that took place in the last days of the Spanish Civil War.
136LittleTaiko
Had to report back - loved The Barber of Seville! So much fun. Rewatched The Rabbit of Seville and giggled quite a bit, especially when Bugs was massaging Elmer Fudd's head.
138ELiz_M
>136 LittleTaiko: I'm glad you enjoyed Barber!
There's something satisfy about following up a "real" opera with the Looney Tunes version. After a friend and I saw Walkure we shared earbuds on the subway home, listening to "Kill the rabbit" and laughing manically the whole time!
There's something satisfy about following up a "real" opera with the Looney Tunes version. After a friend and I saw Walkure we shared earbuds on the subway home, listening to "Kill the rabbit" and laughing manically the whole time!
139ELiz_M
(04/04/2014) Category: The Nose -- post-modern books
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, pub. 1966
Although I have no idea what I just read, I really enjoyed this convoluted novella full of conspiracy theories, pop-culture references, and a fake revenge tragedy.
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, pub. 1966
Although I have no idea what I just read, I really enjoyed this convoluted novella full of conspiracy theories, pop-culture references, and a fake revenge tragedy.
140ELiz_M
(04/08/2014) Category: Don Giovanni -- miscellaneous books
I thought this was a rather unremarkable mystery novel. It is not action driven, instead the detective's interviews allow the author to present a monologue/diatribe of a particular character's life philosophy. There were some lovely descriptions of food, which I enjoyed. I suspect I would also have appreciated the atmosphere more if I had a better understanding of Spanish history -- this novel is set in a particular political climate that was too nuanced for me to understand. Not a bad plane-read.
I thought this was a rather unremarkable mystery novel. It is not action driven, instead the detective's interviews allow the author to present a monologue/diatribe of a particular character's life philosophy. There were some lovely descriptions of food, which I enjoyed. I suspect I would also have appreciated the atmosphere more if I had a better understanding of Spanish history -- this novel is set in a particular political climate that was too nuanced for me to understand. Not a bad plane-read.
141ELiz_M
(04/12/2014) Category: Don Giovanni -- miscellaneous books
Jack Maggs by Peter Carey, pub. 1997
A fun reworking of Great Expectations that can be enjoyed on it's own merits. Jack Maggs is a convict sent to Australia and forbidden to return to England. But, upon making his fortune in Australia he defies the law in order to return to England for his son. Unfortunately, his son upon hearing of his eminent return has fled, forcing Jack to hide under the guise of a servant in the neighbor's house as he looks for his son. Jack unwittingly entangles his master, his fellow servants, and acquaintances in his past and present difficulties in his passionate search.
As a much smaller, more streamlined book than a typical Dickens novel, I found it quite engaging. Most of the minor characters are introduced through Jack's narrative so it is easier to remember who is who and how they relate to the main action (unlike Bleak House where a minor character perhaps mentioned in Chapter 6 plays a pivotal role in Chapter 82....). While the action towards the end of the novel is somewhat absurd, it is less eye-rolling coincidental.
I was also favorably reminded of Stephenson's The Confusion, perhaps because both historical novels focus on a charming criminal named Jack.
Jack Maggs by Peter Carey, pub. 1997
A fun reworking of Great Expectations that can be enjoyed on it's own merits. Jack Maggs is a convict sent to Australia and forbidden to return to England. But, upon making his fortune in Australia he defies the law in order to return to England for his son. Unfortunately, his son upon hearing of his eminent return has fled, forcing Jack to hide under the guise of a servant in the neighbor's house as he looks for his son. Jack unwittingly entangles his master, his fellow servants, and acquaintances in his past and present difficulties in his passionate search.
As a much smaller, more streamlined book than a typical Dickens novel, I found it quite engaging. Most of the minor characters are introduced through Jack's narrative so it is easier to remember who is who and how they relate to the main action (unlike Bleak House where a minor character perhaps mentioned in Chapter 6 plays a pivotal role in Chapter 82....). While the action towards the end of the novel is somewhat absurd, it is less eye-rolling coincidental.
I was also favorably reminded of Stephenson's The Confusion, perhaps because both historical novels focus on a charming criminal named Jack.
142mamzel
When I read this review I realized the title was familiar to me. I searched my library's catalog and found it hadn't been checked out since 2004. I'm thinking I may have to pull it. Alas.
143lkernagh
>141 ELiz_M: - Well, considering Great Expectations is my favorite Dicken novel so far, a reworking of that tale is probably right up my alley.... that, and I do like the title Jack Maggs and the cover. ;-)
144ELiz_M
>142 mamzel: That's too bad. Sometimes it saddens me to think of how many good books linger forgotten on the shelves as more shiny new books arrive.
>143 lkernagh: Excellent! I think you'll enjoy it!
>143 lkernagh: Excellent! I think you'll enjoy it!
145ELiz_M
(04/13/14) Category: Hansel and Gretel -- 1001 books commonly recommended for High School students
Henry V by William Shakespeare
I used to know quite a bit of Shakespeare. I spent a semester in London on a Shakespeare program and we read3-4 plays a week and saw every production performed by the the Royal Shakespeare Company. While I fell in love with many of his plays, I have never been good with the histories (Richard III being the exception). There is something about the plotting of the histories -- the need to stick somewhat close to actual events, the moral being conveyed that to me seems to drain the magic and poetry out of these works.
However, being Shakespeare, it s still a fascinating experience. I've been aware of the difference in types of speech for a while -- the comic "low" characters speaking in prose while others speak in verse. But there was something subtle happening with Henry's speeches -- his verse was more ceremonial and harder than parse than the rest.
I am also intrigued by the use of French in this play. It has me thinking about the progression of theatrical norms. Having gone through naturalism and realism with their "fourth wall" still very much in sway, I kept wondering about the inconsistency of Katherine speaking only French on stage, but the French nobles speaking English amongst themselves.... How many people in Shakespeare's time knew enough French to understand those scenes? How many people in out time do? If subtitles are used, does it ruin the intended effect?
I was less than impressed by the famous "Once more unto the breach..." and St. Crispin's Day speeches. But, the speech I loved best was Henry persuading the governor of a besieged town to surrender. It is one of the most chilling descriptions of the cruelties of war I have ever read:
If I begin the battery once again,
I will not leave the half-achieved Harfleur
Till in her ashes she lie buried.
The gates of mercy shall be all shut up,
And the flesh'd soldier, rough and hard of heart,
In liberty of bloody hand shall range
With conscience wide as hell, mowing like grass
Your fresh-fair virgins and your flowering infants.
What is it then to me, if impious war,
Array'd in flames like to the prince of fiends,
Do, with his smirch'd complexion, all fell feats
Enlink'd to waste and desolation?
What is't to me, when you yourselves are cause,
If your pure maidens fall into the hand
Of hot and forcing violation?
What rein can hold licentious wickedness
When down the hill he holds his fierce career?
Henry V by William Shakespeare
I used to know quite a bit of Shakespeare. I spent a semester in London on a Shakespeare program and we read3-4 plays a week and saw every production performed by the the Royal Shakespeare Company. While I fell in love with many of his plays, I have never been good with the histories (Richard III being the exception). There is something about the plotting of the histories -- the need to stick somewhat close to actual events, the moral being conveyed that to me seems to drain the magic and poetry out of these works.
However, being Shakespeare, it s still a fascinating experience. I've been aware of the difference in types of speech for a while -- the comic "low" characters speaking in prose while others speak in verse. But there was something subtle happening with Henry's speeches -- his verse was more ceremonial and harder than parse than the rest.
I am also intrigued by the use of French in this play. It has me thinking about the progression of theatrical norms. Having gone through naturalism and realism with their "fourth wall" still very much in sway, I kept wondering about the inconsistency of Katherine speaking only French on stage, but the French nobles speaking English amongst themselves.... How many people in Shakespeare's time knew enough French to understand those scenes? How many people in out time do? If subtitles are used, does it ruin the intended effect?
