BLBera's 2014 reading - part 2

My name is Beth. I teach English at my local community college. I'm on sabbatical this spring, but I am taking a couple of classes, so I'm not sure how my reading will be affected. I don't plan my reading much. I belong to a book club that meets once a month. Otherwise, I go where the spirit leads me.

I am taking a course on Whitman. Here's part of "Song of Myself":

Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all
poems,
You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of
suns left,)
You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through
the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the specters in books,
You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,
You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self.

June
45. The Redeemer
46. Dust
47. MaddAddam
48. The Late Scholar
49. Life*

May
34. Home and Exile
35. Powder and Patch
36. The Uncoupling*
37. The Goldfinch
38. As I Lay Dying*
39. All the Birds, Singing
40. Field of Prey
41. Son*
42. Quiet*
43. The Devil's Star*
44. Safe Area Gorazde*

April
26. The Handmaid's Tale*
27. The Outcast Dead
28. The Blazing World
29. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse*
30. Destroyer Angel
31. Love and Treasure
32. Death Come Quickly
33. The Lost Sisterhood*

March
17. Love in the Time of Cholera*
18. Ripper
19. Hard Going
20. The Warmth of Other Suns*
21. The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells*
22. The Salinger Contract
23. Arrow of God*
24. Under the Wide and Starry Sky*
25. Thirty Girls

* Off my shelf

2014
January
1. Bleeding Edge
2. The Franchise Affair*
3. Horoscopes for the Dead*
4. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
5. The Nine Guardians*
6. Someone
7. The Purity of Vengeance
8. Lake of Tears
9. Back to School: Why Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Education*

February
10. The Death of Artemio Cruz*
11. Mr. Churchill's Secretary*
12. The War of the End of the World*
13. The Color of My Words
14. The Ghost of the Mary Celeste
15. Cracking India*
16. Princess Elizabeth's Spy*

17. Love in the Time of Cholera
Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall in love as youngsters. Set in 19th century Colombia, we follow them as they move through their separate lives through the century and into the new one.

Many people have commented on this, so I'll keep it short. This is perhaps more accessible to people than some of his other novels, but One Hundred Years of Solitude is still my favorite. Still, Florentino and Fermina are great characters, and there is a lot of humor in this book, much related to sex and the idea of romantic love.

Beth, Happy New Thread!!! I'm first - that never happens!!!
For some reason this thread is locked on the threadbook. I didn't try to get here from there since I had some catching up to do on your #1. I'll go back to see in a minute.
I do hope that your Scout continues to improve and is soon back to her sunny, energetic self.
I have to say that I liked Love in the Time of Cholera much more than I did *100 Years*. I did finally get through the latter, but it remained a closed book to me in many ways.
I also think you're braver than I to take a course on Whitman.

ETA: There's a lock, but the link still works.

Hi Beth! I love the quote that you picked from Whitman. I am a little behind in the MOOC, but I'm loving the online commentary on the poem. I know that I'm getting a lot more out of Song of Myself than I would if I read it on my own.

Hi Beth! Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Beth!

Happy new thread Beth!

Interesting that you say Love in the Time of Cholera might be the most accessible of his novels. I read it several years ago as my first book by Marquez and really enjoyed it but I've never felt led to go on to his other books. One day I may go on to try 100 years of Solitude.

Happy new thread, Beth!

Hi Peggy - Happy first responder! :) I'm not sure what you mean about the thread being locked?
Well GGM is not for everyone. The Whitman course is great - I'm picking up a lot of stuff I never thought about before -- and I'm working my way through the poem, which I've never read in its entirety.

Hi Amy - I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's behind. I am enjoying it. Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks Carrie - I hope your weather is improving.

Hi Amber - Thanks.

Hi Heather - Well, we can't all like all authors or all books. It would be a very boring LT if we always agreed with each other. I don't care for Moby Dick and am not a fan of Thomas Hardy, for example. I'm thinking it's time for a reread of 100 years of solitude.

Hi Katie - Thanks.

>11 BLBera: It would be great to take a course on Whitman, a poet I've very little experience with. But I don't think I can do it until I retire, which event is looking more and more attractive!

I loved Love in the Time of Cholera, and hated 100 Years of Solitude. Maybe I need a tutored read of the latter.

