kidzdoc achieves TBR domination in 2014, part 1

Oh all right, already! It's still over 36 hours away from the New Year, but a certain LTer from Long Island, who shall remain nameless, has shamed me into creating a thread in advance.

I'm gonna be really ticked off if there isn't any pavlova left over.

2013 was a moderately successful year for me, as I read several outstanding books. However, I did not make much of a dent in the TBR titles that I had wanted to get to the most. So, I have created a list of the TBR books that I would like to read in the next year or two, and I'll post that list near the top of every thread this year to serve as a reminder and a tally of my progress. I haven't written book reviews as promptly or as often as I should, so I'd like to do better in 2014.

I've wanted to read more Canadian literature, so I polled several Canadian LTers to get recommendations from them. I'll read 8-10 or more books from the titles they chose, and post this list in every thread as well.

I am the primary moderator for LT's Booker Prize group, and I'll continue to read the longlist in earnest when it is announced in July.

I haven't listened to as much jazz as I have in years past, especially new albums by contemporary musicians, and classic albums from the 1950s and 1960s that are unfamiliar to me. I'd like to post comments about at least one or two of these recordings every month here, since there are at least a few jazz lovers in this group. I'll also post comments about any jazz or classical music performances I attend.

In 2013 I saw 12 live theatrical performances, in London and NYC, and I'd like to match or exceed that total in 2014. I'll continue to post theatre reviews as I see plays in the US and UK.

I did meet up with at least 30 LTers last year, in Philadelphia and NYC in the US, and London, Cambridge and Ely in the UK. I don't know if I can match that total this year, but I'll participate in as many LT gatherings as I can.




Currently reading:

    

Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami
How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America by Kiese Laymon
Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past by Giles Tremlett

Completed books:

January:
1. Homage to Barcelona by Colm Tóibín (review)
2. 1914: A Novel by Jean Echenoz (review)
3. How I Became Hettie Jones by Hettie Jones

Purchased books:

January:
1. 1914: A Novel by Jean Echenoz (1 Jan, Strand Book Store)
2. The Travels and Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen by Rudolf Erich Raspe (1 Jan, Book Culture)
3. King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild (1 Jan, Book Culture)
4. U.S.A. by John Dos Passos (1 Jan, Book Culture)
5. Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities by Mark Anthony Neal (1 Jan, Book Culture)
6. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes (1 Jan, Book Culture)
7. Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat (1 Jan, Book Culture)
8. How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America by Kiese Laymon (1 Jan, Book Culture)
9. My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit (1 Jan, Book Culture)
10. Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize by Sean B. Carroll (1 Jan, Book Culture)
11. The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally (8 Jan, Amazon Kindle e-book)

This is a list of the TBR books I'd like to read the most. I hope to complete 10-15 or more tomes (500 pages or longer), and 30-35 shorter works. This is a first draft, so the books that are listed here will almost certainly change as the year progresses.

TBR Books to Read in 2014

Tomes (500 pages or more):
      Nicole Barker, Darkmans
      Simone de Beauvoir, The Mandarins
      Douglas Brinkley, The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
      Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March
      Ralph Ellison, Three Days Before the Shooting...
      Ian Gibson, The Shameful Life of Salvador Dalí
      David Grossman, To the End of the Land
      Lawrence Hill, Someone Knows My Name
      George E. Lewis, A Power Stronger than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music
      A.J. Liebling, Just Enough Liebling
      David Macey, Frantz Fanon: A Biography
      Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety
      Paul Murray, Skippy Dies
      Patrick O'Brian, Picasso: A Biography
      Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason: The Modern Foundations of Body and Soul
      Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses
      William Trevor, Selected Stories
      Patrick White, The Vivisector

Non-tomes (less than 500 pages):
      Stuart Altman and David Shactman, Power, Politics and Universal Health Care: The Inside Story of a Century-Long Battle
      Kwame Anthony Appiah, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers
      Bernardo Atxaga, Obabakoak
      Amiri Baraka, Tales of the Out & the Gone
      Eleanor Catton, The Rehearsal
      Patrick Chamoiseau, Texaco
      Randy Christensen MD, Ask Me Why I Hurt: The Kids Nobody Wants and the Doctor Who Heals Them
      Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, The Colonel
      Jean Echenoz, I'm Off and One Year
      Percival Everett, Percival Everett by Virgil Russell
      Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
      Louise Erdrich, The Plague of Doves
      Paul Farmer, Haiti After the Earthquake
      Juan Eslava Galan, The Mule
      Jerry Gentry, Grady Baby: A Year in the Life of Atlanta's Grady Hospital
      Amitav Ghosh, The Calcutta Chromosome
      Juan Goytisolo, Forbidden Territory and Realms of Strife
      Juan Goytisolo, Juan the Landless
      Graham Greene, The Comedians
      Alistair Horne, Seven Ages of Paris
      Jonathan B. Imber, Trusting Doctors: The Decline of Moral Authority in American Medicine
      Hettie Jones, How I Became Hettie Jones
      James Kelman, Kieron Smith, boy
      Robert Klitzman, When Doctors Become Patients
      Karl Ove Knausgaard, My Struggle: Book One
      Eric Lax, The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat: The Story of the Penicillin Miracle
      Charles Lemert, Why Niebuhr Matters
      Juan Marsé, Lizard's Tails
      Juan Marsé, Shanghai Nights
      David A. Mendel, Proper Doctoring: A Book for Patients and their Doctors
      Simon Mawer, Mendel's Dwarf
      Claire McCarthy, Everyone's Children: A Pediatrician's Story of an Inner City Practice
      Ian McEwan, Atonement
      Andrew Miller, Pure
      Quim Monzó, The Enormity of the Tragedy
      Quim Monzó, Gasoline
      Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
      Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita
      Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Petals of Blood
      Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of American History
      Michael Ondaatje, Anil's Ghost
      Laura Katz Olson, The Politics of Medicaid: Stakeholders and Welfare Medicine
      Brian Orr, MD, A Pediatrician's Journal: Caring for Children in a Broken Medical System
      Orhan Pamuk, Snow
      Roy Porter, Madmen: A Social History of Madhouses, Mad Doctors and Lunatics
      Graham Robb, Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris
      Edward W. Said, Out of Place: A Memoir
      Giles Tremlett, Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past
      Mario Vargas Llosa, The Green House
      Richard Wright, Black Boy

Recommended reads for the CanLit 2014 Challenge (by Canadian LTers) (books in bold are ones that I'm most interested in reading):

   Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace (Joyce, Nancy, Cait and Cyrel)
   Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin (Cait and Joyce)
   Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale (Tui)
   Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride (Joyce and Nancy)
   Anita Rau Badami, Tamarind Mem (Tui)
   Anita Rau Badami, Tell it to the Trees (Cait)
   John Bemrose, The Island Walkers (Lori)
   Marie-Claire Blais, The Day Is Dark and Three Travelers (Suz)
   Joseph Boyden, Three Day Road (Suz and Cyrel)
   Joseph Boyden, Black Spruce (Suz and Cyrel)
   Wayson Choy, The Jade Peony (Nancy)
   Michael Crummey, Galore (Sassy)
   Robertson Davies, The Deptford Trilogy (Suz, Cait, Tui and Zoë)
   Suzanne Desrochers, Bride of New France (Zoë)
   Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers (Nancy)
   Kim Echlin, The Disappeared (Cait)
   Timothy Findley, The Last of the Crazy People (Lori)
   Timothy Findley, The Piano Man's Daughter (Tui)
   Timothy Findley, The Wars (Suz and Joyce)
   Kenneth J. Harvey, Blackstrap Hawco (Sassy)
   Tomson Highway, Kiss of the Fur Queen (Joyce and Tui)
   Helen Humphreys, Coventry (Tui)
   Helen Humphreys, The Frozen Thames (Tui)
   Helen Humphreys, The Lost Garden (Tui)
   Wayne Johnston, Baltimore's Mansion (Tui)
   Wayne Johnston, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (Cyrel)
   Thomas King, Green Grass, Running Water (Joyce)
   W.P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe (Tui)
   Margaret Laurence, The Stone Angel (Tui)
   Mary Lawson, Crow Lake (Lori)
   Linden MacIntyre, The Bishop's Man (Suz)
   Alistair MacLeod, No Great Mischief (Cait and Nancy)
   Beatrice MacNeil, Where White Horses Gallop (Nancy)
   Rabindranath Maharaj, The Amazing Absorbing Boy (Cyrel)
   Rohinton Mistry, Family Matters (Tui)
   Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance (Tui)
   W.O. Mitchell, Who Has Seen the Wind (Tui)
   Lisa Moore, February (Cait)
   Alice Munro, Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (Suz)
   Alice Munro, Too Much Happiness (Cyrel)
   Alice Munro, The View from Castle Rock (Cyrel)
   Michael Ondaatje, Anil's Ghost (Joyce)
   Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient (Cait)
   Michael Ondaatje, In the Skin of a Lion
   Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table (Suz)
   Jacques Poulin, Mister Blue (Suz)
   Mordechai Richler, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Cyrel)
   Timothy Taylor, Stanley Park (Joyce)
   Kim Thúy, Ru (Suz)
   Michel Tremblay, The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant (Lori)
   Jane Urquhart, Away (Tui)
   Jane Urquhart, The Stone Carvers (Tui)
   Ronald Wright, What Is America?: A Short History of the New World Order (nonfiction) (Tui)

I won't post exhaustive lists of books that I plan to read in a given month, as I have been doing, but I will mention ones that I'll probably get to. Here's the list for January:

Eleanor Catton, The Rehearsal
Jean Echenoz, 1914: A Novel
Percival Everett, Percival Everett by Virgil Russell
Hettie Jones, How I Became Hettie Jones
Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Petals of Blood
Mordecai Richler, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
Colm Tóibín, Homage to Barcelona
Giles Tremlett, Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past

Happy to see pavlova mentioned and will stick around too in expectations; happier still to see that Darryl has made it to the group nicely in time for the big kick-off.

>6 kidzdoc: Welcome, Paul! I'm glad that you're my first visitor. I look forward to more excellent reading and good times from you and my other friends in 2014.

Oh hey there, Darryl! I saw your place and couldn't resist coming in. I just happen to have a chocolate pavlova with honey-roasted pears, care for a slice?

>9 richardderus: Just a slice? That whole thing isn't just for me?

As long as you promise to share with Paul.

Chocolate pavlova is just wrong!!

>11 richardderus: I'll gladly share pavlova with Paul.

>12 cushlareads: Why is that, Cushla?

RD - You are a gentleman indeed; as are you Darryl. Cushla pavlova anything works surely?

I'm kidding. But it's not the traditional New Zealand way and I have never heard of it! (I am competing for curmudgeon status.)

Ha! Cushlamudgeon! *grin*

>14 PaulCranswick: I don't think I've had pavlova before, so I have to plead ignorance on its proper composition.

>15 cushlareads: What is the traditional NZ way, Cushla?

>16 richardderus: LOL!

welcome to the 2014 challenge, Daryl.

May we all have only the choicest books to read in 2014!

Darryl, I can hardly be disappointed that you've succumbed to Richard's bribery since I have also leapt into next year before its time. Some forces of nature cannot be denied.

Pavlova is terrific- like a giant meringue( the way I learned how to make it) In fact I am making one for a friend's New Year's open house- it is not as fancy as the English ones

And here you are Darryl! Starred you of course. Sorry we didn't manage a NY meet at the end of the year, but lookeee... there's a whole new one in front of us with many more opportunities.

How are you liking Kafka on the Shore? It's still my favorite Murakami. Second place (and a very close second it is) goes to 1Q84.

Darryl, I know you have reading up on Spain in advance of your trip. I thought I would offer a recommendation as Spain has held a special place in my heart from several decades. I would recommend Iberia by James Michener. It is an old book, written during the tail end of the Franco regime, but it is a great primer on Spanish history.

I am with Cushla chocolate pavlova is wrong .... it is acceptable to have crumbled flake on top though

Traditional pav recipe to come tomorrow. Have to read my book now!

Hey, you made it! And all it took was treats...

Have a good set of reading in 2014!

Welcome to 2014 ahead of schedule Darryl! I put up my thread today since I know I won't be able to on January 1st. Here's to another good year of reading.

Ha -- ambitious as ever! (By which I mean the quest for "TBR domination"...)

We'll both be reading Findley's novel The Wars this year; you may want to nip over to the WW1 thread and see what else is there.

Hello Darryl! Good to see you here. I look forward to your reading and travels in 2014.

We are getting a lot of H1N1 here! How are you faring in Atlanta with it?

Hi Darryl! I still need to catch up on your last thread of 2013 but thought I'd jump in and let you know I'm here.

I love your book lists, Darryl! From your Tomes list, I've only read Someone Knows My Name - while long, it isn't overly difficult. If you like it, Hill's Any Known Blood is even better. Oh, and he is Canadian, so you would be killing two reading goals with one stone, or something like that.

If you decide to pick up Skippy Dies let me know, and I'll join you.

>18 tangledthread: Thanks, tangledthread! I hope that 2014 is a good reading and personal year for you, too.

>19 rosalita: Right, Julia. Richard seems to employ the carrot (or pavlova) and stick approach, which was quite effective in my case.

>20 torontoc: Ah; thanks, Cyrel. I couldn't quite visualize what pavlova was until your comparison of it to meringue.

>21 cameling: Hi, Caroline! I'm sorry that I won't get to see you & Edd before year's end, but we'll certainly meet up in 2014. I will go to the New Year's Day sale at Book Culture on Wednesday, and there's a good chance that Judy & Jim will join me there. I'll have to ask Peg (plt) if she would like to join us; I think that she lives nearby.

Hi Darryl- Congrats on starting the 2014 thread. Who is this pushy Long Islander, you speak of?

I am also curious to hear your thoughts on Kafka. This one seems to be a bit out of your comfort zone, with it's touch of magic-realism. It was my first Murakami and remains my favorite.
Have not heard of that Toibin.

Oh here you are Darryl. A bit late but that's ok. I have my copy of Duddy Kravitz ready to go.

Before you all indulge in your substance of choice - Happy New year! - Have a great night & even better year to come - remember its the little things that make life what it is .....

I'm back for the moment, after a pleasant late evening conversation with my parents, brother and cousin.

>21 cameling: I haven't started Kafka on the Shore yet, Caroline. I did bring it with me, and I may start reading it as early as tomorrow.