I was less than impressed by the famous "Once more unto the breach..." and St. Crispin's Day speeches. But, the speech I loved best was Henry persuading the governor of a besieged town to surrender. It is one of the most chilling descriptions of the cruelties of war I have ever read:
If I begin the battery once again,
I will not leave the half-achieved Harfleur
Till in her ashes she lie buried.
The gates of mercy shall be all shut up,
And the flesh'd soldier, rough and hard of heart,
In liberty of bloody hand shall range
With conscience wide as hell, mowing like grass
Your fresh-fair virgins and your flowering infants.
What is it then to me, if impious war,
Array'd in flames like to the prince of fiends,
Do, with his smirch'd complexion, all fell feats
Enlink'd to waste and desolation?
What is't to me, when you yourselves are cause,
If your pure maidens fall into the hand
Of hot and forcing violation?
What rein can hold licentious wickedness
When down the hill he holds his fierce career?
146ELiz_M
Oh dear, I am woefully, woefully behind. Although I haven't been posting, I have been reading and book buying. Here goes.
147ELiz_M
(04/18/14) Category: Don Giovanni -- this category is for miscellaneous books.
Troubles by J. G. Farrell, pub. 1970
This book was a bit of a surprise. I expected a book by an Irishman full of brogue, hooligans, and political chaos. However, Farrell is an Englishman (of Irish descent) and this novel smartly shows the political unrest in Ireland through the eyes of a war-weary British Soldier who drifted into life as a resident at a once great Irish hotel. I found it to be intriguing and weirdly reminiscent of The Gormenghast Trilogy.
Troubles by J. G. Farrell, pub. 1970
This book was a bit of a surprise. I expected a book by an Irishman full of brogue, hooligans, and political chaos. However, Farrell is an Englishman (of Irish descent) and this novel smartly shows the political unrest in Ireland through the eyes of a war-weary British Soldier who drifted into life as a resident at a once great Irish hotel. I found it to be intriguing and weirdly reminiscent of The Gormenghast Trilogy.
148ELiz_M
(04/20/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- books with fewer than 10 reviews
In Parenthesis by David Jones, pub. 1937
It is a portrayal of the confused, fragmented experience of a soldier in WWI. His often stunning prose is interspersed with poetry, fragments of popular songs, allusions to Celtic and English legends and random associations. It is mostly baffling with moments of lyrical beauty. I can see why T. S. Eliot loved it. But also why it did not become part of the literary cannon -- the associations are too individual and too specific to pre-WWI times.
In Parenthesis by David Jones, pub. 1937
It is a portrayal of the confused, fragmented experience of a soldier in WWI. His often stunning prose is interspersed with poetry, fragments of popular songs, allusions to Celtic and English legends and random associations. It is mostly baffling with moments of lyrical beauty. I can see why T. S. Eliot loved it. But also why it did not become part of the literary cannon -- the associations are too individual and too specific to pre-WWI times.
149ELiz_M
(04/22/14) Category: Un ballo in maschera -- banned books
Amok by Stefan Zweig, pub. 1922
The frame story is a man is on a passenger ship sailing to Europe and one sleepless night he encounters a reclusive passenger in some distress and desperate to tell his story. The reclusive passenger, a doctor, relates how he disgraced himself in Europe and was compelled to travel to India to make a living. He arrives hoping to make himself and the lives of the native better, but the isolation and the tropics drive him mad, until a fateful encounter with an English woman patient causes him to "run amok".
I loved Chess Story, also by Zweig, so I suppose it was inevitable that I would find this one disappointing. The two works re quite similar. Both take place on a passenger ship with the central tale being narrated to the individual that is relating the story to the reader. And while Amok is well-written, I found it unbelievable. In the 20 years between the publication of Amok and The Chess Story, Zweig improved his craft tremendously.
Amok by Stefan Zweig, pub. 1922
The frame story is a man is on a passenger ship sailing to Europe and one sleepless night he encounters a reclusive passenger in some distress and desperate to tell his story. The reclusive passenger, a doctor, relates how he disgraced himself in Europe and was compelled to travel to India to make a living. He arrives hoping to make himself and the lives of the native better, but the isolation and the tropics drive him mad, until a fateful encounter with an English woman patient causes him to "run amok".
I loved Chess Story, also by Zweig, so I suppose it was inevitable that I would find this one disappointing. The two works re quite similar. Both take place on a passenger ship with the central tale being narrated to the individual that is relating the story to the reader. And while Amok is well-written, I found it unbelievable. In the 20 years between the publication of Amok and The Chess Story, Zweig improved his craft tremendously.
150ELiz_M
(04/23/14) Category: La Fille du Régiment -- "comic novels"
The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith, pub. 1766
I made the mistake of trying to read this while traveling; it is not a good plane book. As should be expected with 18th century works, the form of a "novel" was not established yet. Goldsmith mixes comic vignettes with poetry and sermons to tell the story of the unfortunate Primrose family, complete with sudden poverty, broken engagements, abduction, wrongful imprisonment, and miraculous reversal.
The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith, pub. 1766
I made the mistake of trying to read this while traveling; it is not a good plane book. As should be expected with 18th century works, the form of a "novel" was not established yet. Goldsmith mixes comic vignettes with poetry and sermons to tell the story of the unfortunate Primrose family, complete with sudden poverty, broken engagements, abduction, wrongful imprisonment, and miraculous reversal.
151ELiz_M
(04/26/14) Category: The First Emperor -- books published in the 21st century
The City & the City by China Miéville, narrated by John Lee
What a fascinating novel -- a mystery set in a different reality. Two cities share the same geographic space, but for arcane reasons (that I didn't understand) are located in separate countries. Each city develops a distinct architecture and dress, and bearing. Citizens from a young age are socialized to "unsee" the foreign people and building that, while physically within a few feet, are in another country. The body of young woman found in one city, Beszel, but it is quickly discovered she was murdered in the other, Ul Qoma. Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad of Beszel must navigate the intricacies of the borders and customs in the two cities to find and punish the killer.
It is a novel unlike any other and I found myself unconsciously taking longer to wash the dishes and sorting the laundry and finding more chores to do so I could listen for longer periods.
The City & the City by China Miéville, narrated by John Lee
What a fascinating novel -- a mystery set in a different reality. Two cities share the same geographic space, but for arcane reasons (that I didn't understand) are located in separate countries. Each city develops a distinct architecture and dress, and bearing. Citizens from a young age are socialized to "unsee" the foreign people and building that, while physically within a few feet, are in another country. The body of young woman found in one city, Beszel, but it is quickly discovered she was murdered in the other, Ul Qoma. Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad of Beszel must navigate the intricacies of the borders and customs in the two cities to find and punish the killer.
It is a novel unlike any other and I found myself unconsciously taking longer to wash the dishes and sorting the laundry and finding more chores to do so I could listen for longer periods.
152PawsforThought
>151 ELiz_M: I loved reading The City & the City; it was such a fascinating read. It took me a little while to understand what on Earth was going on but once I wrapped my head around the reality it's set in, it was pure joy. Glad you liked it, too.
153ELiz_M
(04/26/14) Category: Don Giovanni -- this category is for miscellaneous books.
The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić, pub 1945
It is a fascinating history of of a town in what is now and Herzegovina, starting the 1500s with the building of the bridge that connects the village with the Ottoman Empire in the east through the bombardment of the town by Serbs in 1914. Each chapter is catures a moment in history through the personal story of an inhabitant of the town.
I loved this book. I loved the use of interlinked vignettes to relate history through the perspective of the individuals living through it. I loved how a story told in one chapter was a legend about the bridge/town that was part of the culture of the people in a later chapter. I loved how a defiant young man in one chapter would reappear as a minor character in the next as middle-aged family man in the next and the next as an old man rejecting modern attitudes. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the stories center around men and the few women protagonists are somehow less real. Other than that, the book is excellent.