Hi Judy - You are not alone in your opinion of the GGM books.

I gave in and started Ripper, really different from other Allende books. It's a crime novel. Interesting, so far, just not what I would expect from her.

Also continuing with The Warmth of Other Suns, which should be required reading in all history classes.

Hi Beth! Happy new thread. How is our dear Scout feeling? (and her parents?)

>13 BLBera: Also continuing with The Warmth of Other Suns, which should be required reading in all history classes.

You're making me wonder why I don't pick up that book that's sitting on my shelf, calling my name, Beth.

Happy new thread:)

Hi Anne - Scout is much better, thanks. I watched her today, and she is almost back to normal.

Hi Bonnie - Thanks. You will love The Warmth of Other Suns.

Glad to hear that Scout is feeling better!

I loved Love in the Time of Cholera but I read it so long ago I hardly remember why. And, although I've tried several times, I've yet to get much more than 30 pages into 100 Years of Solitude.

>4 BLBera: A Hundred Years of Solitude is my favourite too! although that does seen to be a minority opinion.

Thanks Joanne.

Hi Rhian - It does look as though we are in the minority. Oh well.

Hi Beth! Nice new thread (as usual). I have only read House of Spirits and it wasn't quite my thing. I'll be interested in how Ripper lands on you after you complete it.

I'm sorry to hear that Scout has been under the weather; I must work back in the thread and see what happened...

Count me as a lover of One Hundred Years of Solitude, although I did have to create a cheat sheet of names (back in the pre-Google days, when we had to create our own). I remember having a hard time keeping generations straight because the characters were named after each other. But I loved the sumptuousness of it!

Hi Ellen - If you didn't like House of Spirits, you might like Ripper. It's totally different from any of Allende's other work that I've read. More when I finish. I'm about halfway through.

Hi Lisa - Little Scout had a double ear infection, bronchitis and possible pneumonia. Also, two brand new teeth just popped out. It's interesting to see her pass her tongue over them, trying to figure out what those things are.

She is feeling better. I think I get a bonus day with her on Sat. because her mom and dad want to go snowboarding.

I did have trouble with the 20+ Aurelianos when I read 100 Years of Solitude. All this talk about it makes me want to reread. Hmmm.

I might have to wait a while though. I'm a little Latinoed out: Just finished Castellanos, Fuentes, Vargas Llosa and GGM. I'm reading Allende right now, too. Maybe a change...

Very glad to hear that Scout is feeling better. Poor little tyke. an extra day with Grandma should do the trick. :-)

Unfortunately I don't read enough Latin American lit. I rarely get to that continent. A serious gap in my global reading.

Hi Beth, today is catch up on LT day for me. So sorry to hear that Scout wasn't feeling well but glad to hear that she's getting better. It's so difficult when they are so young.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks Lisa. There is some good Latin American lit when you are in the mood.

Hi Judy - I hope your family time was great. Yes, I'm happy that Scout is better. I think she may have given me her cold. Have a great weekend. Good luck getting caught up.

Hi Beth - Glad to hear Scout is feeling better!

Also, I realize this is my first visit to the new thread, so happy new thread!

Beth, sounds like you continue to really enjoy your class. I've not yet read 100 Years of Solitude, but this discussion is bumping it up the list!

Hi Kerri - Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Nancy - The class is great. We have spring break this week -- now if only it would feel like spring! I hope to sneak in a couple of library books.

18. Ripper is Isabel Allende's latest novel. However, this is really different from anything I've read by Allende. It's a mystery. She explains in the acknowledgements that her agent thought she and her husband should write a crime novel together. They decided they wanted to stay married, so they didn't write one together. However, the idea of a crime novel took root, and Ripper is the result.

Amanda Martin plays an online game, Ripper with her grandfather and others from around the world. She decides to change the game and investigate real crimes that take place in SF. The idea is an interesting one, and Allende, as always, has great characters. Yet, the writing was not what I expect from Allende, and, in the end, this felt a little flat. I think people who haven't read Allende might like this more than I did. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great. I'd give it three stars.

Next: Finishing The Warmth of Other Suns; I'm approaching the end. This is close to five stars.

Morning Beth- Congrats on the new thread! Glad you are loving "Warmth". It's a very special book. Have a great weekend.