I mentioned elsewhere, possibly on my last Club Read thread of 2013, that my favorite Murakami books are The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, A Wild Sheep Chase and Norwegian Wood. 1Q84 would be in the next group, along with South of the Border, West of the Sun and After the Quake.

>22 Oberon: Thanks for your recommendation of Iberia, Oberon. Edwin from Club Read also recommended books about Barcelona today, and I believe that Cushla did as well. I'll compile a list of these books, along with others I own about Spain and Barcelona.

>23 roundballnz: Three New Zealanders, you, Cushla and Megan, have all expressed protest against chocolate pavlova.

>24 cushlareads: I look forward to seeing what traditional pavlova is supposed to consist of Cushla. Hopefully I'll be able to try it soon (where does one get this in the US?).

>25 drneutron: Actually it was more of a threat in the form of a political attack ad than a treat that encouraged me to start a thread here, Jim.

>26 markon: Thanks, Ardene! It's good to see you here as well. I'll spend part of the day with my cousin in Philadelphia, and a good portion of New Year's Day in NYC, which is the real reason I decided to start a 2014 thread on Monday instead of waiting any later than that.

>27 Chatterbox: I'm always ambitious at this time of year, Suz. Hopefully by the end of 2014 I can also be successful as well.

I ordered The Wars from Foyles in October, but it didn't arrive until the day before I left, which I spent with Bianca, and I didn't have time to stop there that day or the following one. Hopefully I can find it in NYC tomorrow; otherwise I'll buy it during my first trip to London next year, which will be no later than this spring, when I see the Royal Shakespeare Company's performances of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies in Stratford-upon-Avon on March 26th.

I'll visit the WWI thread later today or tomorrow. I'll almost certainly read Regeneration by Pat Barker and 1914, the soon to be released novel by Jean Echenoz.

>28 luvamystery65: Hi, Roberta! We've had a lot of inpatients infected with influenza A since early November, but I don't know how many of them had the H1N1 subtype, since our standard tests don't provide that information. I've probably taken care of 15-20 or more patients in the hospital during that time, and so far this is probably the second worst flu outbreak I've seen in the 13+ years I've worked for Children's.

>29 phebj: Hi, Pat! It's good to see you here, and I look forward to your 2014 reading plans. I loved your Idaho photos; I hope that you'll continue that theme throughout the year.

>30 Cait86: Thanks, Cait! I missed your regular presence here for much of this year, and I'm eager to see what you'll be reading next year. Thanks for that recommendation of Any Known Blood; I'll presumptively add it to my Amazon wish list.

I'll probably read Skippy Dies in the spring, and I'll let you know when I start it.

>32 msf59: Thanks, Mark. That Long Islander is actually a kind and gentle soul who loves cats and novels by Charles Dickens above all else.

I do like magical realism when it's done well; The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle blew me away when I first read it in 2000 or 2001, and I loved The Obscene Bird of Night by José Donoso nearly as much.

Tóibín lived in Barcelona from 1975-1978 and again in 1988, when he wrote Homage to Barcelona. His first novel, The South, is also set in Barcelona; I've owned it for awhile, and I'll almost certainly read it soon. I'm not completely sure, but I think that Homage to Barcelona has not yet been published in the US; I bought my copy of it at Daunt Books in London in October.

>33 brenzi: I'm early, Bonnie! New Year's Eve has just begun here.

I have The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz on my Kindle, so I can start reading it at any time. I probably won't get to it until the second week of January; my next break off from work is from the 8th through the 14th of the month.

>34 roundballnz: Happy New Year to you too, Alex!

Happy New Reading Year, Darryl!

Happy New Year and New Thread Darryl. Hugely ambitious reading plans as always. I'm with Cushla on the pavlova front - just not sure about the chocolate thing at all. Even though it's not traditional British dish it is quite popular here: my Mum used to make a strawberry one occasionally,

Darryl,

I think I can fathom the Kiwi tetchiness when it comes to the subject of the Pavlova. Please see:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/Pavlova.htm

A NZ or an Aussie dessert?
Does it matter? I can vouch - chocolate or not, it is bloody delicious.

Hi Darryl, I'm glad that you've arrived in the 2014 group!

The Passing of the Year
by Robert W. Service

My glass is filled, my pipe is lit,
My den is all a cosy glow;
And snug before the fire I sit,
And wait to feel the old year go.
I dedicate to solemn thought
Amid my too-unthinking days,
This sober moment, sadly fraught
With much of blame, with little praise.

Old Year! upon the Stage of Time
You stand to bow your last adieu;
A moment, and the prompter's chime
Will ring the curtain down on you.
Your mien is sad, your step is slow;
You falter as a Sage in pain;
Yet turn, Old Year, before you go,
And face your audience again.

That sphinx-like face, remote, austere,
Let us all read, whate'er the cost:
O Maiden! why that bitter tear?
Is it for dear one you have lost?
Is it for fond illusion gone?
For trusted lover proved untrue?
O sweet girl-face, so sad, so wan
What hath the Old Year meant to you?

And you, O neighbour on my right
So sleek, so prosperously clad!
What see you in that aged wight
That makes your smile so gay and glad?
What opportunity unmissed?
What golden gain, what pride of place?
What splendid hope? O Optimist!
What read you in that withered face?

And You, deep shrinking in the gloom,
What find you in that filmy gaze?
What menace of a tragic doom?
What dark, condemning yesterdays?
What urge to crime, what evil done?
What cold, confronting shape of fear?
O haggard, haunted, hidden One
What see you in the dying year?

And so from face to face I flit,
The countless eyes that stare and stare;
Some are with approbation lit,
And some are shadowed with despair.
Some show a smile and some a frown;
Some joy and hope, some pain and woe:
Enough! Oh, ring the curtain down!
Old weary year! it's time to go.

My pipe is out, my glass is dry;
My fire is almost ashes too;
But once again, before you go,
And I prepare to meet the New:
Old Year! a parting word that's true,
For we've been comrades, you and I --
I thank God for each day of you;
There! bless you now! Old Year, good-bye!

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19334

Farewell, 2013. You brought me great (and not so hot) books, stimulating online conversation, great meet ups and new friendships here on LT. You will be missed, but never forgotten.

>38 Deern: Thanks, Nathalie! I hope that you have a great reading and personal New Year ahead.

>39 SandDune: Happy New Year to you too, Rhian! Yes, it's an ambitious start, and hopefully I'll have a successful finish as well.

Clearly I'm going to have to find out where I can try pavlova in the US or UK.

>40 PaulCranswick: Thanks for that link about pavlova, Paul. I'm now eager to taste this dessert, after all the talk about it. (Leave it to Richard to stir up an international controversy.)

>41 wilkiec: Thanks, Diana! I'm glad that you're here as well. I need to catch up on the 2014 threads, which I should do in the next day or two.

" That Long Islander is actually a kind and gentle soul who loves cats and novels by Charles Dickens above all else."
LOL! Thanks for my first chuckle of the morning. If you loved The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, you will also love Kafka! That's my prediction anyway!

Happy New Year, my friend!

>44 msf59: I expect that there will be payback for my comment, Mark.

I think you're right about Kafka on the Shore. And that's the main reason I want to read it ASAP. There are other books by Murakami I own but haven't read yet, but this book is definitely on the top of that list. I'll also buy his new novel, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, once it's available in English translation. Lilisin from Club Read wrote a review of it this summer, and she liked it (she's French, and is also fluent in Japanese and English).

Happy New Year to you, too! I'll visit your thread and others after breakfast.

Hi Darryl
I think that someone is going to have to make a pavlova for you- I have never seen it on a menu or in a bakery in Toronto. I make it with egg whites and sugar- and a little cornstarch and white vinegar ( just a little to help " set it up") . I add fruit and jam after it has been baked- most recipes add whipped cream- I usually leave that off.
Looking for my copy of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz now - I am curious to read it again and see how it has stood the test of time.

>46 torontoc: Thanks for your enticing description of pavlova, Cyrel. I'll have to stop by the Australian Bakery Cafe in Atlanta next week, to see if it sells or serves pavlova.

I suspect that I'll read The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz in the second half of January.

Darryl when you make it to New Zealand I will make you pavlova. I learnt when I was at grad school and made loads of them in my last couple of weeks in New Haven. If you smother the meringue in whipped cream and strawberries you can't go wrong. Unfortunately I haven't made one since 2005 when we found out Fletcher was really allergic to eggs - they are one of the few desserts that you can't get around the need for egg whites!

I keep seeing the Duddy Kravitx book on here and until a few days ago I had never heard of it... Off to investigate but not buy it. No no no.

Hi Darryl - I came by just to drop off my star and got hit with a book bullet in the form of 1914: A Novel. It's now on my Amazon WL... Thanks...?

>48 cushlareads: Thanks for your kind offer, Cushla!

I think several of us will read The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz next month. It will be the first book I'll read for my 2014 CanLit challenge.

>49 katiekrug: Uh oh, Katie. It isn't 2014 here yet, and already I'm firing book bullets.

I'll start the New Year off right with a trip to Book Culture on W 112th St near Broadway in NYC, to take advantage of its New Year's Day sale. I just visited Strand Books' web site, which is known for selling half price copies of advance review books, and it has several copies of 1914 on sale for $7.50. I ordered a copy, and I'll pick it up tomorrow after I leave Book Culture.

I shall Loftily Ignore the slurs upon my curmudgeonhood and antidickensism so as not to begin 2014 by launching an epidemic of scabies on the children of Atlanta in a fit of pique.

*Justifiable* pique, mind you.

Have a wonderful day in the city doing your book shopping! Don't let those drones following you about worry you one little bit. (Perkins, reload the machine gun on Drone 17B, please.)

Happy New Year, Darryl!! I just stopped in to toss some virtual confetti in the air. I look forward to following your reading in 2014.

Happy New Year, Darryl. You have some great reading planned for 2014. Good luck with the TBR domination.

Happy New Year Darryl. And good reading!

Happy New Year Darryl!

.

Happy New Year to my friends in the UK!

>51 richardderus: I can understand and accept a Job-like series of plagues on my person, Richard. But why torment the innocent kids of Atlanta with a scabies epidemic? Shame on you, sir.

I shall keep my eyes open for murderous drones. If y'all don't hear from me after tomorrow evening you know who to blame.

>52 lauralkeet: Happy New Year, Laura! I also look forward to your reading in 2014. Hopefully we can organize a large or small scale meet up in Philadelphia

We had weird weather in Bucks County this afternoon, with huge snow flakes falling while the sun was out. There was no accumulation, but I understand the Delaware Valley will get 3-6 inches of snow Thursday night. My flight leaves from PHL that afternoon, so I should escape the worst of it.

>53 BLBera: Happy New Year to you too, Beth! I hope to make better TBR progress in 2014 than I have in years past.

>54 BBGirl55: Happy New Year, Bryony! It was great to meet you this fall, and I look forward to seeing you again this coming year.

>55 luvamystery65: Happy New Year to you too, Roberta!

>56 mckait: Hi, Kath! Have a very Happy New Year celebration with your family. Maybe we can organize a Pittsburgh LT meet up in 2014; I haven't been back to the 'Burgh since I left from there in 1997.

Ha. Dropping off my star before your thread gets to 100 posts. New year. One accomplishment. :-)

Happy New Year to you, Darryl!!

Happy New Year, Darryl!

I would love that! I hope we can make it so :)

Fabulous new thread, Darryl, and, as always, meticulous reading plans!

Happy New Year Darryl :)

I believe traditionally a kiwi pavlova has whipped cream on top with kiwifruit and strawberries for decoration. In my family we have started putting strawberry or passion fruit yoghurt on top (that we make ourselves with EasiYo) not just because it's healthier but because the meringue is so sweet that the slightly tart yoghurt cuts through the sugar a bit. Fruit salad is a must when serving pavlova too.

The pavlova uses egg whites so we use the yolks to make either custard, creme brulee or the the pastry base for a tart.

Happy New year, Darryl, and Happy Reading!

It must be New Year's Eve . . . I was listening to classical Christmas music on my iTunes, and all of a sudden it shifted to "Since I Fell for You" by Lenny Welch, "Sexual Healing" by the great Marvin Gaye, "Move Like Jagger," and at the moment I'm listening to a string of Michael Jackson hits from the mid-'80s. Yep, sounds like New Year's Eve to me!

Have a great break in NYC, Darryl. There is some awesome theatre going on there right now. Hope you have time to catch a show.

Happy New Year Darryl!

I'll try a slice of that pavlova, I am sure it is lovely. *ahem*
The traditional plain one will do me as well though, with dollops of whipped cream on top. Delicious! Slices of kiwifruit or crumbled Flake optional :)

Happy New Year Darryl! I will be following your thread again this year, and try to comment more.

I tasted pavlova for the first time when we went to Australia and New Zealand a couple of years ago and loved it. I've made it several times now, since it's relatively easy and I always get raves for it.

Perhaps one of these years our visits to NY or SF may coincide and we'll be able to meet up in person.

Happy New Year Darryl! Your thread grew and grew and grew so fast! I'll have to come back to see what I've missed. Hope this is a great year all round for you!

Richard stirring up controversy? ~ our Richard? surely not.

Darryl - The groups reading conscience in some ways and I get so many reading tips by avidly following you here. But your thread is much more than about the books as it is a forum for us to get to know a very special fellow who does sterling work for the children of southern America with patience, modesty and good humour.

One of the guys here I am in a little bit of awe of in truth. Have a wonderful 2014, Darryl.

Happy New Year everyone! I'm having a very quiet celebration at my parents' house, as they are both asleep and I'm keeping an eye on the pork loin stew that I'm making in their slow cooker. I ordered them a new Hamilton Beach slow cooker from Amazon earlier this week, the same model that I have. Unfortunately the base was cracked, which I didn't realize until I was preparing ingredients, so I'm using their older, non-automated one.

I'm still way behind on 2014 threads (!), but I should catch up later today or tomorrow.

>58 EBT1002: Good start on your New Year's resolutions, Ellen. Happy New Year to you, too!

>59 phebj: Happy New Year, Pat; I love that image!

>60 mckait: Sounds good, Kath. Who else would like to meet up in Pittsburgh this year?

>61 lit_chick: Thanks, Nancy; Happy New Year to you as well!

>62 kiwiflowa: Happy New Year, Lisa! Your pavlova recipe sounds delightful.