The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić, pub 1945
It is a fascinating history of of a town in what is now and Herzegovina, starting the 1500s with the building of the bridge that connects the village with the Ottoman Empire in the east through the bombardment of the town by Serbs in 1914. Each chapter is catures a moment in history through the personal story of an inhabitant of the town.
I loved this book. I loved the use of interlinked vignettes to relate history through the perspective of the individuals living through it. I loved how a story told in one chapter was a legend about the bridge/town that was part of the culture of the people in a later chapter. I loved how a defiant young man in one chapter would reappear as a minor character in the next as middle-aged family man in the next and the next as an old man rejecting modern attitudes. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the stories center around men and the few women protagonists are somehow less real. Other than that, the book is excellent.
154ELiz_M
>152 PawsforThought: Luckily, I had heard enough about the book to know the basic premise, otherwise I would have been completely lost -- the audiobook is very good, but I need to "see" names to remember them, so I was often in the wrong city mentally....
155ELiz_M
(04/28/14) Category: Manon -- books published 1870-1914
Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith, pub. 1892
Originally published serially in Punch magazine, this book collects the purported diary of Charles Pooter a clerk in an advertising firm thathas recently moved with his wife to London's suburbs.
This slim novel was a quick read and while there are some amusing moments, I did not find it laugh-out-loud funny. It is not quite my sense of humor.
Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith, pub. 1892
Originally published serially in Punch magazine, this book collects the purported diary of Charles Pooter a clerk in an advertising firm thathas recently moved with his wife to London's suburbs.
This slim novel was a quick read and while there are some amusing moments, I did not find it laugh-out-loud funny. It is not quite my sense of humor.
156ELiz_M
(04/29/14) Category: Le Comte Ory -- LGBT books
There but for the by Ali Smith, pub. 2011
This just missed being a brilliant book. It starts with a posh dinner party where the cultured, diverse, guests discuss art and politics. Midway through the meal, one of the guests leaves the table and quietly locks himself in the spare bedroom and refuses to come out. The novel is composed of four sections (each starting with one of the four words of the titles). Anna, a woman in her forties who has recently quit her job, narrates the first section. The second section is narrated by Mark, a gay man in his sixties. May, a hospitalized eighty-year old woman possibly suffering from dementia narrates the third section. And to complete our artificially diverse cast of characters, the last section is narrated by a ten-year old black girl.
Ali Smith is quite a good writer. This book reminded me of Byatt's work in a way, but the framing device is so implausible that the rest of the novel becomes suspect and the narrators feel too glib and two-dimensional.
There but for the by Ali Smith, pub. 2011
This just missed being a brilliant book. It starts with a posh dinner party where the cultured, diverse, guests discuss art and politics. Midway through the meal, one of the guests leaves the table and quietly locks himself in the spare bedroom and refuses to come out. The novel is composed of four sections (each starting with one of the four words of the titles). Anna, a woman in her forties who has recently quit her job, narrates the first section. The second section is narrated by Mark, a gay man in his sixties. May, a hospitalized eighty-year old woman possibly suffering from dementia narrates the third section. And to complete our artificially diverse cast of characters, the last section is narrated by a ten-year old black girl.
Ali Smith is quite a good writer. This book reminded me of Byatt's work in a way, but the framing device is so implausible that the rest of the novel becomes suspect and the narrators feel too glib and two-dimensional.
157ELiz_M
(04/30/14) Category: Manon -- books published 1870-1914
Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, pub. 1899
For some reason, I had been intimidated by this author -- "the greatest writer of Brazilian literature". I expected his work to be erudite, dense, brilliant, and maybe arcane. Dom Casmurro turned out to be delightful and entirely readable.
The novel is narrated by Bento, now and elderly man telling his life story. He was promised to the priesthood by his mother and as a child this was also his greatest wish. But as he grew and his departure to the seminary was delayed by his devoted, widowed mother, Bento falls unrelentingly in love with the neighbor's daughter. Through her wiles and the help of the loquacious Jose Dias, Bento is eventually allowed to leave the seminary to study law and to marry the love of his life. And this is when his unhappiness begins.
The prose is often magnificent and the story is charmingly related with Bento frequently address the reader and commenting on the story he relates. Unfortunately, I should have known better than to immerse myself in his story and thereby miss the subtle layer of the author's interpretation.
Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, pub. 1899
For some reason, I had been intimidated by this author -- "the greatest writer of Brazilian literature". I expected his work to be erudite, dense, brilliant, and maybe arcane. Dom Casmurro turned out to be delightful and entirely readable.
The novel is narrated by Bento, now and elderly man telling his life story. He was promised to the priesthood by his mother and as a child this was also his greatest wish. But as he grew and his departure to the seminary was delayed by his devoted, widowed mother, Bento falls unrelentingly in love with the neighbor's daughter. Through her wiles and the help of the loquacious Jose Dias, Bento is eventually allowed to leave the seminary to study law and to marry the love of his life. And this is when his unhappiness begins.
The prose is often magnificent and the story is charmingly related with Bento frequently address the reader and commenting on the story he relates. Unfortunately, I should have known better than to immerse myself in his story and thereby miss the subtle layer of the author's interpretation.
159rabbitprincess
Hm, I might have to put Troubles on my to-read list. I'm in an Irish mood these days. Thanks for the review!
160lkernagh
I love the reviews for your recent reads! Troubles is on my TBR bookcase so making a note of the The Gormenghast Trilogy. Mieville really has a way with transporting the reader into a different world than the one we inhabit.... I love his writings because of that.
161ELiz_M
>158 mamzel: I had a lot of reading time. I spent a week visiting mum after her knee-replacement and it rained 7 of the 8 days I was there. Also, her recovery was going well, so she wasn't too demanding ;)
>159 rabbitprincess: Troubles is not as "Irish" as I thought it would be, or very much about the troubles, but it is very good!
>160 lkernagh: Thanks! The Gormenghast Trilogy is very atmospheric and moody and full of oddball characters. Steerpike, the antagonist(?), is kind of amazing.
>159 rabbitprincess: Troubles is not as "Irish" as I thought it would be, or very much about the troubles, but it is very good!
>160 lkernagh: Thanks! The Gormenghast Trilogy is very atmospheric and moody and full of oddball characters. Steerpike, the antagonist(?), is kind of amazing.
162ELiz_M
(05/02/14) Category: Le Comte Ory -- LGBT books
The Wars by Timothy Findley
Remarkable! Although a scant 200 pages, Findley has managed to create a haunting story full of vivid images and nuanced characters. It is not a typical WWI story dwelling on the horror of trench warfare (but they are not omitted either) or depicting the large-scale destruction of a major battle. It is the story of one soldier, Robert Ross, a 19-year-old Canadian from a well-to-do family, and one troubling incident.
The novel opens with the description of a scene. We are in the middle of battle -- artillery falling, smoke, fire, stranding supply trains and Robert evacuating dozens of horses. We then start from an earlier point in the story from a different perspective. While this is Robert's story, he is not the one narrating it. His story is being pieced together by an anonymous researcher through newspaper articles, old letters, historical documents, and interviews in a technique one reviewer described as meta-historical fiction.
It is brilliantly done. Through the double-lens, we can both see the insanity of war and yet realize that is inexplicable.
The Wars by Timothy Findley
Remarkable! Although a scant 200 pages, Findley has managed to create a haunting story full of vivid images and nuanced characters. It is not a typical WWI story dwelling on the horror of trench warfare (but they are not omitted either) or depicting the large-scale destruction of a major battle. It is the story of one soldier, Robert Ross, a 19-year-old Canadian from a well-to-do family, and one troubling incident.
The novel opens with the description of a scene. We are in the middle of battle -- artillery falling, smoke, fire, stranding supply trains and Robert evacuating dozens of horses. We then start from an earlier point in the story from a different perspective. While this is Robert's story, he is not the one narrating it. His story is being pieced together by an anonymous researcher through newspaper articles, old letters, historical documents, and interviews in a technique one reviewer described as meta-historical fiction.