>63 laytonwoman3rd: Happy New Year, Linda! I hope that 2014 is a superb reading year for you as well.

>64 Cariola: Ha! Nothing says New Year's Eve like Marvin Gaye and the King of Pop.

I'm only going to NYC for a few hours later today. My parents live close to the Trenton Amtrak station, and I'll take a NJ Transit Northeast Corridor train from there to Penn Station. At least that's the plan; it's nearly 1 am here, and I'm still keeping an eye on my pork loin stew, so I may have to reconsider my plans if I stay up much longer. I have a mid-afternoon flight from PHL to ATL tomorrow, so I'll have to see plays in NYC some other time.

>65 LovingLit: Happy New Year, Megan! It must be early evening there, right? It's interesting to hear about the different pavlova recipes, and to realize how many active LTers there are from New Zealand.

>66 arubabookwoman: Happy New Year, Deborah! I'm glad to see you here, and I look forward to your usually superb book recommendations. I also hope to do a better job writing reviews more promptly; I always start out well, but I tend to tail off as I get busier at work.

I'm very eager to try pavlova now (see what you started, Richard?). Hopefully I can find it soon.

Yes, I do hope that our paths cross in NYC, San Francisco or elsewhere in the near future.

>67 Smiler69: Happy New Year, Ilana! I hope that 2014 is a good year for you as well.

>68 PaulCranswick: Right, Paul; Richard is the most slandered and harassed person in this group. I vow to treat him with more respect this year, for at least one day, anyway.

Wow. I'm flattered and humbled by your kind compliments. I guarantee that you'll be less impressed when we do meet; I'm still the same book devouring goofball that I have been since I was a kid. :-)

Darryl - then I'll like you all the more dear fellow.

Scabies is annoying to the kids and parents but not life-threatening; simple to treat, but time-consuming; and thus driving the scratching, caterwauling kids and frustrated, embarrassed parents to the horse spittle and making your life miserable, all without endangering the health of the wee ones!

Perfect curse.

Go to bed.

Stew, anyone?



My parents' slow cooker didn't have enough room for me to add steamed corn and sugar snap peas, unfortunately. It's still kickin', though.

>72 PaulCranswick: Thanks again, Paul!

>73 richardderus: Hmph. No stew for you, sir.

I do agree with you, though; it's time for bed.

Happy New Year, Darryl. Have a wonderful reading-year.

Happy New Year Darryl
I've been staying away from this group till the year actually started so now I'm late in joining my fellow NZers in protesting the chocolate pav. I will suggest that a brown sugar pav is pretty good, even a slight improvement on the original but that is as far as I'll go. Strawberries and fresh whipped cream are a must topping.

I've read both Kafka on the Shore and Homage to Barcelona and loved the Murakami and found the Toibin interesting. I've just started a reread of Homage to Catalonia but that's for e-reading on my phone which I don't do that often so will be a slow read.

Wow! That's a good looking stew!

What Jim said. I'm salivating.

I'm on a NJ Transit train to NYC now. I'll go to the book sale at Book Culture, then meet up with Judy & Jim at Strand Books early this afternoon for coffee or lunch. I'll check back in later today.

>75 Trifolia: Happy New Year, Monica! I hope that you also have plenty of good books lined up for 2014.

>76 avatiakh: Happy New Year, Kerry! Since four of four NZers are opposed to chocolate pavlova I'll be sure to ask for another flavor instead.

I'm glad to hear that you liked Kafka on the Shore and Homage to Barcelona. I've barely started the latter book and I haven't started the former yet.

>77 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! I didn't have enough room to add the steamed corn and sugar snap peas, so it isn't as colorful as it usually is. It is very tender and tasty, though.

>78 BLBera: Thanks, Beth!

Uh oh, we're now under the Hudson River, and will arrive at Penn Station in a couple of minutes. Back later.

Hold your breath!

Sorry to miss you in NYC. But I too was up until 2am unexpectedly, and I'm glad to have a relaxing day at home. Happy New Year!

Darryl's report from Book Culture is disappointing. He claims (note verb choice) to have purchased a mere nine (9) books.

There is still hope, poolies! He's on his way to the Strand!!

Yeah surely he will go crazy there. Hurry up and post the loot list, Darryl!

Lovely looking stew. We have a slow cooker at home so I would love the recipe.

Wow! Post 3 - not a single book purchased and it's almost noon on New Year's Day.

True confession time - I have 3 ordered, but since I paid for them in 2013, maybe I'll just list them in 2013. ;-)

Happy New Year, Darryl! I hope you're having a wonderful book party and meetup in NYC.

Happy New Year, Darryl. Finally found your new thread!

Darryl - Don't forget to post the first LT MeetUp of the year photo when you get together with Judy and Jim today. I'm bummed I didn't get to meet you in NY this time round, but we have 364 more days to catch each other in NY or Boston .. or maybe New Orleans. I think we're definitely going to make a concerted effort to make it out there before the summer this year.

*sits back to wait for the list of books purchased during today's field trip to the Strand*

Hi Darryl! I hope you like Kafka on the Shore. I found it quite interesting - though very heavy. It always takes me a long time to read a book like that.

Happy New Year, by the way! Hope to see you around a lot this year. :)

As I continue to work my way through this enormous group of threads I am happy I now found yours, Darryl! Stopping by to wish you a Happy New Year, all the best in 2014 and that your migration from 2013 to 2014 was without injury (love the thread topper, by the way.)

I have never had pavlova but this thread has my mouth watering to sample one!

Oh man, the Strand, meeting up with Judy and Jim. You know how to start out the new year, Darryl. Happy 2014!

I'm back from NYC. As requested, here's my book haul (eight of the 10 books came from my wish list, all but the ones by Laymon and Neal):

Book Culture:
   Julian Barnes, Levels of Life
   Sean B. Carroll, Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize
   Edwidge Danticat, Claire of the Sea Light
   John Dos Passos, U.S.A.
   Adam Hochschild, King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa
   Kiese Laymon, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America (my manifesto for 2014)
   Mark Anthony Neal, Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities
   Rudolf Erich Raspe, The Travels and Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen
   Ari Shavit, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel

Strand Book Store:
   Jean Echenoz, 1914: A Novel

...and the other dozens?

>92 richardderus: I won't count those until they are shipped to me. ;-)

After I bought books at Book Culture and Strand Book Store, my two favorite NYC bookshops, I met Judy & Jim outside of Strand. We walked south on Broadway to Bleecker Street, and we had a very nice lunch at The Noho Star, on the corner of Bleecker & Lafayette a restaurant I've passed plenty of times but never eaten in. After a great conversation about theater, movies and books I left them and took the subway one stop to make an obligatory trip to Russ and Daughters, the appetizer shop which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. I bought pastrami smoked salmon, sable, whitefish salad, and raspberry rugelach, my usual fare.

>80 drneutron: Ha, Jim! I think when I was younger I would hold my breath whenever I rode on a PATH subway from Jersey City to NYC and it passed under the Hudson River. It wasn't until recently that I stopped feeling a bit anxious whenever a NJ Transit or Amtrak train passed under the river.

>81 qebo: Happy New Year to you too, Katherine! I almost decided not to go, since I could have used more sleep, but I'm glad that I went and especially that I saw Judy & Jim.

>82 richardderus: Sorry, sir. As I mentioned to Linda (Whisper1) on my Facebook post, that's quite a comment when a purchase of nine books at a single bookstore is either disappointing or a measure of one's restraint.

>83 cushlareads: The loot list has been posted. I briefly scanned the displays of new books at Strand Book Store before Judy & Jim came, but I didn't find any thing of interest there.

>84 streamsong: Ha! I did purchase nine books at Book Culture before noon, Janet, but I didn't have the opportunity to post them then. I bought several of the books that were highest on my wish list, and I suspect that I won't buy anything else for awhile (famous last words).

If you paid for those three books in 2013 IMO they count as 2013 books, regardless of when they arrived.

>85 rosalita: Happy New Year (+1) to you too, Julia! Yes, I did have a splendid day in NYC at the bookshops, my favorite appetizer store, and especially at The Noho Star with Judy & Jim. That combined with dinner with my parents (we had the pork loin stew that I made) was a perfect way to start 2014.

>86 leperdbunny: Happy New Year, Tamara! I'll start catching up on threads today, and I'll be on the lookout for yours.

>87 cameling: Sorry, Caroline, I didn't take a photo of our meet up yesterday. You're right, it was an LT meet up, but I view the lunch or dinner dates with my friends that I see most often, particularly ones with Judy, Jim, Zoë, Fliss and Rachael, differently than large group meet ups or ones in which I meet an LTer for the first time (e.g. Bryony in London) or one in a particularly scenic location (e.g. Rhian in Ely).

I'm also sorry that we couldn't meet up over the holidays, but, as you said, there's plenty of time to do so this year. Do let me know if you & Edd go to New Orleans; it's a short flight to there from Atlanta (about 45 minutes wheels up to wheels down), so I can go there anytime I have a couple of days off from work. Hopefully Paul will include NOLA in his tour of the US later this year as well. Judy & Jim were also talking about going to New Orleans in the near future; maybe a NOLA LT meet up is in order.

>88 The_Hibernator: Happy 2014, Rachel! It's great to see you back here.

Thanks for your comment about Kafka on the Shore. I haven't started it yet, so I may decide to read it alongside shorter novels, such as 1914: A Novel by Jean Echenoz, which I just purchased yesterday.

>89 lkernagh: Happy New Year, Lori! I'll start making my way through the new threads, and I'll certainly keep my eye out for yours.

I'm also eager to give pavlova a try, although I'm not sure if I'll be able to find it in Atlanta.

>90 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe, and a Happy New Year to you, too. Judy, Jim and I talked about the theatrical performances quite a bit during our humor filled lunch, so I'm sure you would have enjoyed the conversation. I do like Strand Book Store, but I like Book Culture even more, due to its excellent selection of academic and small press titles, its smaller and more intimate size (it's essentially a neighborhood bookshop for the nearby Columbia University community), and its friendly and helpful employees. I also love St. Mark's Bookshop in the East Village and BookCourt in Brooklyn, but I haven't been to either bookshop in the past couple of years.

Hi Darryl, a totally impressive list of reading planned for this year. I am also totally intimidated. I'll try to keep up- at least reading your threads that are the most socially interesting, among other things.

>97 xieouyang: Thanks, Manuel. My New Year's plans are generally doomed to failure by the middle of the year, but hopefully this year will be different.

I forgot to post my Year of Reading stats yesterday. Here goes:

Total books read: 125

Books by male authors: 93
Books by female authors: 31
Books co-written by a male and a female author: 1

Fiction books: 77
Nonfiction books: 45
Poetry books: 3

Books by author's primary country of residence:
UK: 41
US: 24
France: 7
Argentina: 5
Ireland: 4
Nigeria: 4
China: 3
Italy: 3
Canada: 3
Haiti: 3
Pakistan: 2
Colombia: 2
Congo: 2
Peru: 2
Trinidad: 1
India: 1
Kenya: 1
Poland: 1
Czech Republic: 1
Hungary: 1
Tanzania: 1
Malaysia: 1
Egypt: 1
Hong Kong: 1
Venezuela: 1
Brasil: 1
Martinique: 1
Algeria: 1
Cameroon: 1
Mauritius: 1
New Zealand: 1
Zimbabwe: 1
Chile: 1
Norway: 1
Spain: 1

Top 10 Books of 2013:

Nathacha Appanah, The Last Brother
Kate Atkinson, Life After Life
Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
Jim Crace, Harvest
Aminatta Forna, The Hired Man
Sheri Fink, Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
Ben Goldacre, Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients
Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance
Shiva Naipaul, The Chip-Chip Gatherers
Jessica Wapner, The Philadelphia Chromosome: A Mutant Gene and the Quest to Cure Cancer at the Genetic Level

Awards:

Novel of the year: The Luminaries
Nonfiction book of the year: Five Days at Memorial
Poetry collection of the year: Domestic Work by Natasha Trethewey
Author of the year: Eleanor Catton

#94 I'm amazed that the Noho Star is still there!* I used to eat there in the 80s when I still lived downtown.

*Because that whole area has changed SO much!

>101 rebeccanyc: Same here, Rebecca; I'm also surprised, but very pleased, that The Noho Star is still there. I had an amazing Louisiana style Bloody Mary, along with steel cut grits and crab cakes Benedict, which were superb.

Judy told Jim and I that she had heard that the Popover Café on Amsterdam near 86th was going to close soon. Unfortunately she was right; it's serving its last meals on Sunday. I missed this article about it that appeared in the NYT last month.

Goodbyes Pour In for Popover Café

It was one of my favorite NYC neighborhood restaurants, which had great food and friendly service. Fortunately I was able to have breakfast there with Zoë last year, but I'll miss it dearly.

Thanks for the tips on NYC bookstores, Darryl. I've made note of Book Culture and St. Mark's and BookCourt. When dinosaurs roamed, I used to work at one in Soho called New Morning Bookstore, but I'm out of touch now. The Strand always makes me smile.

I bet I would've enjoyed the theater conversation with Judy and Jim. We're going to be in NYC in early April, so I'll start asking for show tips as we get closer.

P.S. We're going to Tribes tonight at Steppenwolf. I'll report back.

Hi Darryl! Thanks for dropping by. Found you and starred. I wish you belated Happy New Year.

>103 jnwelch: You're welcome, Joe. I didn't know you worked (and lived) in the city! I just checked, and apparently New Morning Bookstore (which I had never heard of) closed recently.

You definitely would have enjoyed the theatre conversation. I asked Judy and Jim to post reviews on their threads; they are going to see at least four performances. Better yet, after I looked at Barbara's (Ameise1's) new thread, I thought it would be a good idea for there to be a unique thread where theatre lovers could share comments and reviews about their favorite performances, ones they've recently seen, and upcoming ones that others might be interested in attending.

>104 Ameise1: Hi, Barbara! You've certainly garnered quite a bit of attention in your debut in this busy group, so I commend you for that. I'll star your thread as well. Happy New Year to you, too!

Only 10 books? An admirable expression of self-control, Darryl!

#102 I was shocked when I walked by Popovers a month or so ago and saw they would be closing. It is one of the few restaurants left in my immediate neighborhood from when I moved uptown in 1990, and I've eaten there many times. It was relatively inexpensive too, for the quality of the food. Everyone will miss it.

I enjoyed reading your lists for 2014..Good luck with your goal.

A NOLA Meetup? Now that would be fun. I'll have to PM Jim and Judy to see if they've any potential dates in mind. I know I'm not interested in being there for Mardi Gras though ... to much madness I think.

Love the book haul ..and am very much impressed by the measure of your self-restraint ..although I suspect it may have been brought on by the fact that you knew you had to carry it all plus your loot from Russ & Daughters that put the brakes on.

Good to see Harvest on your list of Top 10, Darryl. I struggled not to put it on my list, too.

>106 Cariola: Thanks, Deborah! I easily could have bought two or three times as many books from Book Culture, but I limited myself to the ones that I wanted to read ASAP, particularly My Promised Land, for the most part.

>107 rebeccanyc: An old GF and I had brunch or dinner at the Popover Café once or twice a month in 1989-1990, when we both lived in Jersey City and worked in NYC. It had great and relatively inexpensive food, as you said, and it also had a very comfortable and homey feel that made it that much more special. Its closure will be a huge loss, and I hope that its owner decides to re-open it somewhere else in the city.

>108 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. Happy New Year to you, too!

>109 cameling: Definitely so, Caroline. I lived there for three years, so I know the city reasonably well and would be happy to be a tour guide. I think the fall would be the ideal time to go, after the temperatures have cooled down a bit. I went to the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference in 2012 in October, and it was comfortable then, with high temps in the mid to upper 70s, but it was miserably hot and humid when I went to the Pediatric Hospital Medicine conference in August, when the temps were in the low to mid 90s and the relative humidity percentages were nearly as high. You're right; Mardi Gras is definitely not the time to visit NOLA!

You're right about the limited book haul. I didn't want to stay at Book Culture for long, since I was meeting Judy & Jim for lunch, and because I knew that I would have to carry a bag of goodies from Russ & Daughters as well. R&D is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, so I imagine that there will be special celebrations and guest hosts that broadcast from there, as Martha Stewart did a couple of years ago.

>105 kidzdoc: Yeah, I lived up on west 70th by the park in a little studio, before the area improved. Rent-controlled and inexpensive, wonderful location. I think New Morning closed way long ago; some other store may have used a similar name. It was owned by High Times magazine. Ron Kolm went from there to St. Mark's before it closed. I was gone, too, before then.

>110 lit_chick: I thought that Harvest was excellent, Nancy. It would have been a worthy winner of this year's Booker Prize, but The Luminaries was definitely a better book, IMO.

>112 jnwelch: That sounds like a great location, Joe.

Thanks Darryl for your lovely compliment. :-D

>114 Ameise1: You're welcome, Barbara!

I'm glad you made it home before the snow, Darryl. Looks like Philadelphia got about 6". The only measurement I have so far is from watching the dogs step gingerly out into it this morning. It's also very cold -- 14F!

About three inches of snow here and 9 degrees with strong gusts when I got up around 8:30. Glad you missed it, Darryl, even though the ride was bumpy!

I loves me some Kafka on the Shore! Hope you have a good time with it, Darryl. Thanks for the tip on The Obscene Bird of Night, which I have now WL'd.

Enjoyed your tops of '13 list. I'm going to be reading both Luminaries and Five Days at Memorial; the former is on the dining room table waiting for me, and I hope to get my hands on the latter soon.

I may have missed it, but where is your theater review thread? I'll post one about Tribes, which we saw last night.

ETA: Never mind, Darryl. Barbara sent me the link to the Theatre thread, and I posted the review there.

Popovers: What will I do without popovers and strawberry butter??? *Mourning* Should I venture down to NYC tomorrow to stock up?? Or just go cold turkey? That said, I had noticed that except during weekend brunch hours, it's rarely super-busy. We used to eat there after softball games in Central Park in the 1990s, when they still had the teddy bears available to cuddle while eating.

*deep depression*

Late to the party and new to the group. Stopping by to say hello and Happy New Year. Have been giving Five Days at Memorial serious consideration. You've helped move it up the list! Marianne

And I make a lovely pavlova, although never a chocolate one ...

Starred and caught up. I'm really looking forward to reading The Luminaries this year. I started it in November, but my life was too hectic then to do it justice so back to the library it went. It looks like I should also plan to read Five Days at Memorial. There is a lot of LT love for that one, too.

Darryl, I look forward to reading some books by Canadian authors along with you and following you on your travels. Here's to a good reading year for both of us. Cheers!

Darryl, by request, our latest theater adventure report:

Play: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Type: Musical

What great fun this play is! Reviews have compared it to Sweeney Todd, but I don't agree - it's so light-hearted, and although it has a comparable English music-hall style, it's filled with laughter from beginning to end. The material is taken from the same story as the movie 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', in which a poor young man learns that he is 8th in line for an earldom. When his pleas to reunite with the family are dismissed (of course!), he decides to visit the family parson, who oh so conveniently falls out of the bell tower.

Two ladies, 7 convenient deaths, slamming doors (what would a farce be without slamming doors!), and the superb actor Jefferson Mays playing the parts of ALL the men AND women in line for the title, often with such quick changes that we could scarcely believe it was him yet again.

And what else can you say about a musical that starts off with a chorus warning you to leave??

My first work day of 2014 wasn't a bad one, as we continue to be far less busy than we were at this time last year. Most of the kids I saw in the hospital had RSV or influenza, and none of them were severely ill. I'll work again this weekend and Monday and Tuesday, and after that I'll be off for a seven day stretch.

>116 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I didn't miss it by much, as it started snowing in Bucks County just after my father returned home from dropping me off at the airport. It wasn't snowing at PHL when the plane took off, but it was a very bumpy ride throughout most of the flight.

It reached as low as 19 F here, with wind chill readings in the single digits, which is about as cold as it routinely gets in Atlanta.

Did you go to work today?

>117 Cariola: Thanks, Deborah. I'm glad that you only received 3 inches of snow in Chambersburg. That storm sounds like it was a typical nor'easter, with worse impacts on the Atlantic coast than in the more inland regions. The flight was bumpy, but not scarily so, as I managed to sleep throughout most of the trip.

>118 jnwelch: I'm glad to hear that you're also a fan of Kafka On the Shore, Joe. I haven't started it yet, and I may wait until my upcoming break to get to it.

The Obscene Bird of Night was weird as hell, especially in its beginning when I couldn't figure out what was going on. I'm glad that I stuck with it, as I absolutely loved it. It's high on the list of books that I'd like to re-read in the near future.

I look forward to your comments about The Luminaries and Five Days at Memorial.

I probably won't see any live theatre for awhile, unless there is a performance here that I'm particularly interested in seeing next week. I suspect that the next plays I'll see will be the Royal Shakespeare Company's performances of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies in Stratford-upon-Avon on March 26th. I'll have to see what's on in and outside of London during that time.

>119 Chatterbox: The closing of the Popover Café is a tragedy, and the scumbag landlord who raised its rents so high that it couldn't stay in business should be drawn and quartered IMO. Myself, one of the pulmonologists (who posted a comment on my Facebook about the restaurant's closing), an ICU doctor and a PICU nurse all talked about how sad we were to learn that it was closing. I think that's quite a statement when four people who are in Atlanta are mourning the loss of a restaurant over 700 miles away.

I remember those teddy bears in the window sills at Popover Café! I'd forgotten all about them. *sigh*

>124 kidzdoc:: Darryl, I've been off work since 12/20 although I spent a couple hours today catching up on email and getting organized to return to the office on Monday. I have an important meeting on Tuesday that needs preparation -- some of which I could do today, and then finish on Monday when I can connect with some of the other participants.

Glad your first day back went well!

When are you over in England next Darryl? And that was an impresive book hual.

>79 kidzdoc: Since four of four NZers are opposed to chocolate pavlova I'll be sure to ask for another flavor instead.
You mean.....the only flavour, I am sure. Which would be "pavlova", there being only one kind :)
haha, it turns out the NZers are fairly passionate about their pav!

I love your top ten from last year Darryl, not that I have read many, but I love that you have made a top ten! I am almost inspired to do my own...almost :)

>120 michigantrumpet: Happy New Year, Marianne! And welcome to our XXL and XX friendly group. I wrote a review of Five Days at Memorial last year, if you want to read more about it.

>121 michigantrumpet: Ooh, yum. I'll have to taste pavlova first, and then learn how to make it myself (either that or marry someone who is proficient in preparing pavlovas).

>122 Donna828: Good to see you here, Donna! I suspect that I won't catch up fully until next week, during my time off from work. The Luminaries and Five Days at Memorial were easily my two favorite books that were published in 2013, so I hope that you enjoy them as well as I did.

I'll read The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz for my CanLit challenge this month, and I may read The View from Castle Rock as well.

I'm confident that we'll both have a superb reading year in 2014!

>124 kidzdoc: Thanks for posting your comments about A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Judy! I'd love to see it.

Came pretty close to breaking my two week abstinence vow when I saw Five Days in Memorial in one of the Bookstores on Thursday whilst waiting for a meeting. Reckon it could well make the shelves pretty soon.

Have a lovely weekend Darryl and it was good to see you get back safely, if a little ruffled.

Darryl, I will be watching for your thoughts on Kafka on the Shore, that is one I am contemplating reading this year. Have you read anything else by this author?

>125 lauralkeet: That sounds great, Laura; I'm glad that you had an extended time off from work to spend with your family.

>126 BBGirl55: Thanks, Bryony. God willing, I'll be in England in late March, as I have tickets to see the Royal Shakespeare Company's performances of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies in Stratford-upon-Avon on March 26th, which I bought last summer as a birthday present to myself. I'll probably stay for roughly one week, and I plan to return in early June for a two week stay, before I proceed to Paris and Barcelona for one week in each city.

>127 LovingLit: Clearly NZers are passionate about pavlova, Megan. I shall be sure to dine on proper pavlova, so that I don't provoke my NZ friends here.

I'd love to see a top 10 (or top 3 or top 5) list from you.

I want to read Five Days at Memorial soon too.

>129 PaulCranswick: Paul, I'm surprised but pleased that Five Days at Memorial has made its way to KL. I hope that you do get and read it soon.

The flight wasn't bad at all, despite the turbulence. Once I'm settled into my seat I'm usually very comfortable from takeoff to landing, especially if I score upgrades to first class as I did on both legs of my trip this week. Last Sunday's flight to Philadelphia was a painful screamfest, but yesterday's flight back to Atlanta was quiet and peaceful.

>130 leperdbunny: I've read numerous books by Haruki Murakami, Tamara, as he is one of my favorite authors. According to LT I have 17 of his books; my favorites are The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, South of the Border, West of the Sun, 1Q84, A Wild Sheep Chase, and After the Quake.

>131 kidzdoc: I hope that you get to read Five Days at Memorial soon, Lori. Sheri Fink, the book's author, recently spoke at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta Book Festival about her book. Unfortunately I had to work the night she was there, so I wasn't able to attend her talk.

131 > good to hear it will be 'proper' pavlova .....

Will be interested to hear how your read of Kafka on the Shore goes, I own/read most of his books ... patiently waiting for his latest to be translated, do wonder if we miss anything not reading them in his native tongue ???

Three days into the year and I already can't keep up with the group! Happy New Year Darryl and I hope to be around more this year.

Very sad about the Popover Cafe--I used to go there regularly when I spent half of my time in New York.

I notice several high-priority TBR's that overlap with mine. Of course, I haven't written mine down (yet).

Hi, Darryl - I think I lost track of you last year, I'll try to keep up better this year.

I _love_ the Service poem - his stuff is great, but I'm not quite as addicted to him as to Kipling. I don't think I'd ever seen that one before. I may have to reread some of his books.

Happy New Year, and see you around!

Lots of restaurants have gone out of business in my neighborhood, often because of rent increases, but also because some landlords decide they don't want food businesses in the building; what's particularly shocking about Popovers is how long it lasted.

>135 roundballnz: I'll first have to find pavlova in Atlanta, Alex, which I suspect won't be an easy task.

That's a great question about reading Murakami in Japanese and English. One person I know who might be able to answer that question is LT member lilisin, who was born in France, lives in the US, and is fluent in Japanese as well as in English and French. I think that she read both 1Q84 and Murakami's latest novel, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, in Japanese before they were released in English translation. Yes, she did write a review of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage last July, the only one that's on LT so far. Her review of 1Q84 is dated 3/25/12, which is after it was published in English translation, though. I just thought of one other person who might be able to answer that, namely Christopher Collins, who used to be active in LT; he was born in Boston and lived and taught English in Tokyo for several years before he returned to the US last year. We're still in touch via Facebook, so I can ask him as well.

>136 AnneDC: Happy New Year, Anne! It's great to see you back here, and I'm sure that I'll add a number of books to my library based on your recommendations.

I was talking with two of my partners this morning about the closing of the Popover Café; one of them visited it regularly when she lived in the city as well.

Which of my TBRs are you most interested in reading? I'll have to look at your list, should you choose to make one.

>137 jjmcgaffey: Happy New Year, Jennifer! It's good to see you here.

I hadn't read any poems by Service before I saw that one. I'll have to look for more of his work soon.

>138 rebeccanyc: Good point, Rebecca. Restaurant turnover is pretty common in Manhattan from what I've seen, particularly for those places that don't own their building. The Popover Café lasted for 32 years, which is a pretty good run compared to the vast majority of NYC restaurants.

I also mourned when K-Paul's NYC, Paul Prudhomme's version of his French Quarter restaurant located on Broadway between Bleecker and Houston Sts, Ratner's, the long time Jewish dairy restaurant on Delancey St, and H&H Bagels on B'way & 80th St, all closed. Ratner's came up with the brilliant idea of serving their soups on pushcarts in Midtown; they served a pint of one of six soups and an onion roll for $3.00, which was one of my favorite lunches when I worked at NYU Medical Center in the early 1990s.

There's an Australian Bakery Cafe in Marietta, Darryl. Isn't that kind of nearby? They have Lamingtons - wasn't there mention of those somewhere on the threads last year?

Anyway, they ship, too, though not pavlovas because they're fragile...

ETA: But honestly, I would think any decent bakery or cake shop would have pavlova. We can get it in Dallas, for goodness sake, and that's probably more of a culinary wasteland than Atlanta is (not counting barbecue and Mexican) ;-)

>140 katiekrug: Right, Katie. ABC also has a branch on Flat Shoals Road in East Atlanta, and I'm planning to go there next week during my stretch off from work. It makes excellent English and Australian meat pies, and I'll see if they serve pavlova as well.