It is brilliantly done. Through the double-lens, we can both see the insanity of war and yet realize that is inexplicable.
163ELiz_M
And, finally, the book-splurge post! Once again, I couldn't resist the monthly sale at my favorite used book store:
Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg
Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson
Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare
The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger
The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll by Alvaro Mutis
The Museum of Unconditional Surrender by Dubravka Ugrešić
The First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Young Törless by Robert Musil
Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg
Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson
Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare
The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger
The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll by Alvaro Mutis
The Museum of Unconditional Surrender by Dubravka Ugrešić
The First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Young Törless by Robert Musil
Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
164ELiz_M
(05/03/14) Category: Armida -- books written by women
Nox by Anne Carson
"Nox is an epitaph in the form of a book, a facsimile of a handmade book Anne Carson wrote and created after the death of her brother." Anne's brother had run away from home in 1978 and in the years between leaving and his death had only spoken to Anne a half-dozen times.
I read this in bits and pieces over the course of several weeks. It is difficult to describe..... The reproduction is one continuous object, accordion-folded. On each left hand side "page" is a Latin word with it's translation/interpretation. One the right hand side "pages" are photographs, scraps of letters, poems, and other various fragments of Anne's memories of her brother. Eventually, I realized the Latin words were the words that compose a poem that is at the beginning and end of the book. It is Catullus’ poem 101, an elegy for his brother, who also died on a distant shore and Anne had been working on perfecting the translation of it all her life.
It is a fascinating object, but somehow the reproduction feels like a shadow of the shadow of the original.
Nox by Anne Carson
"Nox is an epitaph in the form of a book, a facsimile of a handmade book Anne Carson wrote and created after the death of her brother." Anne's brother had run away from home in 1978 and in the years between leaving and his death had only spoken to Anne a half-dozen times.
I read this in bits and pieces over the course of several weeks. It is difficult to describe..... The reproduction is one continuous object, accordion-folded. On each left hand side "page" is a Latin word with it's translation/interpretation. One the right hand side "pages" are photographs, scraps of letters, poems, and other various fragments of Anne's memories of her brother. Eventually, I realized the Latin words were the words that compose a poem that is at the beginning and end of the book. It is Catullus’ poem 101, an elegy for his brother, who also died on a distant shore and Anne had been working on perfecting the translation of it all her life.
It is a fascinating object, but somehow the reproduction feels like a shadow of the shadow of the original.
165ELiz_M
(05/08/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- books with fewer than 10 reviews
The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger, pub. 1957
I have been looking for a copy of this book for quite some time, so i may have been too excited too read it (high expectations).
A science-fiction novel that takes place in a future that diaviated from history some time after WWI. The basic plot revolves around Richard, an unemployed former cavalry officer and tank commander. Having finally reached a point where he thinks he might be willing to sacrifice his old-fashioned principles, Richard reaches out to a former comrade that has made a success of himself as a kind of broker. Richard is offered a chance to interview with the great, reclusive industrialist Zapparoni, with the understanding that the job on offer is one that may require unscrupulous behavior.
The writing is at times mesmerizing and often baffling. The entire novel spans two days in Richard's life and is very much his internal monologue. It's baffling because in real time, Zapparoni asks Richard a question then there is a 20-page flashback/internal monologue depicting in-depth all the thoughts that would flash through one's mind, and then Richard answers the question posed (20 pages later). But the few glimpses of the world Jünger has created are extraordinary and the description of the scene in the garden, where Richard first encounters the glass bees, is stunning. I just wasn't prepared for, or focused enough for, the endless internal philosophizing.
The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger, pub. 1957
I have been looking for a copy of this book for quite some time, so i may have been too excited too read it (high expectations).
A science-fiction novel that takes place in a future that diaviated from history some time after WWI. The basic plot revolves around Richard, an unemployed former cavalry officer and tank commander. Having finally reached a point where he thinks he might be willing to sacrifice his old-fashioned principles, Richard reaches out to a former comrade that has made a success of himself as a kind of broker. Richard is offered a chance to interview with the great, reclusive industrialist Zapparoni, with the understanding that the job on offer is one that may require unscrupulous behavior.
The writing is at times mesmerizing and often baffling. The entire novel spans two days in Richard's life and is very much his internal monologue. It's baffling because in real time, Zapparoni asks Richard a question then there is a 20-page flashback/internal monologue depicting in-depth all the thoughts that would flash through one's mind, and then Richard answers the question posed (20 pages later). But the few glimpses of the world Jünger has created are extraordinary and the description of the scene in the garden, where Richard first encounters the glass bees, is stunning. I just wasn't prepared for, or focused enough for, the endless internal philosophizing.
166ELiz_M
Dang heck!
I keep getting one message off this morning and somehow my "editing" a message changes to "add a message" by the time I have finished composing a review. So, instead of having a deleted post, I am saving this little rant here. Hopefully I will procrastinate less and not have so many posts to compose all at once and will thus avoid today's weirdness in the future.
I keep getting one message off this morning and somehow my "editing" a message changes to "add a message" by the time I have finished composing a review. So, instead of having a deleted post, I am saving this little rant here. Hopefully I will procrastinate less and not have so many posts to compose all at once and will thus avoid today's weirdness in the future.
167whitewavedarling
Oh my--I stop by to catch up, and end up with three book bullets (The Wars, In Parenthesis, and Amok)!!! Mieville has been on my radar for a while or that would be another one, but I'm finally going to get around to trying him this month, at least. Lovely reviews!
168ELiz_M
>167 whitewavedarling: Hunh, I meant some of those reviews to be discouraging. Well, I hope you enjoy them more than I did! ;)
169ELiz_M
(05/14/14) Category: Un ballo in maschera -- banned books
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, pub. 1945
The frame story takes place in the 1940s with the relocation of Officer Charles Ryder's company to a new base at Brideshead, an estate he knew well in his youth. Ryder recalls his coming-of-age in Oxford and his intimate friendship with Sebastian Flyte, the second son of the aristocratic family established at Brideshead. Sebastian is a charismatic, troubled youth that is unable to find his place in his even more troubled family and his place in society. Charles is from a less wealthy, less religious, and more conventional upbringing. As he develops a ties with Sebastian's family, Sebastian descends into drink and nomadicism, with Charles watching helplessly unable to understand his struggle to break free of the constraints placed on him by his family and his faith. Years later, Charles encounters Julia, Sebastian's sister on a passenger ship sailing from New York to England.Both unhappily married, they fall in love and leave their respective spouses to be together, but this relationship, too, is doomed to failure.
Brideshead Revisited is a fine novel and helped pass many travel hours, but ultimately I didn't connect with it. With no religious background, I missed the theme of "divine grace" and since I am not British and do not suffer nostalgia for pre-WWII aristocracy, this novel did not resonate with me.
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, pub. 1945
The frame story takes place in the 1940s with the relocation of Officer Charles Ryder's company to a new base at Brideshead, an estate he knew well in his youth. Ryder recalls his coming-of-age in Oxford and his intimate friendship with Sebastian Flyte, the second son of the aristocratic family established at Brideshead. Sebastian is a charismatic, troubled youth that is unable to find his place in his even more troubled family and his place in society. Charles is from a less wealthy, less religious, and more conventional upbringing. As he develops a ties with Sebastian's family, Sebastian descends into drink and nomadicism, with Charles watching helplessly unable to understand his struggle to break free of the constraints placed on him by his family and his faith. Years later, Charles encounters Julia, Sebastian's sister on a passenger ship sailing from New York to England.
Brideshead Revisited is a fine novel and helped pass many travel hours, but ultimately I didn't connect with it. With no religious background, I missed the theme of "divine grace" and since I am not British and do not suffer nostalgia for pre-WWII aristocracy, this novel did not resonate with me.