I'm not familiar with Lamingtons.

ETA: Ack! The East Atlanta store has closed. However, the main shop in Marietta isn't that far from me, about 17 miles NW of Midtown, on the Square in the center of town, near the Cobb County Court House.

While there, try the Lamington. If I remember correctly, it's sponge cake dipped in chocolate and dusted with crushed coconut. Yummy!

>141 kidzdoc: Mmm...I'm not a fan of coconut. I'll at least take a peek at a Lamington, though.

I'm not a big fan but I don't hate it. The one time I had thsi particular dessert, it was almost like a powder so at least it didn't have the weird texture that often turns me off coconut.

I'll stop hijacking your thread now. I'm avoiding going to the grocery store...

>144 katiekrug: Good to know; thanks, Katie!

I'm avoiding writing my last patient progress note. I'll be able leave the hospital after I finish it and my sign out.

Lamingtons .... yummmmmm - another sweat treat NZ & Aus love, but also argue over who owns/invented :)

Have a preference for the Raspberry over chocolate ones myself

Lamingtons remind me of Sno-Ball snack cakes from my childhood. I was a fan then, but a bit unwilling to eat one now.

>146 roundballnz: Raspberry: good. Raspberry + coconut: ick.

>147 richardderus: Double ick. I didn't like Sno-Balls even when I was a kid.

Sno-balls have that awful faux marshmallow layer, don't they? And a gross cream center? If so, they are nothing like a Lamington (don't know why I'm so defensive of the Lamington; only had it once when I was in Australia...)!

148 > don't knock it till you tried it, even if only once :)

147 > snowballs & Lamingtons are too very different things, one actually tastes good ..... bit like saying cheese & cheese from a can are the same thing

Speaking of pavlovas and other sweet treats -- may I just say that my dear friend from high school who now lives in DC made Nanaimo bars for NYE, and has promised to ship me some... :-)

You could say that I was happy, but you'd be in danger of underestimating my response to this news...

Double ick. I didn't like Sno-Balls even when I was a kid.
You, me and Tallahassee from Zombieland have something in common then!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeS6DvyLScE

Well, Darryl, you have convinced me with all your pestering (OK, one comment) to do a top ten list for last year. Turns out it wasn't that hard afterall! I might even make a habit of it.

eta: Lamingtons....there is a photo of me pregnant with Wilbur, working my way through a whole plate of them. Said plate is balanced on my baby bump. I wonder where that is? We'll just say it was the cravings that made me do it...

All this talk of luscious sweets is making me so hungry!

I'm surprised but pleased that Five Days at Memorial has made its way to KL. I hope that you do get and read it soon.

Darryl, I think the buyers for bookstores in KL, especially Kinokuniya, secretly lurks on the threads here on LT, pays specific attention to posts from Paul which indicate that he's interested in certain titles, and then rush out to buy them to stock on their shelves so as to guarantee his patronage. I'm pretty sure if Paul were to go a year without making a purchase from Kino, the company will go the way of Borders in the US, and close it's doors amidst a flood of tears and much wailing.

I've taken note of your recommendation for a visit to NOLA in the fall and will plan my schedule accordingly.

Happy New Year, Darryl. I'm finally back home and trying to make the rounds, but I'll never catch up, not really!

>149 katiekrug: Sno-balls have that awful faux marshmallow layer, don't they? And a gross cream center?

Right, Katie. They are completely artificial and thoroughly disgusting.

If so, they are nothing like a Lamington

Good. I'll at least give a Lamington a try, then.

>150 roundballnz: Triple ick. I've never heard of cheese from a can, Alex. I think I'd rather eat Miracle Whip directly from the jar with a spoon.

>151 Chatterbox: I'd never heard of a Nanaimo bar, Suz. After I looked it up I'm certain that I can happily go to my grave without having tried one.

I did order some Peet's Treats for my parents, brother and cousin last week, and I brought back bags of Chocolate Covered Blueberries, Toffee Almond Crunch and Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans for myself. I brought back containers of raspberry rugelach from Russ & Daughters for my partners and for my favorite nurses, but the Peet's Treats stay with me.

>152 avidmom: LOL! "Sno-Balls? Where's the $#@%$& Twinkies?!!" Actually I don't like Twinkies either, but I'd rather have them than Sno-Balls.

Caro - I was informed by the staff of Kino (I have their store card of course) that I was their largest non-corporate customer last year (meaning 2012) so I think 2013 was in the bag for sure. It is funny but the staff at Times told me the same thing! Darryl - it could be on my Thingamijigamy list next week.

>153 LovingLit: Well, Darryl, you have convinced me with all your pestering (OK, one comment) to do a top ten list for last year.

Finally! I shall have to look at your top 10 list, Megan. I'll catch up on your thread and others on Wednesday, after I finish my last work day of the week on Tuesday.

I think we need to see the photo of you devouring a plate of Lamingtons while pregnant with Wilbur. *a new round of pestering begins*

>154 rosalita: At least we haven't posted pictures of these luscious sweets yet, Julia.

>155 cameling: I think you're spot on about KL bookstores catering to Paul's LT posts, Caroline. Some of them may even have sections dedicated to him as well.

NOLA in mid to late fall, after hurricane season, is a great time to visit. Carnival season is also nice, as long as you don't plan on spending Mardi Gras on Canal Street downtown or in the French Quarter. I would watch the parades with my girlfriend or my NOLA relatives in Uptown New Orleans, usually on St. Charles Avenue or Napoleon Avenue, where local residents usually gathered with their families, rather than deal with the vulgar, drunken tourists downtown. My aunts would usually prepare a Mardi Gras feast for families and neighbors, so we'd load up on seafood gumbo, red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, and other dishes there, and watch the local Mardi Gras Indians and their followers perform second line dances in the neighborhood. That was the true spirit of Mardi Gras, instead of the debauchery that most out of towners associate with Fat Tuesday in the Crescent City.

>156 ronincats: Happy New Year, Roni!

>158 PaulCranswick: Ha! I can't say that I'm surprised, Paul. Well done on supporting KL bookstores!

One of my favorite book lists was published earlier today, The Great 2014 Book Preview by The Millions. On a first glance these books are the ones that interest me the most:

On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee
Perfect by Rachel Joyce (I bought a copy in London last summer)
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
Every Day Is for the Thief by Teju Cole
All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu
Falling Out of Time by David Grossman
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
Family Life by Akhil Sharma
The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry
My Struggle, Book III by Karl Ove Knausgaard
Lost for Words: A Novel by Edward St Aubyn
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

I just read An Unnecessary Woman and LOVED it. Chang-Rae Lee's novel is on my TBR for this month. I've had a mixed experience with both Barry and Mengestu, so I may "library" those. (I see no reason why that shouldn't be a verb, really...)

ETA: I didn't much like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, so I probably won't read that one; on the other hand, the inclusion on the list of a Ben Marcus book (I think of short stories) reminded me that I have Flame Alphabet on my Kindle.

My own small list of priorities from that:

The news – a user’s manual – Alain de Botton
MFA vs NYC – Chad Harbach
Kinder Than Solitude – Yiyun Li - I LOVED her last novel, The Vagrants
Europe in Sepia – Dubravka Ugesic (I love her non-fiction, so this will be a winner)
I have an ARC of Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley en route to me
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue -- Goodie, yum.
The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham -- in case it's as good as his tribute to one V. Woolf
The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman (because I loved his debut)
In the Wolf’s Mouth by Adam Foulds -- an author I'm curious about.

Also a reminder to get cracking on Murakami.

Darryl, I read that temp in Atlanta is going to be 7 degrees...brrrrrr. We will have wind chill temp at -15...

Thankful for heat, years of volunteering at the local homeless shelter, always leads me to pray that all have shelter.

Stay warm my friend.

Peter Heller and Sebastian Barry are two I'll be looking forward to. Thanks for the list, Darryl but where the heck is Rohinton Mistry?, If I'm not mistaken he hasn't released anything since Family Matters back in 2002 unless you count one short story 6 years ago.

>159 kidzdoc: I think we need to see the photo of you devouring a plate of Lamingtons while pregnant with Wilbur. *a new round of pestering begins*
Alas, I think the photo is hard copy only, and in someone elses possession.
*phew*

Woah, that was close Darryl, I just did a wayward click and almost started you a new thread!

But, can't talk now, as I need to go look at the 2014 book list. There's not much more I like than a good book list....

eta: well, the covers being listed with the synopses....that just makes me want to read them more. Particularly On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee: love that cover!

157 > "never heard of cheese from a can" You & me both till this delicacy from U.S.A turned up down under .... still amuses me but would not consider that edible food.

157, 166> Cheez Whiz, you mean? Technically it's not - not cheese, that is. It's processed cheese food. But that does still make the (dubious) claim that it's edible...

...we'd load up on seafood gumbo, red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, and other dishes...

Man, you're making me hungry!

#161 What a great list of upcoming books! It's the third strong recommendation that I've seem for An Unnecessary Woman in three days, so I've got to get around to that one. And it's reminded me that I need to read White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi and The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus which are already on my shelves.

Current temp here is -1 with a wind chill of -22F. The cats are sticking pretty close--love that body heat!

Thanks for the link to The Millions' list, Darryl. I love Chang-Rae Lee but will pass on his new sci-fi novel. I have to say that I've been getting pickier about my books lately, and I saw a lot of things on the list that I might have wanted to read a year or two ago but now will skip. But I will definitely be looking forward to reading:

Bark: Stories by Lorrie Moore
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
Family Life by Akhil Sharma
All the Rage by A. L. Kennedy
The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry
The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai

Will wait for reviews on the new Michael Cunningham; he writes beautifully, but the subject matter of The Snow Queen sounds a bit drekish.

I know this has been discussed days ago, but yesterday I skimmed through my new food book Food lovers. Viaggio tra i sapori del mondo and found a picture of a pavlova (with strawberries for the record!) and a recipe for Lamingtons of which I had heard for the first time on this thread. Nice coincidence.

There was also a TV show about New Orleans on Italian TV on Sunday morning, mainly reporting on all the food. They were making a bit fun of the muffaletta with the "so-called Italian bread" but then happily ate it (I made one here with different bread and I agree it's absolutely delicious!). I saw also seafood gumbo, wonderful fried chicken and many more interesting things. Sadly it was over too soon. Should I ever travel to the US again... :)

My work week is done, and I'm now off for seven days in a row (woo!). I ate dinner, fell promptly asleep, and so I'm now awake at 3 am.

>162 Chatterbox: A review of Chang-Rae Lee's new novel appeared on the front cover of this past Sunday's NYT Book Review. I was on call on Sunday, so I haven't read it yet. I enjoyed The Secret Scripture and On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry and I loved Children of the Revolution by Dinaw Mengestu, so their new books will be on my radar screen. I wasn't impressed with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but Perfect sounded interesting and it received good reviews in the British press, from what I remember, so I bought it last year. I did like The Quickening Maze, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Booker Prize, and I loved The Broken Word, his epic poem about the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya, so I'll be interested in Adam Foulds' new book as well.

>163 Whisper1: When I arrived at work yesterday it was 5 F (-15 C) in Atlanta, with a wind chill of -12 F (-23 C), the coldest January 7th ever recorded here and the coldest day overall in 18 years. However, it didn't feel as cold then as it did yesterday afternoon, when it was in the teens and the wind was much stronger. Fortunately this morning will be the last cold one for us for a while (it's currently 17 F (-8 C)), but it warm up to the low 40s today, and reach the upper 50s by the weekend. Crazy weather!

I agree; the biggest concerns I have are for the homeless, pets who normally live outdoors, people who work outside, and the poor who have to rely on dangerous space heaters to keep warm. No one else down here has nearly as much to complain about, IMO.

ETA: I just read that an elderly homeless man froze to death in Atlanta yesterday morning.

>164 PaulCranswick: Good point, Paul. Hopefully Rohinton Mistry is working on an epic novel that will be released soon. I'm also waiting for the last book in Amitav Ghosh's Ibis Trilogy, which has consisted of Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke so far, and Hilary Mantel's follow up to Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

Falling asleep again...back later.

Darryl - I also thought about Amitav Ghosh but I need to catch up on Tudors Part 2 for Mantel before she releases #3. Pleased to see that you have a full 7 days unreserved and much deserved rest ahead.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: sleeping in is one of life's greatest pleasures.

>165 LovingLit: Alas, I think the photo is hard copy only, and in someone elses possession

No problem. All we have to do is find the person who has the photo, take a picture of the photo, and post it on Facebook and LT for everyone to see. And I'll bet your mother, like everyone else's, has a stash of embarrassing photos that she holds on to, for laughs and interminable blackmail material. Can I have her phone number?

Woah, that was close Darryl, I just did a wayward click and almost started you a new thread!

I had temporarily forgotten that the "Continue this topic in another topic" now appears after 150 posts, instead of 200 as it previously did. Feel free to start a new thread for me anytime; your posts are more entertaining than mine.

The Millions' biannual book lists are superb; I'll have to look for other ones from my favorite sources, particularly The Guardian.

One of my favorite sources for new books, particularly literature in translation, and international book awards is The Literary Saloon, a daily weblog by M.A. Orthofer that features commentary, book reviews, and links to web sites of interest. He(?) posted a group of several lists (including his own) of interesting books that will be published in 2014:

Looking ahead to 2014

He also posted a very favorable review of 1914: A Novel by Jean Echenoz, the book I bought in NYC last week, which he described as a "beautiful, deceptively simple novella of the First World War". He gave it an A- rating. I've only read a few pages of it, but it's just over 100 pages long, so I'll finish it either today or tomorrow, along with Homage to Barcelona.

I took a quick peek at the review by Andrew Sean Greer of Chang-rae Lee's new novel On Such a Full Sea in this past Sunday's NYT Book Review, which he described as a "marvelous new book, which imagines a future after the breakdown of our own society". The reviews of it on LT have been mixed, but I'll probably buy and read it.

>166 roundballnz:, 167 Ah; I forgot about Cheez Whiz, Alex. I agree with Jennifer; it's not cheese.

>168 drneutron: I'm making myself hungry as well, Jim! It's a shame that there are so few good Cajun and Creole restaurants outside of Louisiana.

Enjoy your seven days off, Darryl!