170PawsforThought
>169 ELiz_M: Sorry to see you weren't too keen on Brideshead Revisited. I haven't read it yet (it's on Mount TBR) but I've seen both the mini-series and the relatively new movie - loved the former, not too keen on the latter - and I've been wanting to read it but something about Waugh intimidates me.
Oh, and as a lover of classical music (or at least opera, I don't know how you feel about other types of classical music) I was hoping you might want to help me a little. I've been re-acquainting myself with classical music lately and since the charity shops in town have tons of vinyl records with classical (and are more than happy to sell them att extra-low prices as there isn't much demand for them) I was planning on investing in a few. But I don't know much about which recordings are the best. Do you have any tips?
Oh, and as a lover of classical music (or at least opera, I don't know how you feel about other types of classical music) I was hoping you might want to help me a little. I've been re-acquainting myself with classical music lately and since the charity shops in town have tons of vinyl records with classical (and are more than happy to sell them att extra-low prices as there isn't much demand for them) I was planning on investing in a few. But I don't know much about which recordings are the best. Do you have any tips?
171ELiz_M
(05/16/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- books with fewer than 10 reviews
The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh, pub. 1990.
This intricate novel relates the stories of two interconnected families -- one Indian, one English from the time of the Raj through the late 20th century. The stories are collected and relayed by an unnamed narrator, born in the poor branch of the Indian family he is raised in Calcutta and educated in London. The narrator has always collected stories, first as a way to escape his circumstances and to fulfill his desire to see more of the world, then as way to make sense of his family's history and their intertwined existence with the English Price family.
The narration jumps back and forth in time and space with the narrator telling his stories as they occur to him -- a story about his cousin Ilsa reminds him of a story May Price told him about her brother Nick, which requires a background story about his grandfather, and so on. It is a wonderfully rich, complicated novel, but one that requires quite a bit of focus to keep straight the cast of characters and the timeline.
The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh, pub. 1990.
This intricate novel relates the stories of two interconnected families -- one Indian, one English from the time of the Raj through the late 20th century. The stories are collected and relayed by an unnamed narrator, born in the poor branch of the Indian family he is raised in Calcutta and educated in London. The narrator has always collected stories, first as a way to escape his circumstances and to fulfill his desire to see more of the world, then as way to make sense of his family's history and their intertwined existence with the English Price family.
The narration jumps back and forth in time and space with the narrator telling his stories as they occur to him -- a story about his cousin Ilsa reminds him of a story May Price told him about her brother Nick, which requires a background story about his grandfather, and so on. It is a wonderfully rich, complicated novel, but one that requires quite a bit of focus to keep straight the cast of characters and the timeline.
172ELiz_M
(05/17/14) Category: The First Emperor -- books published in the 21st century
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood, pub. 2013, narrated by Bernadette Dunne, Bob Walter, Robbie Daymond
The final installment of the MaddAddam trilogy is should not be read as a stand-alone novel and the other two books should be read first. I had read both Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood preiously, but not recently enough.
The structure of MaddAddam is interesting. while it assumes the reader is familier to the previous stories, referring to events in short-hand, it also seems to relate many of the same events as stories. The novel continues the present tense by re-telling and reinterpreting the past. And each story is told more than once - Zeb relates his history to Toby and Toby tells the story of Zeb to the Crakers. I suspect this would be rather dull in print form. Luckily, i was listening to it and the story-telling aspect worked well in audio.
Since I had so little memory of the previous novels, I found MaddAddam a little frustrating -- I was most intrigued by Snowman the Jimmy and Adam but very little of those stories are presented here, as they were the foci of the earlier novels. However, the storyof fuck was brilliant and made the book well worth reading.
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood, pub. 2013, narrated by Bernadette Dunne, Bob Walter, Robbie Daymond
The final installment of the MaddAddam trilogy is should not be read as a stand-alone novel and the other two books should be read first. I had read both Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood preiously, but not recently enough.
The structure of MaddAddam is interesting. while it assumes the reader is familier to the previous stories, referring to events in short-hand, it also seems to relate many of the same events as stories. The novel continues the present tense by re-telling and reinterpreting the past. And each story is told more than once - Zeb relates his history to Toby and Toby tells the story of Zeb to the Crakers. I suspect this would be rather dull in print form. Luckily, i was listening to it and the story-telling aspect worked well in audio.
Since I had so little memory of the previous novels, I found MaddAddam a little frustrating -- I was most intrigued by Snowman the Jimmy and Adam but very little of those stories are presented here, as they were the foci of the earlier novels. However, the story
173whitewavedarling
>168 ELiz_M: , I figured that lol. The same thing has happened to me with reviews--but what's disappointed me and been worth remarking on has drawn in others. Different books for different readers and all that :) Proof, I suppose, is that I adored Brideshead Revisited...I suspect I'll find MaddAddam frustrating as well, though. I'm disappointed in Year of the Flood so far, but I'll probably finish the trilogy since I'm so close, and since I found the third one used and already picked it up. Ah well--good reading on your end!
174ELiz_M
>170 PawsforThought: Ooops, I didn't see this (as I was busy typing post 171). You may love Brideshead Revisited; most people do. For some reason (maybe due to being in coach on a 6-hour flight?) it didn't engage me.
As for the classical music question, sadly I am not very helpful. I work in the performing arts on the production/technical side and I am TERRIBLE with composer/conductor/artist names, especially older recordings. :(
As for the classical music question, sadly I am not very helpful. I work in the performing arts on the production/technical side and I am TERRIBLE with composer/conductor/artist names, especially older recordings. :(
175PawsforThought
>174 ELiz_M: Thanks anyways. I think I've managed to google some good suggestions on recordings (and when I was in town yesterday I found a bunch of them in one of the charity shops so...whohoo!)
And no-one can be expected to drum up much enthusiasm for anything on a six-hour flight in coach!
And no-one can be expected to drum up much enthusiasm for anything on a six-hour flight in coach!
176ELiz_M
(05/18/14) Category: Don Giovanni -- this category is for miscellaneous books
Morvern Callar by Alan Warner, pub 1995.
I was completely indifferent to this novel. It may have been "the novel" for a select group of people, but I suspect I am from the wrong generation and the wrong country to appreciate it. Morvern may have had a unique voice, but the character (the person who's head we're supposedly in), as far as I can tell, was emotionally dead. It reads quickly; I kept turning the pages waiting for something to happen. But, overall it didn't affect me.
Morvern Callar by Alan Warner, pub 1995.
I was completely indifferent to this novel. It may have been "the novel" for a select group of people, but I suspect I am from the wrong generation and the wrong country to appreciate it. Morvern may have had a unique voice, but the character (the person who's head we're supposedly in), as far as I can tell, was emotionally dead. It reads quickly; I kept turning the pages waiting for something to happen. But, overall it didn't affect me.
177ELiz_M
(05/23/14) Category: La Fille du Régiment -- "comic novels"
The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor, pub 1989
It was a lot of fun! It is a satirical retelling of the Indian independence movement, roughly from the 1920s to the 1980s. The novel is structured after the Mahabharata, the epic of Hindu mythology, recasting the mythical characters as Indian historical figures. With only a surface knowledge of Gandhi and a vague awareness of the partition, I still found the novel amusing. I am sure a better understanding of India's history and familiarity with the referenced epic would have made the novel even better and I look forward to re-reading it someday when I am more informed.
The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor, pub 1989
It was a lot of fun! It is a satirical retelling of the Indian independence movement, roughly from the 1920s to the 1980s. The novel is structured after the Mahabharata, the epic of Hindu mythology, recasting the mythical characters as Indian historical figures. With only a surface knowledge of Gandhi and a vague awareness of the partition, I still found the novel amusing. I am sure a better understanding of India's history and familiarity with the referenced epic would have made the novel even better and I look forward to re-reading it someday when I am more informed.
178-Eva-
>151 ELiz_M:
Yey for Miéville-love! :)
>176 ELiz_M:
I have Morvern Callar on Mt. TBR and am wondering if you've gathered your thoughts now. :)
Yey for Miéville-love! :)
>176 ELiz_M:
I have Morvern Callar on Mt. TBR and am wondering if you've gathered your thoughts now. :)
179ELiz_M
>178 -Eva-: Unfortunately, these days that activity can be better described as "herding cats". I hope to get caught up on reviews next week!
181mamzel
When one works in a high school it's best to have an advanced degree in herding cats. Four days left in school and I still have almost 200 hundred books not returned.
183ELiz_M
(05/25/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- books with fewer than 10 reviews
Disobedience by Alberto Moravia, pub. 1948
Luca is an adolescent boy who quietly struggles with societies constraints by giving up all ties to life, one by one. This is a delightful novel, simply told. It is impressive when an author can convey experiences of an individual very different in thought and experiences than I in a way that I understand without playing on the emotions. Luca is a fascinating character experiencing a rough time in life, and the author relates his story objectively, yet without being cold.
Disobedience by Alberto Moravia, pub. 1948
Luca is an adolescent boy who quietly struggles with societies constraints by giving up all ties to life, one by one. This is a delightful novel, simply told. It is impressive when an author can convey experiences of an individual very different in thought and experiences than I in a way that I understand without playing on the emotions. Luca is a fascinating character experiencing a rough time in life, and the author relates his story objectively, yet without being cold.
184ELiz_M
(05/29/2014) Category: The Nose -- post-modern books
Cigarettes by Harry Mathews, pub. 1987
The history behind this book is a little bit unusual. Mathews was a member of a French literary society known as the Oulipo, which used specific writing constraints or algorithms to construct works of literature (the most well known example is Perec's A Void written without using the letter "e").
In the Paris Review, Mathews states, "I decided to write an Oulipian novel. And I created this abstract scheme of permutations of situations in which A meets B, B meets C, and so forth. There’s no point in looking for it now because no one will ever figure it out, including me. Anyway, I stared at this for a year, and in time people started appearing, then situations, then stories. And a surprising thing happened. I’d never been able to write about the world I grew up in, but Cigarettes allowed me to do it"
The result is really quite fascinating. The prose is clean, reminiscent of a wordier Hemingway but the situations are more of a modern society novel (with a little Marquis de Sade for one of the sub-plots). While the structure was fascinating, I didn't catch on very quickly that I needed to keep a character map and 2/3rds of the way through I had given up remembering all of the various relationships between the characters. Also, there was one subplot/character that did not ring true for me and I found those sections mildly irritating.
Otherwise, it is brilliant and fun to watch how each chapter between two seemingly random characters elucidated their connection, and how some of the chapters repeated the same incident from a different point of view creating a whole fascinating, soap-opera world.
Cigarettes by Harry Mathews, pub. 1987
The history behind this book is a little bit unusual. Mathews was a member of a French literary society known as the Oulipo, which used specific writing constraints or algorithms to construct works of literature (the most well known example is Perec's A Void written without using the letter "e").
In the Paris Review, Mathews states, "I decided to write an Oulipian novel. And I created this abstract scheme of permutations of situations in which A meets B, B meets C, and so forth. There’s no point in looking for it now because no one will ever figure it out, including me. Anyway, I stared at this for a year, and in time people started appearing, then situations, then stories. And a surprising thing happened. I’d never been able to write about the world I grew up in, but Cigarettes allowed me to do it"
The result is really quite fascinating. The prose is clean, reminiscent of a wordier Hemingway but the situations are more of a modern society novel (with a little Marquis de Sade for one of the sub-plots). While the structure was fascinating, I didn't catch on very quickly that I needed to keep a character map and 2/3rds of the way through I had given up remembering all of the various relationships between the characters. Also, there was one subplot/character that did not ring true for me and I found those sections mildly irritating.
Otherwise, it is brilliant and fun to watch how each chapter between two seemingly random characters elucidated their connection, and how some of the chapters repeated the same incident from a different point of view creating a whole fascinating, soap-opera world.
185ELiz_M
(06/04/14) Category: La Fille du Régiment -- "comic novels"
Rameau's Nephew by Denis Diderot
Ugh. I generally am not good with satire or philosophy. So this satirical "novel" full of philosophical conversation was beyond me. It was written as one long, continuous dialogue between the author character and the buffoonish nephew of Rameau. There were no chapter or section breaks; it was one block of text page after page after page. I found most of it boring beyond belief.
Rameau's Nephew by Denis Diderot
Ugh. I generally am not good with satire or philosophy. So this satirical "novel" full of philosophical conversation was beyond me. It was written as one long, continuous dialogue between the author character and the buffoonish nephew of Rameau. There were no chapter or section breaks; it was one block of text page after page after page. I found most of it boring beyond belief.
186ELiz_M
My favorite used bookstore had two sales in June -- the yearly street fair where all books are $1 on June 1st and the regular first-weekend-of-the-month 30% off sale June 7-8th. I picked up a few things at each.
Street Fair sale:
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake (read years ago & really enjoyed; I'd been meaning to pick up a copy...)
The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed (bookclub read, one of the few nonfiction titles I've read in its entirety)
The Real Inspector Hound and Other Entertainments by Tom Stoppard (A play I worked on in college)
Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher, Billy Boyle by James R. Benn, Murder in the Marais by Cara Black (added to my colorful crime collection - see post 99)
The Adventures of Sindbad by Gyula Krúdy (an NYRB book)
Monthly Sale:
Dog Years by Günter Grass (Yay! my trilogy is complete)
Walker and The Ghost Dance by Derek Walcott (I should read his work...)
Also, a Better World Books order finally arrived:
Love in Excess by Eliza Haywood, Disappearance by David Dabydeen, The First Garden by Anne Hebert (intriguing 1001 book titles that I can't get at the libraries)
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham (a book I enjoyed and have wanted to own for a while)
Street Fair sale:
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake (read years ago & really enjoyed; I'd been meaning to pick up a copy...)
The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed (bookclub read, one of the few nonfiction titles I've read in its entirety)
The Real Inspector Hound and Other Entertainments by Tom Stoppard (A play I worked on in college)
Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher, Billy Boyle by James R. Benn, Murder in the Marais by Cara Black (added to my colorful crime collection - see post 99)
The Adventures of Sindbad by Gyula Krúdy (an NYRB book)
Monthly Sale:
Dog Years by Günter Grass (Yay! my trilogy is complete)
Walker and The Ghost Dance by Derek Walcott (I should read his work...)
Also, a Better World Books order finally arrived:
Love in Excess by Eliza Haywood, Disappearance by David Dabydeen, The First Garden by Anne Hebert (intriguing 1001 book titles that I can't get at the libraries)
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham (a book I enjoyed and have wanted to own for a while)
187ELiz_M
(06/10/14) Category: Un ballo in maschera -- banned books
The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth
An interesting book cover three generations-worth of decline (both of the family and the Austria-Hungary empire). The language is descriptive and evocative, but most of the time curiously distant, considering the author is using alternating third-person limited (we should be inside the characters' heads). There were episodes with action, where tension is built and the outcome is in question. But on the whole, the book is desultory; the main theme of the novel was decay and loss and it was expressed almost as a fading away, the excellent writing didn't hold my attention as well as it should have.
The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth
An interesting book cover three generations-worth of decline (both of the family and the Austria-Hungary empire). The language is descriptive and evocative, but most of the time curiously distant, considering the author is using alternating third-person limited (we should be inside the characters' heads). There were episodes with action, where tension is built and the outcome is in question. But on the whole, the book is desultory; the main theme of the novel was decay and loss and it was expressed almost as a fading away, the excellent writing didn't hold my attention as well as it should have.
188ELiz_M
(06/12/14) Category: La Fille du Régiment -- "comic novels"
Jim Dixon has unfortunately been ingenuous enough to capture a position in the history department of a provincial college, supposedly as their medieval specialist. It is a position he has come to realize that he does not want and for which he is not suited. His hapless cleverness and habitual drunkenness results in all manner of entertainingly awkward scrapes. A fun read, but I better it would be even more hilarious to those with closer ties to the academic world.