>169 SandDune: I own The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine, but I haven't read it yet. I suppose I should read it before I buy An Unnecessary Woman. I haven't read and don't own anything by Helen Oyeyemi.

>170 Cariola: I hope that it's warmer in PA today, Deborah. It's currently 27 F here, but with a brilliantly sunny sky it feels considerably warmer than that. The temps will skyrocket over the next few days, up to 66 degrees on Saturday and 58 degrees on Sunday. I hope that this yo-yo weather pattern stabilizes after that.

I've also become much pickier about the books I choose to buy. Of the 10 books I bought last week, eight came from my wish list. There were at least as many books at Book Culture that I probably would have purchased in past years.

I'd have to read several glowing reviews before I would read anything else by Lorrie Moore, since I loathed A Gate at the Stairs. I own On Bullfighting by A.L. Kennedy, which I read before I joined LT. I think I really liked it, but I don't remember it in detail. I did like Land's End: A Walk in Provincetown by Michael Cunningham, but I'm otherwise unfamiliar with him.

>171 Deern: I'll probably go to Marietta to look for pavlova and Lamingtons at the Australian Bakery Cafe in the next few days. Do let us know if you decide to make them yourself.

The cuisine of New Orleans and south Louisiana is both unique and utterly delightful, provided that you know where to go. Like anyplace else you can get some disappointingly mediocre food there, but the best NOLA restaurants are as good as any I've ever been to.

>173 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I'm also looking forward to this break, although we weren't anywhere near as busy at work as we had been this time last year. According to Amitav Ghosh's web site the final book in the Ibis Trilogy, Flood of Fire, will be published in the spring of 2015. I'm surprised that Rohinton Mistry has only published three novels, Such a Long Journey (1991), A Fine Balance (1995) and Family Matters (2002). I'll definitely read Family Matters this year.

I've probably mentioned that I have tickets to see the Royal Shakespeare Company's performances of Wolf Hall (matinee) and Bring Up the Bodies (evening) in Stratford-upon-Avon on March 26th; I bought them last summer as a birthday present to myself. I submitted my vacation request for that week earlier this morning, and once I receive confirmation I'll make plans to travel to London, probably from March 21-29.

>175 wilkiec: Thanks, Diana!

I think I'll read for a bit, and catch up on threads here and on Club Read later today.

A Gate 1t the Stairs was Moore's first novel--and not a success. (It's languishing somewhere in my TBR stacks; I haven't had much desire to read it after the bad reviews.) She is a wonderful short story writer, however, so I'm glad to see that she has returned to the genre.

I thought The Hours by Michael Cunningham was brilliant. I taught it a few years ago alongside Mrs. Dalloway.

I'd love to see something new by Rohinton Mistry. And, of course, I'm waiting eagerly for the last book in Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell trilogy. I'll be rereading Bring Up the Bodies with my students in a few weeks. Lucky you to get to see the dramatizations! Have you been to Stratford before? The big theatre there is a little less "cozy" than those in London . . . rather cavernous, actually.

It's a bit warmer here today--all of 12 degrees F. I have to go out in a bit and will wrap up well!

>178 Cariola: Others have said the same thing about Lorrie Moore, Deborah. However, I would be hard pressed to read anything by her without thinking about the bad taste that A Gate at the Stairs left in my mouth. It's been just over three years since I read it, and I can still remember vividly reading it at my best friends' house in Madison, where Moore lives and teaches, on a very cold New Year's Day when the four of them and I were all reading together snuggled underneath blankets. That great reading day was partially ruined by that very bad book.

I haven't been to Stratford before, so I'm looking forward to my (hopeful) visit there. I doubt that anyone else is taking vacation in late March, so I should get my request. Thanks for the info about the theatre there.

We're now above freezing, at 37 degrees, on the way to a projected high of 43 degrees today; the normal high temperature in Atlanta is around 50 degrees this time of year. We're supposed to have heavy rain and possibly severe thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday, but Sunday should be a glorious day, with sunny skies and a high temperature of 58 degrees.

Darryl, my sister and her husband saw Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies on January 2nd and were very impressed. (At least my sister was, my BIL has a tendency to fall asleep!) She was even more impressed to discover Hilary Mantel sitting in the same row as them!

It's looking unlikely that I'll make it to London at the end of January, and thus I may have a ticket for "Bring Up the Bodies" going begging. Sigh. Maybe the Guardian folks will get off their rear end and pay me?

I just succumbed and put the Echenoz novel on my Kindle. If I waited for a library copy to be processed, it might not show up until February.

>174 kidzdoc: On Such a Full Sea...... described as a "marvelous new book, which imagines a future after the breakdown of our own society".
Oh, I like it even more now, as have a long-held craving to read more/some dystopian fiction.

The Literary Saloon, a daily weblog by M.A. Orthofer that features commentary, book reviews, and links to web sites of interest
Thanks for the heads up on another great book source. My tbr pile with thank you later, once it has recovered from its implosion.

>179 kidzdoc: Oh, again. The Gate at the Stairs is the only Lorrie Moore novel I own.

Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies- on stage!!? I am thinking you could need to take a can of cheese wizz to sustain you on what could be a very long day.

178> Wow, The Gate at the Stairs must be a real stinker! I'll have to give it a very quick perusal the next time I run across it before dumping it into the Good Will box.

Here is a link to an interview with Chang-Rae Lee on WNYC, New York's public radio station. I haven't listened to this yet but I heard another interview with him over the weekend that was what I was actually searching for; however, Leonard Lopate, the interviewer, has a great show, so I'm confident this will be interesting.

I'm finally on the scoreboard, after I finished Homage to Barcelona by Colm Tóibín late last night. I'll review it later this morning, and then resume reading 1914: A Novel, which I'll definitely finish today.

>180 SandDune: Rhian, I'm glad to hear that your sister liked the RSC productions of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, and that she saw Hilary Mantel in the process! I'll have to find out how long each production lasts, and whether I'll need to spend a night in Stratford if the latter play ends before the last train to London leaves the Stratford-upon-Avon station. More importantly, I'll have to wait to be sure what days I'll be off (and if I'll be off) before I can make any definitive plans.

>181 Chatterbox: Sorry to hear that you probably won't make it to London later this month, Suz.

>182 LovingLit: I'll probably read On Such a Full Sea, Megan, although I'll probably wait to read opinions about it from LTers that I know and trust (present company included).

Is your TBR pile going to thank me or speak unkindly of me after you look at The Literary Saloon?

A Gate at the Stairs is one of the most memorably loathsome books I've read this century, which is up there with The Testament of Jessie Lamb and The Piano Teacher.

Right; I have tickets for the afternoon performance of Wolf Hall and the evening performance of Bring Up the Bodies on the same day (or is it the other way around?). It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I'm wondering if that may be too much to do in one day, considering that I'll start and possibly end the day with a 2+ hour train ride from London. However, when I bought the tickets this summer I got the last seated ticket for one performance and a standing room only ticket for the other. Neither ticket was terribly expensive, from what I remember, so I may consider seeing one of the plays (the one I have a seat for), and turning in my ticket for the other, since it's likely that I'll make three or four trips to London this year.

>183 Cariola: Others liked A Gate at the Stairs far more than I did, Deborah, so you may want to look at their comments before you chuck it.

>184 rebeccanyc: Thanks for that link to the Chang-rae Lee interview, Rebecca. I'll listen to it later this week.

Book #1: Homage to Barcelona by Colm Tóibín



My rating:

The Irish author Colm Tóibín wrote this extended love letter to his second home during his second extended stay there in 1988, 10 years after he first left. He first arrived there in 1975, as a 20 year old recent college graduate, two months before the death of General Francisco Franco. Tóibín begins the book by providing a first hand account of those heady and uncertain days following Franco's death, when no one knew what freedoms would be permitted, or whether democracy would truly take hold in the country after nearly 40 years of civil war and fascist rule. A rich description of the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic), the center of the old city, follows, along with a brief history of the city, Catalonia as a whole, and its unique language, cuisine and relationship with Spain. Separate chapters are dedicated to the lives and influences of Antonio Gaudí, the Modernist architect whose unorthodox creations are featured throughout the city, including the still uncompleted Sagrada Família and the Casa Batlló (both pictured below), Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró.





Tóibín also describes the major political and factions that dominated the city in the years preceding and during the Spanish Civil War, particularly the wealthy landowners and industrialists, who refused to provide their employees with a decent standard of living and occasionally beat and killed those who dared complain; the trade unions that arose in response to the inhumane treatment of the workers; the Anarchists, whose violent opposition to the Church and the wealthy elite led to the deaths of hundreds of priests; the Communists; and the Republican government, which ultimately fell to the rebels led by Franco and his colleagues during the Civil War.

In later chapters he explores smaller towns in Catalonia, including the medieval city of Girona, known for its Passion Play about the last days of Jesus Christ and the macabre and dangerous Dance of Death that only residents can attend; the Costa Brava, which has become a favored destination for tourists but still holds pockets of isolated beauty; and Llavorsí, a mountainous village that has also experienced a not completely welcome transformation due to the influence of non-Catalonians.

Throughout the book Tóibín compares his impressions of Catalonia during his first stay from 1975-1978 with his subsequent ones in 1988. The book closes with the preparations underway in the city for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, which seem to be disjointed, disruptive and a vague threat to that unique region.

Homage to Barcelona was a superb and beautifully written introduction to a city which I plan to visit for the first time later this year. At just over 200 pages it would serve well as a portable cultural guide to Barcelona and Catalonia, although it is now a bit dated nearly 25 years after its initial release. My only disappointment was that Tóibín only dedicated a couple of paragraphs to the region's leading authors and those non-Catalonians who have written about the city. I used the maps in Everyman Mapguides Barcelona and Secret Barcelona to help me locate the buildings and streets mentioned in Homage to Barcelona, as Tóibín's book contains no illustrations or photographs.

#188 I'm wondering if that may be too much to do in one day, considering that I'll start and possibly end the day with a 2+ hour train ride from London.

I would think that would be a huge amount to do in one day. I haven't seen the timetables but I'm a bit doubtful if you can actually get back to London from Stratford at the time of night that you will need to. I don't think Stratford's on a main line so I doubt if the service is brilliant. And even if there are trains you'd probably be catching the last one and it would just take one thing to go wrong and you'd be spending the night on a station platform somewhere. If there no way you could spend the night in Stratford?

Lovely review of the Tóibín book, Darryl. Onto the wishlist ...

>187 SandDune: You're right, Rhian. I just checked; Bring Up the Bodies starts at 19:30 and lasts 3 hr 5 min. There is a train from Stratford-upon-Avon that leaves for Oxford at 23:15, and I could connect to a train from there to Paddington that would arrive just after 02:00 the following day. Needless to say that would be dicey at best, and painful at worst.

I'm also wondering if it makes any sense to see two 3+ hour performances almost back to back in the same day. Did your sister see both performances on the same day? If I do decide to see Bring Up the Bodies I'll certainly stay in Stratford that night, and return to London the following day. If not I imagine that I could exchange the ticket, given the massive demand, and return to London at the conclusion of Wolf Hall.

>188 rosalita: Thanks, Julia!

Yes - she saw both in the same day and said it was a great experience. Sort of like being immersed in Tudor England. I've caught trains out to that part of the world before when my sister used to live in that vicinity and they're not the fastest. It's not really on the mainline to anywhere in particular! If you stayed the night and travelled via Oxford you'd be able to have a brief look at Oxford as well.

Darryl, I have seen two plays in one day in Stratford--but I also stayed overnight in a B&B. I would recommend that as there is quite a bit to see in the town and surrounding areas.

Nice review of Homage to Barcelona. I've read a lot of Toibin but not this one.

>191 Cariola: Thanks for that recommendation, Deborah. I'll look for a room in Stratford later this week.

>192 Cariola: I'm glad you liked my review of Homage to Barcelona. Tóibín's novel The South is also set in Barcelona; I own it, so I'll read it soon.

If you have the time and can figure out a way to do it, you simply MUST see Blenheim Palace on your way back from Stratford. London Walks does some bus excursions, but the timing may not be right.

Wonderful review of the Barcelona book. Those pictures are beautiful.

Darryl - Great review of the Barcelona book; I picked up a copy last time I was there but haven't read it yet. I must get to it soon. Barcelona is a lovely city. Sigh.

>194 Cariola: Thanks, Deborah; I'll keep that in mind. I'll probably go to London three or four times next year, including the first two weeks in June, so I may go there then if I don't go in March.

>195 avidmom: Thanks, avidmom. I love Gaudí's work, so I'm looking forward to seeing his creations in person.

>196 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I'm collecting a list of places to see, books to read, and restaurants and bookshops to visit in Barcelona, so I'd love to hear any recommendations you might have.

I'll send you a list of the places that I recommend for Barcelona-I loved my one week there in Oct.

Fabulous review of the Homage to Barcelona, Darryl although it's a shame he didn't include any illustrations. The last time I was in Barcelona was 20 years ago .... yikes! I'd love to go back there again for a visit, but it'll have to be after I visit a couple of friends in Vienna first.

>198 torontoc: Thanks, Cyrel!

>199 cameling: Thanks, Caroline. I'll probably be in Barcelona during the last week of June; I think that you & Edd should travel to Vienna, and then fly to Barcelona to keep me company. Problem solved.

I just found out from Club Read member janeajones that the black poet, playwright and political activist Amiri Baraka died in his home town of Newark, New Jersey earlier today, at the age of 79. My father knew him fairly well when we lived in nearby Jersey City, as both he and Baraka worked as activists in the 1960s to provide services such as Head Start and meals for poor families to their communities. Baraka, who was known as LeRoi Jones before he adopted a Muslim name later in the 1960s, was a controversial figure throughout his career, particularly in 2002 when as the poet laureate of New Jersey he gave a public reading of his poem "Somebody Blew Up America", which claimed that Israel had prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Despite his However, he should be remembered for his contributions to the Black Arts Movement and his support for young artists of all races and creeds, which continue to resonate to this day.

New York Times: Amiri Baraka Dies at 79

Re Stratford: stay overnight there, and hire a taxi or a car and go back to London via Blenheim Palace and Oxford. You simply can't be that close to Blenheim and not visit; it's extraordinary.

If anyone will be near Stratford on Jan 31st and wants my ticket to "Bring Up the Bodies", pls let me know. I'm devastated, but must admit I can't afford the air fare. $850 to $900 in the offseason... Gah.