Jim Dixon has unfortunately been ingenuous enough to capture a position in the history department of a provincial college, supposedly as their medieval specialist. It is a position he has come to realize that he does not want and for which he is not suited. His hapless cleverness and habitual drunkenness results in all manner of entertainingly awkward scrapes. A fun read, but I better it would be even more hilarious to those with closer ties to the academic world.
189rabbitprincess
Nice book haul, especially the additions to the colourful crime collection :)
191-Eva-
Excellent loot!!
>188 ELiz_M:
I've been meaning to try Kingsley Amis - hopefully I can fit something in soon.
>188 ELiz_M:
I've been meaning to try Kingsley Amis - hopefully I can fit something in soon.
192ELiz_M
>191 -Eva-: You should fit K. Amis in! Lucky Jim was a quick read -- only a few hours. ;)
193ELiz_M
(06/15/14) Category: Armida -- books written by women
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, narrated by George Guidall
Set in turn of the century New York, this is the story of two unlikely "immigrants" to America. Chava is a golem, created to be a wife for a Polish emigrant, she is brought to life by her master shortly before he dies at sea. Ahmad is a jinni, trapped in a copper flask that was passed down through the generations and eventually brought to America by Syrian immigrants, he is released by a tinsmith attempting to repair the flask.
Each is protected by a member of their respective communities, a mentor that attempts to help them to adapt and to conform to human existence. Ahmad, 200 years old, impetuous, used to a solitary existence chafes at the iron band that holds him in human form and the societal restraints imposed upon him. Chava, newly born, masterless, struggles against her nature and desire to satisfy the unspoken wishes of all those around her.
These two unlikely creatures meet one night and recognize each other's true natures. Unable to be their true selves in the company of those around them, they find solace in each other's company, starting an unlikely friendship that alters the course of their lives and the lives of those around them.
This is a fascinating novel, well-written and well-narrated. I found myself dusting, DUSTING! one day because I wanted to listen longer and needed something to do. I was impressed with the balance of the many, many story lines (never getting lost as to which time/place I was in), and how they fit together. The author deftly handles the many characters,showing glimpses of them in different situations, so that even many of the minor characters seem real. I loved that the author set up different possible outcomes for the two main characters and explored some of the "what ifs". It is extremely well done for what it is, but in the end it is primarily a love story.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, narrated by George Guidall
Set in turn of the century New York, this is the story of two unlikely "immigrants" to America. Chava is a golem, created to be a wife for a Polish emigrant, she is brought to life by her master shortly before he dies at sea. Ahmad is a jinni, trapped in a copper flask that was passed down through the generations and eventually brought to America by Syrian immigrants, he is released by a tinsmith attempting to repair the flask.
Each is protected by a member of their respective communities, a mentor that attempts to help them to adapt and to conform to human existence. Ahmad, 200 years old, impetuous, used to a solitary existence chafes at the iron band that holds him in human form and the societal restraints imposed upon him. Chava, newly born, masterless, struggles against her nature and desire to satisfy the unspoken wishes of all those around her.
These two unlikely creatures meet one night and recognize each other's true natures. Unable to be their true selves in the company of those around them, they find solace in each other's company, starting an unlikely friendship that alters the course of their lives and the lives of those around them.
This is a fascinating novel, well-written and well-narrated. I found myself dusting, DUSTING! one day because I wanted to listen longer and needed something to do. I was impressed with the balance of the many, many story lines (never getting lost as to which time/place I was in), and how they fit together. The author deftly handles the many characters,showing glimpses of them in different situations, so that even many of the minor characters seem real. I loved that the author set up different possible outcomes for the two main characters and explored some of the "what ifs". It is extremely well done for what it is, but in the end it is primarily a love story.
195lkernagh
>193 ELiz_M: - LOL, I love that you resorting to "dusting" just so that you could continue listening! Great review!
196ELiz_M
(06/15/14) Category: Don Giovanni -- miscellaneous books
Money by Martin Amis
I found this book to be darkly, sickly fascinating. You don't want to look, yet you can't look away.... John Self is a "successful" advertising man (his fame stems from a commercial that was too...inappropriate to air) that has been offered the opportunity to direct a movie based on a concept he developed. At the urging of his co-producer, Self caters to his every desire, spending what seems to be unlimited money on alcohol, pornography, and prostitutes. Quite frankly, he is a despicable character. And yet. Amis has done a remarkable job putting the reader inside Self's head and depicting just enough self-loathing and awareness of his social-ineptness to maintain a glimmer of sympathy for this otherwise loathsome character. As the end nears, I found myself both rooting for Self's inevitable downfall and hoping he would avoid the looming disasters -- brilliant writing.
Money by Martin Amis
I found this book to be darkly, sickly fascinating. You don't want to look, yet you can't look away.... John Self is a "successful" advertising man (his fame stems from a commercial that was too...inappropriate to air) that has been offered the opportunity to direct a movie based on a concept he developed. At the urging of his co-producer, Self caters to his every desire, spending what seems to be unlimited money on alcohol, pornography, and prostitutes. Quite frankly, he is a despicable character. And yet. Amis has done a remarkable job putting the reader inside Self's head and depicting just enough self-loathing and awareness of his social-ineptness to maintain a glimmer of sympathy for this otherwise loathsome character. As the end nears, I found myself both rooting for Self's inevitable downfall and hoping he would avoid the looming disasters -- brilliant writing.
197ELiz_M
(06/16/14) Category: La Damnation de Faust -- books with fewer than 11 reviews
Loving by Henry Green, pub. 1945
This is a delightful novella set in an English aristocrats house in Ireland during the beginning of WWII. Upstairs is the somewhat oblivious Mrs. Tennant, her daughter-in-law the troubled Mrs. Jack, and the young ladies. Downstairs there is the newly promoted butler Charley Raunce, the rebellious housekeeper, the drunken chef and her wayward young son, the two maids, and various other staff.
In so few pages, many of the characters are no more than brief sketches, but Green is able to create complex inner worlds for some of them -- Edith whose growing love for Charley creates a distance between her and her friend and roommate. We see the children at play and the odd fantasy world they inhibit. We see Charley in his attempts to decipher the previous butler's system of augmenting his income and gain mastery over the staff. We see Mrs. Jack and her inability to be present as she is deep in her thoughts and private worries. so much more. But, while completely charming, the writing did not always make clear the jumps between the different perspectives and some of the characters had way to many changes of mind for such a short period of time, making them seem inconsistent.
Loving by Henry Green, pub. 1945
This is a delightful novella set in an English aristocrats house in Ireland during the beginning of WWII. Upstairs is the somewhat oblivious Mrs. Tennant, her daughter-in-law the troubled Mrs. Jack, and the young ladies. Downstairs there is the newly promoted butler Charley Raunce, the rebellious housekeeper, the drunken chef and her wayward young son, the two maids, and various other staff.
In so few pages, many of the characters are no more than brief sketches, but Green is able to create complex inner worlds for some of them -- Edith whose growing love for Charley creates a distance between her and her friend and roommate. We see the children at play and the odd fantasy world they inhibit. We see Charley in his attempts to decipher the previous butler's system of augmenting his income and gain mastery over the staff. We see Mrs. Jack and her inability to be present as she is deep in her thoughts and private worries. so much more. But, while completely charming, the writing did not always make clear the jumps between the different perspectives and some of the characters had way to many changes of mind for such a short period of time, making them seem inconsistent.
198ELiz_M
(06/27/14) Category: Armida -- books written by women
A Day Off by Storm Jameson, pub. 1933
Another novella, thank goodness. While the writing is excellent, I would not have wanted to spend much more time in the bleak world of the main character. The narrator has decided that if the weather is good, she will spend the day in Richmond, a park-infested suburb of London. At first she is a sympathetic character -- deeply worried about the possible loss of the man that has been keeping her, she is is a middle-aged woman with no skills and bad legs down to her last few pounds. Aware of her impending poverty and shabby appearance, she speaks sharply to waiters out of fear of being treated badly. As the day wars on, she falls suddenly in and out of revery -- her poor upbringing, punishing work in the mill, the flight to London to work in hotels, a secure position lost due to WWI, and so on.