>185 kidzdoc: A Gate at the Stairs is one of the most memorably loathsome books I've read this century, which is up there with The Testament of Jessie Lamb and The Piano Teacher.
*ahem*
I recently upgraded The Piano Teacher to 5 stars from 4.5, and it was in my top 5 reads of last year! LOL. I also liked The Wasp Factory when you didn't. So if Lorrie Moore's one is anything like them....maybe I will love it?
Perhaps my opinion of On Such a Full Sea isn't so necessary for your reading of it :)

Re: the Wolf Hall/ButB plays, I'd say turning in your seat for the standing session (I love that notion) is a good idea, I had no idea they even did that. Surely more comfy to be seated.

Great review of Homage to Barcelona, Darryl. I absolutely love some of Gaudi's architecture!

>202 Chatterbox: Thanks for that suggestion, Suz. I'll probably save a trip to Blenheim Palace for another visit, though.

>203 LovingLit: I did notice that you were very impressed with The Piano Teacher, Megan, but I didn't remember that you also liked The Wasp Factory. Although I hated it, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that you might love A Gate at the Stairs; there are LTers whose opinions I respect who enjoyed it.

Mmm...no, I'll still look for your comments about On Such a Full Sea to help me decide whether to read it or not, as I suspect that you'll get to it before I do.

I'd be much more likely to turn in my standing ticket for Wolf Hall if I knew that I could get a seat during its run in Stratford, or elsewhere later in the year. Tickets for all performances are completely sold out, and there's no indication that it will play elsewhere yet (which surprises and disappoints me). I'll also have to find out if the standing area includes something to lean on; I wouldn't be keen on standing upright for 3-1/2 hours otherwise. Most importantly, I'll have to wait to be sure that I actually get my vacation request before I start making any definitive plans. I think I've always gotten the days off I've asked for, and it's highly likely that I will this time, but I'd rather wait for the chickens to hatch before I count them.

I started reading The Spanish Holocaust last night, and realized that a knowledge of pre-Civil War Spain is all but essential to appreciating it, and that it was much more detailed, and less interesting, than I thought it would be. It also isn't truly a TBR book for me; I'm considering books that I bought prior to 1/1/13 as being TBRs, and I bought this book last year. So, I'll put it aside, and read Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett, which I bought in 2007, instead.

Before I read Ghosts of Spain I'll make this an impromptu Amiri Baraka memorial weekend, and read two TBR books that didn't make my original list: How I Became Hettie Jones, a memoir by the former Hettie Cohen, who was Baraka's first wife when he was named LeRoi Jones. It describes her Jewish middle class upbringing, her controversial marriage to Jones in the 1950s, and their bohemian life in the East Village surrounded by beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg, writers such as Jack Kerouac and James Baldwin, and jazz musicians such as Thelonious Monk and Billie Holiday. It got great reviews when it came out in 1990, and I've owned my copy since 2006. I had meant to include it in my first group of TBR books, but accidentally passed over it.

The other book I'll read is Tales of the Out & the Gone, a collection of Baraka's short stories that I've owned since 2007. I'll probably also read Somebody Blew Up America and Other Poems; I know I've read the controversial title poem, but I'm not certain that I've read the entire collection.

>204 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. I also love his architecture, and I definitely plan to explore it in person when I go to Barcelona in June.

You have some interesting reading going on, Darryl. Have a wonderful weekend!

>207 wilkiec: Thanks, Diana! I hope that you enjoy your weekend as well.

Not quite…..but this is often what I’ve felt like these past couple weeks…

Happy New Year Darryl....I'm still alive here in Baltimore caregiving 89 yo mom with her various fractures, but no time to start my new thread…haven’t even wrapped up my 2013 stats, but I’m lurking here for a dose of sanity and to stay caught up on all my 75er friends. Heading back to Maine this weekend, and may surface enough sometime next week to start up. Meantime, I’m slowing ear-reading We are Water by Wally Lamb. It’s so good, I may have to drug Mom so I can have about 1 ½ hours quiet to finish it.

Keep zinging those BBs this way.

And the good news is that Genny will be using my RSC ticket to see "Bring up the Bodies" on Jan 31st! Hurrah.

Happy weekend, all.

Two plays in one day always seems like too much for me, but they both sound like great performances. Maybe you could start the day with a 10 mile hike?

>209 tututhefirst: Happy New Year, Tina! It sounds as though you're making the best of a busy stretch of time. I look forward to your comments about We Are Water. Have a safe trip back to Maine this weekend!

>210 Chatterbox: I'm glad that Genny will get to see Bring Up the Bodies, Suz. Hopefully you'll get to see it in the near future; according to the Man Booker web site these two plays "will later be adapted for television screens by the BBC."

>211 banjo123: I'm admittedly now having second thoughts about going to see both plays in one day, especially since it seems as though they will be adapted for television, and possibly appear on stage outside of Stratford. Neither ticket was very expensive; my standing ticket for Wolf Hall cost only £5, and my seat for Bring Up the Bodies was £18.

I may need to take a 10 mile hike that morning to give me energy if I decide to see both performances!

An extremely belated happy new year here, Darryl, although we did link up elsewhere. I have only just found your thread. Like your reading plans up top and am chuffed that you are carrying on with the Canadian reads. As usual, I'll trail along on your coat tails, wishlisting and catching book bullets as you go. Utterly pea green about you having tickets to the Mantel plays. Electric chartreuse, actually.

Book #2: 1914: A Novel by Jean Echenoz



My rating:

The latest novel by Echenoz opens in the Vendée region of France, as a lazy and quiet Saturday afternoon in August 1914 is interrupted by the insistent pealing of church bells throughout the region, which signals a call for mobilization for the impending war against Germany. The novel focuses on five ordinary men in one village, and a young woman who loves one man and is fond of another. The men and their commanding officers are convinced that the combat will last no longer than a few weeks, and that all will return home safely. However, as weeks turn into months and months into years, and as the soldiers see their companions felled in action, they are transformed into dispirited men who rely on alcohol to dull their senses. Echenoz writes poignantly about their seemingly hopeless circumstances:

Well, you don't get out of this war like that. It's simple: you're trapped. The enemy is in front of you, the rats and lice are with you, and behind you are the gendarmes. Since the only solution is to become an invalid, you're reduced to waiting for that “good wound”, the one you wind up longing for, your guaranteed ticket home, but there's a problem: it doesn't depend on you. So that wonder-working wound, some men tried to acquire it on their own without attracting too much attention by shooting themselves in the hand, for example, but they usually failed and were confronted with their misdeed, tried, and shot for treason. Mowed down by your own side rather than asphyxiated, burned to a crisp, or shredded by gas, flamethrowers, or shells—that could be a choice. But there was also blowing your own head off, with a toe on the trigger and the rifle barrel in your mouth, a way of getting out like any other—that could be a choice too.

The lives of the five men are all irrevocably altered by the war, in different ways. However, Echenoz shows us that the trauma of war is not limited to those who have experienced combat, or have had their homes or livelihoods taken away from them. Many seem to lose their basic sense of humanity by taking advantage of their countrymen in battle, overcharging them for food or drink as they march through villages, or supplying them with overpriced, shoddily made equipment.

1914 is a quiet and elegantly written novella about the effects of The Great War on a group of ordinary men and citizens of a small French town, whose power comes not from grisly descriptions of combat, but in the benumbed despair that afflicts everyone in its midst. The book is greatly enhanced by notes from the book's translator, Linda Coverdale. Although this book doesn't match my favorite ones by Echenoz, it was still a very enjoyable read.

I've just started reading the Echenoz, and I was gripped by the descriptions in the early pages. I'm looking forward to the rest -- it's already shaping up to be better than the one about the Czech runner, the title of which momentarily escapes me. My fave of his, however, remains Ravel.

I look forward to your comments about 1914, Suz. The novel you're thinking of is
Running. It, Ravel and Lightning are my three favorite Echenoz novels.

I've decided to increase my rating of 1914 to 4 stars.

Darryl - loved your review of Jean Echenoz's novella. He was a writer recommended to me by RD last year and whose books I am going to have to order as the stores here have none.

I also noticed Megan's enthusiasm and remembered your aversion to it. Amazing that two readers whose opinions I greatly value are at absolute poles apart on that one.

I haven't read it yet.......you put me off it.

Have a great weekend as you continue your break.

Thanks, Paul. Echenoz is my favorite living French writer. I own seven of his books, and read six of them; only one of them, Chopin's Move, was a disappointment.

I've come to accept and expect that not everyone whose opinions I value will like a book I love, and vice versa. Earlier this morning wandering_star (Margaret) from Club Read wrote a negative review of Simon Mawer's The Glass Room, a book that I absolutely loved. She brought up points that slipped by me, and as I told her I may read it again with a more critical eye.

I hope that you enjoy your weekend as well. I woke up at 4 am to the sound of heavy rain and thunder, but once this system passes the rest of the weekend should be pleasant and seasonably warm.

Scratch my previous comment about our "pleasant" weather weekend. A line of severe storm is just about to pass through Atlanta, and we're under a tornado watch until 3 pm. Wasn't it in the single digits here only a couple of days ago?

Darryl,
I am going tpost on your home page a list of travel books that I used in Barcelona

Hi Darryl! In our local library they've got Ravel and Running by Jean Echenoz. Have you read them and which one did you like best?

>220 torontoc: Thanks for those great recommendations, Cyrel! I'll start looking for those books, and investigate the hotel that you recommended.

>221 Ameise1: Barbara, I gave 4-1/2 stars to Ravel, Running and Lightning; I liked Running and Lightning slightly better than Ravel, though. I ran the mile and cross country in high school, so I could identify with the portrayal of Emil Zátopek, the description of his unorthodox running style, and the "loneliness" that is a part of long distance running. BTW I've written reviews of all three books on LT, along with Piano, which I gave 4 stars. I didn't review Chopin's Move, which was easily the weakest of the six books by Echenoz that I've read so far.

I forgot to mention that I like your title about achieving TBR domination this year. The first two books I'm reading are from the TBR shelves but I'm afraid if I say that's what I'm doing, I won't do it.

Bianca (drachenbraut23) update: we've been in touch via Facebook Messenger last night and this morning. She is doing well, but she's been very busy since late December, as she worked through Christmas week and New Year's week. She hasn't been reading or using her computer much, as she's been mainly working and sleeping, but she plans to create a thread here in March, when she returns to Germany.

I'm nearly halfway through How I Became Hettie Jones by the former Hettie Cohen, who was the first wife of LeRoi Jones, later known as Amiri Baraka, who died earlier this week. It is absolutely wonderful, and I doubt that I'll give it less than 4-1/2 stars. I should finish it today, and I'll review it no later than tomorrow.

Perhaps the fact that I'm not a runner explained why I wasn't very enamored with Running? It just felt (pun unintentional and unavoidable) pedestrian to me, pounding along in an obvious direction toward the finish line. I thought Piano's core idea was so fun and creative that it became a great read; Ravel I loved because it got me inside the brain of someone who creates. I've not read Chopin's Move. I think there are still some that haven't been translated, right? I should see what's there...

If D. achieves TBR domination, I will be the first to admit that I was wrong to splutter in hilarity at the ambitious objective.

Beautiful review of Homage to Barcelona, Darryl. I am reading Love in the Time of Cholera which weaves in the Spanish influence in the culture and city the story is set in. I studied Spanish in high school/college so one of my first loves is Spanish culture. Adding to the tbr. :)

Hi Darryl, at last. I hope the tornado watch passed uneventfully and you're having a good Saturday.

I should have bought the Colm Toibin book when I saw it but now it's going onto my wishlist instead! Sounds great. I'll be interested to see your review of Ghosts of Spain too.

1914 sounds great, too. I haven't read anything by Echenoz but have vague ideas of reading a bit more translated literature this year. I'll see if the library has it.

Have you been to Oxford on your trips to the UK? I love wandering round there and Blackwells would keep you happy for many hours.

>223 tiffin: Thanks, Tui. I came up with that when I thought of the cartoon Pinky and the Brain last month; The Brain tried every night to take over the world, so I decided to try to take over my TBR pile, or at least dominate it, this year, hence the title.

How I Became Hettie Jones will be my first TBR book of the year, and unless it falls off of the rails in its second half it will be a great start to my TBR domination plan, and a perfect example of why I want to get to these books this year. I've owned it since 8/14/06 (the receipt from City Lights Bookstore is still in the book), and I've wanted to read it numerous times over the past 7+ years but always found some other book to read instead, usually one that fit a particular theme read. As I've been reading it today I keep asking myself, "Why didn't I get to this sooner?"

>225 Chatterbox: Perhaps the fact that I'm not a runner explained why I wasn't very enamored with Running? It just felt (pun unintentional and unavoidable) pedestrian to me, pounding along in an obvious direction toward the finish line.

That's exactly what made it so good, Suz! Long distance running is just as you described, setting one foot down after the next until you're finished. At least with XC you're running through a hilly, wooded path, which breaks up the monotony of running four laps around a track as you would in the mile. Echenoz brilliantly captured the feel of long distance running and, again, Zátopek's running style; I think I was a slightly more graceful runner, but it was a challenge to maintain some semblance of a good form, especially as the races or our daily practices neared their end.

1914 is Echenoz's 14th novel, so there are probably five or six titles that haven't been translated into English yet. I own I'm Off and One Year, which is a combination of his Prix Goncourt winning novel I'm Gone and another novella (I'm not sure if it was published separately or not), and I don't yet own Big Blondes and Double Jeopardy, the only other books I'm aware of that are available in English translation.

If D. achieves TBR domination, I will be the first to admit that I was wrong to splutter in hilarity at the ambitious objective.

This is my year to conquer (in part) my TBR pile. Victory will be mine!

>226 leperdbunny: Thanks, Tamara. I read Love in the Time of Cholera years ago, probably in the late 1980s soon after it was published in translation here. I also took Spanish in high school (4 years) and college (1 year), so I'm fond of the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries, which is one reason why I'm so eager to make my first trip to Spain this year.