She wasn't a bad person, but in the limited number of choices, she made bad decisions and thirty years of constant worry and grinding near-poverty, have warped her. As the day goes on, and we witness her her actions and interactions with others and realize she is not a nice person. So, although the writing is wonderful, the story is so bleak and without hope that it is difficult to "enjoy".
A Day Off by Storm Jameson, pub. 1933
Another novella, thank goodness. While the writing is excellent, I would not have wanted to spend much more time in the bleak world of the main character. The narrator has decided that if the weather is good, she will spend the day in Richmond, a park-infested suburb of London. At first she is a sympathetic character -- deeply worried about the possible loss of the man that has been keeping her, she is is a middle-aged woman with no skills and bad legs down to her last few pounds. Aware of her impending poverty and shabby appearance, she speaks sharply to waiters out of fear of being treated badly. As the day wars on, she falls suddenly in and out of revery -- her poor upbringing, punishing work in the mill, the flight to London to work in hotels, a secure position lost due to WWI, and so on.
She wasn't a bad person, but in the limited number of choices, she made bad decisions and thirty years of constant worry and grinding near-poverty, have warped her. As the day goes on, and we witness her her actions and interactions with others and realize she is not a nice person. So, although the writing is wonderful, the story is so bleak and without hope that it is difficult to "enjoy".
199ELiz_M
(06/27/2014) Category: Parsifal -- 1001 list books of more than 500 pages
The Recognitions by William Gaddis, pub. 1955, 956 pages
Well, that was quite an experience. I spent about a month with this weighty book. It was fascinating except when it was frustrating. As with most book s of this length, there are dozens of characters, many of them difficult to keep straight. This post-modern novel tackles major themes -- faith, art, the role of the artist, morality, while also playing with writing techniques -- unattributed dialogue, stream-of-consciousness, meta-fiction, and so on. And the plot-lines are a little...eccentric. This is not a book where anybody lives happily-ever-after. So, why is it a four-star read? The writing at time is gorgeous. The ideas are fascinating and I loved finding the occasional references/homages to other great works of literature. At times it made me feel intelligent and at times the obscure information made me interested in learning more. It was a unique experience.
The Recognitions by William Gaddis, pub. 1955, 956 pages
Well, that was quite an experience. I spent about a month with this weighty book. It was fascinating except when it was frustrating. As with most book s of this length, there are dozens of characters, many of them difficult to keep straight. This post-modern novel tackles major themes -- faith, art, the role of the artist, morality, while also playing with writing techniques -- unattributed dialogue, stream-of-consciousness, meta-fiction, and so on. And the plot-lines are a little...eccentric. This is not a book where anybody lives happily-ever-after. So, why is it a four-star read? The writing at time is gorgeous. The ideas are fascinating and I loved finding the occasional references/homages to other great works of literature. At times it made me feel intelligent and at times the obscure information made me interested in learning more. It was a unique experience.
200ELiz_M
(06/28/14) Category: Armida -- books written by women
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, pub. 1962, narrated by Bernadette Dunne
I borrowed this from the library because I enjoyed Bernadette Dunne so much as one of the narrators of the MaddAddam Trilogy. Unfortunately, I may have listened to it too soon -- it was so weird hearing Ren called Mary Cat and Constance instead of Toby.
Mary Cat and Constance are the youngest members left of the wealthy Blackwood family after a poisoning killed the rest of their family except Uncle Julian. Constance had been the primary suspect as she did most of the cooking, but she was eventually cleared of any wrong-doing and the crime remained unsolved. The trial, the publicity, and the small-town gossip scarred Constance forcing her to live the life of a recluse to escape the public eye.
The story is narrated by young Mary Catherine Blackwood (who escaped poisoning as she was sent to bed without supper on the fateful night). Mary Cat naively describes the patterns of the days and the rare, unpleasant, interactions with townspeople, happily living under the watchful eye of her beloved older sister until one day Cousin Charles arrives. He quickly ingratiates himself with Constance offering "support" and casually inquiring after the family money and disrupting routines in an attempt to instill himself as the head of the family and impose societal norms his eccentric relatives. He unwittingly sets off a chain of events culminating in another tragedy. A delightfully creepy read!
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, pub. 1962, narrated by Bernadette Dunne
I borrowed this from the library because I enjoyed Bernadette Dunne so much as one of the narrators of the MaddAddam Trilogy. Unfortunately, I may have listened to it too soon -- it was so weird hearing Ren called Mary Cat and Constance instead of Toby.
Mary Cat and Constance are the youngest members left of the wealthy Blackwood family after a poisoning killed the rest of their family except Uncle Julian. Constance had been the primary suspect as she did most of the cooking, but she was eventually cleared of any wrong-doing and the crime remained unsolved. The trial, the publicity, and the small-town gossip scarred Constance forcing her to live the life of a recluse to escape the public eye.
The story is narrated by young Mary Catherine Blackwood (who escaped poisoning as she was sent to bed without supper on the fateful night). Mary Cat naively describes the patterns of the days and the rare, unpleasant, interactions with townspeople, happily living under the watchful eye of her beloved older sister until one day Cousin Charles arrives. He quickly ingratiates himself with Constance offering "support" and casually inquiring after the family money and disrupting routines in an attempt to instill himself as the head of the family and impose societal norms his eccentric relatives. He unwittingly sets off a chain of events culminating in another tragedy. A delightfully creepy read!
201ELiz_M
Second Quarter Summary:
Books read: 33
Books bought: 45
Pages read this quarter: 9133
Average pages per book: 277
Category totals to date:
The First Emperor - books published in the 21st Century: 5/5
Hansel and Gretel - 1001 books commonly recommended for High School students: 2/5
Iphigénie en Tauride - 1001 books published prior to the 1800s: 3/5
La Fille du Régiment - "comic novels": 4/5
La Damnation de Faust - 1001 list books with very few reviews: 11/5
Thaïs - books by "non-Western" authors: 5/5
Les Contes d'Hoffmann - short story collections: 3/5
Armida - books written by women: 7/5
The Nose - post-modern books: 5/5
Le Comte Ory - LGBT books: 3/5
Manon - books published 1870-1914: 2/5
Un ballo in maschera - banned books: 3/5
Parsifal - books of more than 500 pages: 3/5
Don Giovanni - miscellaneous books: 9/5
Best Books: The Bridge on the Drina, The Recognitions, Money, The Golem and the Jinni, The Wars, Dom Casmurro, The City & the City, and Jack Maggs
Books read: 33
Books bought: 45
Pages read this quarter: 9133
Average pages per book: 277
Category totals to date:
The First Emperor - books published in the 21st Century: 5/5
Hansel and Gretel - 1001 books commonly recommended for High School students: 2/5
Iphigénie en Tauride - 1001 books published prior to the 1800s: 3/5
La Fille du Régiment - "comic novels": 4/5
La Damnation de Faust - 1001 list books with very few reviews: 11/5
Thaïs - books by "non-Western" authors: 5/5
Les Contes d'Hoffmann - short story collections: 3/5
Armida - books written by women: 7/5
The Nose - post-modern books: 5/5
Le Comte Ory - LGBT books: 3/5
Manon - books published 1870-1914: 2/5
Un ballo in maschera - banned books: 3/5
Parsifal - books of more than 500 pages: 3/5
Don Giovanni - miscellaneous books: 9/5
Best Books: The Bridge on the Drina, The Recognitions, Money, The Golem and the Jinni, The Wars, Dom Casmurro, The City & the City, and Jack Maggs
This topic was continued by Eliz_M's operatic effort - the encore thread.