>227 cushlareads: Cushla, the rain stopped here about two hours ago, and the sun is now out. Some homes and buildings were damaged this morning in the suburbs and exurbs north and west of Atlanta, which trapped and possibly injured several people. There was rotational activity in these areas, and it's possible than a low grade tornado may have touched down there. One of my work partners had to brave heavy rain and thunder this morning to clear the gutters around her house of leaves, as her home was in danger of flooding. Several streets and intersections in Atlanta are also flooded, including this one which isn't far from me:



I was planning to go out later this afternoon, but needless to say I'll probably wait until tomorrow morning.

Homage to Barcelona was very good; hopefully Ghosts of Spain will be as well. I'll also read novels and non-fiction books written by authors from Barcelona that I already own in the coming weeks, including ones by Juan Marse, Juan Goytisolo and Quim Monzó, along with The South by Colm Tóibín, which is also set in that city.

I haven't been to Oxford yet. If I don't go in March I'll definitely make it there in June.

Thanks Darry for your opinion. I'll give them a try.
Wish you a recreative weekend :-D

#214 Darryl, sounds like I need to get around to trying Jean Echenoz. I've had Ravel on my WL for so long that I'd forgotten about it and sounds like 1914: A Novel is worth a read as well.

H Darryl, I enjoyed your review of Homage to Barcelona, I read that and Ghosts of Spain a few years ago. I'm currently in Valencia and will be staying just south of Barcelona, near Tarragona for the next three weeks. We plan on making numerous trips into Barcelona and also intend to visit more of the region. I've been to Barcelona several times before and am a real fan of Gaudi's work. There is an interesting Gaudi museum in nearby Reus. I read an excellent biography by Gijs van Hensbergen, probably around the time of my last visit.
On my last trip we did the pilgrimage to the Dali museum in Figueres which I really loved as a decadent overdone piece of art in itself, though have to say the number of tourists visiting at the same time turned it into a bit of an ordeal.
One book I keep meaning to read is Robert Hughes' Barcelona.

>230 Ameise1: You're welcome, Barbara. I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend as well.

>231 SandDune: I'd say so, Rhian. All of the novels I've read by Echenoz are short (in the 100-150 page range) and manage to be both readable and meaty. It seems to me that many contemporary French novels don't translate well into English, but that isn't the case for Echenoz.

>232 avatiakh: I didn't realize that you were also in Spain, Kerry! How did you like Ghosts of Spain? Thanks for mentioning your plans in Catalonia; I'm eager to hear more about your specific plans other than what you already mentioned.

At least one of the members of Club Read recommended Robert Hughes' Barcelona very highly. I've already added it to my Kindle wish list, and I'll probably read it just prior to my visit.

Wonderful reviews of those last two books Darryl and I will look for 1914: A Novel. I own and will bump up I'm Gone. I'm in complete agreement with you on Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs. I thought it was dreadful and, mercifully, can't remember anything about it.

Darryl - thanks for the update on Bianca. I for one have missed her contributions around these parts and look forward to her return. The brown water streaming down the streets doesn't make for an outdoors day. Good for reading though.

>234 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie. I should also get to I'm Off and One Year; I think that I'm Gone and I'm Off are different titles for the same book. Checking...yes, that's true.

I found A Gate at the Stairs to be very superficial, unfocused, condescending and utterly maddening. I know that she's supposed to be a much better short story writer than a novelist, but it would take quite a bit to get me to read anything by her again.

>235 PaulCranswick: You're welcome, Paul. I know that people here miss her, so I wanted to let y'all know that she's doing well.

I didn't go outside yesterday, but it should be a splendid day today, with sunny skies and high temps approaching 60 F (15 C). It's just after 5 am here, so I'll go out just before 7 am to go to the supermarket and get breakfast.

I did finish How I Became Hettie Jones, which I gave 4-1/2 stars. I'll review it later today.

Good morning- it is warm in Toronto for winter- we have had extremes of cold and warm in the past weeks.
I will send more Barcelona information this week- I think that if you look at Trip Advisor postings you can judge whether one of the hotels that I mentioned would be good for you.

Book #3: How I Became Hettie Jones by Hettie Jones



My rating:

I started leaving home when I was six and weighed thirty-eight pounds. Lying on a mountainside, where my sister and I were at summer camp, I had my hands in the air pretending to weave the clouds, as I had that morning begun weaving a basket.

Hettie Cohen (1934-) grew up in a middle class home in the largely Jewish neighborhood of Laurelton in Queens, New York. Her parents were distant and formal, but they unconditionally loved their youngest daughter. As she approached adulthood they encouraged her to pursue her desire to be her own person, free of the stifling restraints that trapped most women in early 1950s America:

Men had little use for an outspoken woman, I'd been warned. What I wanted, I was told, was security and upward mobility, which might be mine if I learned to shut my mouth. Myself I simply expected, by force of will, to assume a new shape in the future. Unlike any woman in my family or anyone I'd ever actually known, I was going to become—something, anything, whatever that meant.

After attending Mary Washington College in conservative segregated Virginia and graduate school at Columbia, she settled down in New York. She made friends, had several lovers of various backgrounds, and reveled in the life of a single woman in a city that allowed its youth a degree of space to shed cultural expectations and live freely. She found work as a subscription manager for an magazine about jazz records, and one day at work she was asked to interview a candidate for the job of shipping manager:

The applicant, arrived on a gust of sweet afternoon, turned out to be a young black man, no surprise. It was he who was surprised. "You're reading Kafka!" he said happily.

I sat him down and we started to talk. He was smart, and very direct, and for emphasis stabbed the air with his third—not index—finger, an affectation to notice, of course. But his movements were easy, those of a man at home not only in skin but in muscle and bone. And he led with his head. What had started with Kafka just kept on going.

The man was LeRoi Jones, a former college student and aspiring writer, who had recently received a dishonorable discharge from the US Air Force on suspicion of harboring Communist beliefs. Roi was hired, and he and Hattie began a friendship that grew ever closer, until they became lovers and inseparable companions several months later.

The two moved in together, living a bohemian lifestyle initially in the East Village. As Jones began to gain recognition for his writing, with Hettie's support, the couple was exposed to Beat writers such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. They frequently attended jazz performances at the Five Spot, a now defunct club that hosted several top modern jazz musicians for prolonged gigs, most notably Thelonious Monk's quintet that featured John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy. After the two founded Totem Press, which published the work of several Black Mountain poets, and created the literary magazine Yugen, their apartment was frequently filled with writers and avant-garde artists, which provided endless hours of entertainment but left them at the edge of poverty.

After Hettie became pregnant for a second time with Roi the two decided to marry, with the support of their friends and his family, but against the wishes of her parents and the conventions of 1950s America, including many residents of the city of New York. Hettie gave birth to a daughter, Kellie, who was soon followed by another daughter, Lisa. She and Roi shielded them from overt racial prejudice for the most part, but the loss of Hettie's income combined with Roi's inadequate earnings, unwillingness to help Hattie with family responsibilities, and increasing time away from home to spend time with fellow writers and lovers, including the poet Diane di Prima, began to erode the deep love the two once shared. As Jones became more active in the Black nationalist movement and in supporting its leaders, writers and artists, he began to distance himself from his white friends, and from Hettie, who still loved and supported him despite his changing beliefs and numerous infidelities. The assassination of Malcolm X in 1965 was the final straw, as Roi left Hettie and his girls and moved to Harlem to participate more fully in the Black Power and the associated Black Arts Movement, which he founded and participated in for the remainder of his working days. He later changed his name to Amiri Baraka, and he continued to have a very successful career until his death earlier this week.

Hettie, to her credit, dusted herself off and became an award winning poet and author of nearly two dozen children's books, chaired the PEN Prison Writers Committee, and supported feminist and minority artists and their causes. She continues to teach Creative Writing at The New School in NYC, and she raised two successful daughters: Dr. Kellie Jones is an associate professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia, and her sister Lisa Jones is a poet, playwright, former columnist for the Village Voice and collaborator with noted filmmaker Spike Lee. (I was very familiar with and loved Lisa Jones' articles in the Village Voice in the 1980s and 1990s and her work with Spike Lee, but I didn't know until this week that she was LeRoi Jones' daughter.)

How I Became Hettie Jones is one of the most moving and unforgettable memoirs I've ever read. The fierce love that Hettie and Roi shared was richly portrayed, their life together in the East Village in the late 1950s and early 1960s deeply resonated within my Bohemian soul, and the slow dissolution of their relationship nearly brought tears to my eyes. I cannot say enough good things about this book, and I cannot recommend it any more highly.

238: Huh. Wishlisted because I like seeing an era through memoirs.

>237 torontoc: Good morning, Cyrel! I'm glad that it's warmed up in Toronto. The same is true here; after Atlanta had its coldest day in nearly 18 years on Tuesday morning (6 F) it will reach 58 F today, which is 8-9 F above normal. Fortunately the streets were clear of water when I went out earlier this morning, and it's quite sunny and pleasant outside now.

TYIA for the additional Barcelona recommendations. I do look at Trip Advisor when I book a hotel that is unfamiliar to me, although I use Hotels.com to make the room reservation.

>239 qebo: How I Became Hettie Jones was published in 1990, so it may not be readily available in most bookstores, although I'd bet that Book Culture in NYC has it in stock. Amazon does have copies of the print edition, and it's also available as an e-book.

I bought ingredients for stew, including a pork loin and a leg of lamb, along with beef marrow bones. I plan to give Caroline's Irish lamb stew recipe a try, but I need to buy Guinness beer, which isn't sold here on Sunday mornings (Atlantans have to wait until Sunday church services to end before the can get drunk). The pork loin is a bit on the small side and the leg of lamb is too large, so I'll make pork & lamb stew today, and Irish lamb stew on Tuesday. Back later.

240: it may not be readily available in most bookstores
I don't expect much of anything to be readily available in bookstores here.

Darryl what a beautiful review of How I became Hettie Jones.

The weather in Atlanta lately has not been good. Stay safe.

I went to Barcelona in June 2009. It was a wonderful trip with one of my nieces. She had never been on a plane, train, taxi etc… My niece loved Madrid more than Barcelona but I fell in love with Barcelona. The architecture, the old city and the street artists are a visual feast. I warned her about pickpockets but still she didn't want to strap her bag on. When we were eating at a patio a young man came to ask her something in a very low whisper while another was stealing her backpack. She wasn't paying attention. I stood up and as loud as I could pointed my finger at him and screamed NO!!!. He dropped the bag and they both ran. She told me, "Aunt Roberta you scared me." I said, "Martha, you scare me with how little you pay attention to your surroundings." "Now we have our pickpocket story from Barcelona," I told her, "Don't let this shake you, we have too much living to do yet." Give Señor Gaudi my regards.

>241 qebo: I don't expect much of anything to be readily available in bookstores here.

I like the witty comment; I don't like that the bookstores in Lancaster don't have good stocks.

>242 luvamystery65: Nice story about Barcelona, Roberta; hopefully your niece is a bit more savvy now!

I'm glad that you liked my review of How I Became Hettie Jones. I only wish that I had read it in 2006, when I first bought it.

243: For new books, Barnes & Noble is the best thing going, and I walk out with a stack of books pretty near every time I enter, but I don't have high expectations if I'm looking for something specific unless it's relatively new and popular. For used books, DogStar is the place to be, and really quite impressive for a small city; there's an online presence too. The selection is eclectic.

>244 qebo: I'm not sure how much longer Barnes & Noble will be around, unfortunately. I read earlier this week that the flagship store on 5th Ave & 18th St in Manhattan has closed its doors, after operating at that location continuously since 1932. I went there frequently when I was an undergraduate student at Rutgers to buy textbooks, as it was almost always cheaper to purchase them there than at the Rutgers Bookstore in New Brunswick.

Barnes & Noble's Former Flagship Location On Fifth Ave Has Permanently Closed

Sad that so many bookstores are closing! We are lucky in Portland to have a number of independent bookstores still, though not like it once was. Anyway, Hettie Jones sounds so interesting, I went to the library website and put it on hold.

245: Yeah, me neither, and that'll really be a loss here, where Barnes & Noble and Borders were vast improvements (unlike in other cities, where the big boxes drove out independents, we had no independents to drive out).

Well, but the Union Square mothership isn't in danger, and the old location on Fifth was no great shakes aesthetically. B&N made a bad bet on physical-store sales of the Nook and signally failed to jump into the indie-author fray, and they're paying the price.

The Buns and Nubile location in Carle Place has, over the past few years, turned into a toystore with some books in it for the grownups to browse while the little "darlings" do their shopping. I will no longer go in there for that reason. I do not want to go to places with masses of uncontrolled, ill-behaved children for any reason, but for book shopping it's intolerable.

If they sink, it will be from this ill-advised "refocusing" on being merchants instead of booksellers.

Compelling review of How I Became Hettie Jones, Darryl. Thumb from me.

Weird to be hoping B & N, which seemed like just another chain not that long ago, survives. But our bookstore choices are getting more and more limited. I hope it hangs on.

I remember going to the B&N on 18th and 5th when it was the only store and sold textbooks (the one on the east side of the street, not the one on the west side they opened later). It wasn't the "flagship" because it was the only one -- pre-chain.

The one near me on 82nd & Broadway has a very wide selection of books but you'd never know it was a bookstore when you walk in the door with all the other paraphernalia.

Daryl, that was a superb review of How I Became Hettie Jones. My library has it but I may just order it because it sounds so good.

I'm also sorry to hear about the closing of the Barnes & Noble store on 5th Ave and 18th Street. I shopped there often many moons ago. Our local Barnes & Noble is a pretty good bookstore considering what's available out here but it's recent focus on the Nook, bargain books, gifts, calendars and journals of all kinds is confusing to me. It's increasingly harder to find the actual books and I think that's a mistake.

Oh, I just call it the Barnes & Nook store now. They do have a fabulous children's section with lots of games, etc. for gift giving. DH got me a gift card from B&N that I may try and use up fairly quickly before they close the store here. I still miss my Borders!

Darryl, that is a lovely review of How I Became Hettie Jones and it's going right onto the wish list. It sounds wonderful.

I'm intrigued by the possible shutdown of B&N, after Borders went defunct a couple of years ago. When these super-bookstores were first emerging, there was much talk of the inevitable demise of indie bookstores and, indeed, many went the way of the prognosticators. But some survived. I know there are communities which depend heavily on B&N in order to have access to at least some variety of reading material, but might this not provide an opportunity for small indies to rise again? I don't know much as I don't keep track of B&N, having excellent indie options available to me, so I'm truly just speculating and wondering.

I'll move my replies to messages #246-253 to my new thread.