Beth, I'm several Allende books behind. I think I'll take a pass on Ripper. I love the magical realism element in many of her books. House of the Spirits is my favorite because it made me understand her most interesting background better. Enjoy your spring break!

Hi Mark - I hope your weekend is nice, too. Enjoy the warmer weather!

Hi Donna - I think if you liked House of the Spirits that Ripper might not be your cup of tea. Still, if you like mysteries, it is interesting. I think most of my problem with it was that it wasn't what I expected.

I saw Ripper on the shelving cart still the library tonight and wondered what the reader who returned it thought about the book. Then I got here and read your review.

Hi Beth. Glad to hear that Scout is feeling better. I've read quite a few of Allende's books but never got to House of Spirits. Since I own a copy, there's a pretty good chance I'll get to it at some point. My favorite has been Daughter of Fortune. I read where Allende made some critical remarks about crime novels in general and caused a firestorm on social media sites.

Hi Lori - Ripper is definitely an interesting story -- just not what I was expecting.

Hi Bonnie - It's interesting that Allende would criticize crime novels; her husband writes them. She cites him in her acknowledgments... I haven't read Daughter of Fortune. My favorite is Island Beneath the Sea. I also liked her last one Maya's Notebook quite a bit.

19. Hard Going is the latest mystery in the Bill Slider series. In this one, Lionel Bygod is murdered. As they investigate, they find that he was a really nice man; it's hard to imagine why anyone would want him dead. But, suspects pop up. The team has a couple of new members. Bill and his wife Joanna are expecting another child and wonder how they will be able to afford it. The usual in the lives of Slider's team. Good writing and sympathetic characters make me want to come back to see how everyone is doing.

20. The Warmth of Other Suns -- what can I say? This should be required reading in all American history classes. Wilkerson has created a classic here. It's fascinating. The three people that she chose to follow through the Great Migration will stick with me.

Next: I chose an ebook that someone here recommended: The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, and it has sucked me in.

I'm also REALLY behind on my Early Review books. I'm reading Under the Wide and Starry Sky, about Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife. Horan wrote Loving Frank, which I loved.

I love a book that grabs me and won't let go, Beth. Looking forward to your take on The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells.

Hi Nancy - I hope your week is going well. Did you recommend The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells? It's interesting and grabbed me right away.

Good sunny morning, Beth. Well, it's sunny in Seattle, anyway.

It sounds like you're having a good spring break, getting some reading in. I'm glad you so enjoyed The Warmth of Other Suns; I fully agree that it should be required reading in all US History classes. As for Ripper, I might like it but I think I'd rather give some of her more Allende-esque novels a more concerted effort. I read The House of the Spirits during a much lazier reading phase of my life than the one I'm currently in. :-)

Oh dear. Oh dear. I smugly rejected The Warmth of Other Suns when it was a Kindle Daily Deal, and now I wish I had it. I should have remembered the cardinal rule: Always Buy the Book!
(Hi, Beth!)

Hi Ellen - Thanks for sending the sunshine our way - Little by little the snow is melting.

Hi Peggy - I think you exercised wonderful restraint -- it's so easy to pick up those ebooks, isn't it. I just realized I had 100+ on my Nook, so I am going to try to start reading them. I often check out ebooks to read at the gym, but I could just as easily choose ebooks I already have. :)

A friend sent me this. For book nerds, it may be interesting. This does only reflect the ebook subscription service.

http://parade.condenast.com/266106/viannguyen/the-most-popular-book-in-each-of-t...

Ice cream in Alaska -- who would have thought...

>34 BLBera: - I'm so glad you liked The Warmth of Other Suns, and I agree it should be required reading. Looking back, my K-12 history education was rather terrible. Nothing but this war and then that war and also this other war, etc.

>40 BLBera: - Oh, that is interesting. What is up with Neil Gaiman and Illinois/Wisconsin? Weird.

Beth - I have noticed Ripper just arriving in the stores here and thought it a strange looking departure for Ms. Allende. Seems that you enjoyed it nonetheless so I'll give it a go certainly at some point.

Hi Kerri - Yes, The Warmth of Other Suns is great -- I've been talking to people about it; it's an important conversation to have. One of my friends is from New Orleans, and she remembers riding the buses and moving the colored sign back.

Re: Neil Gaiman. I know. What is it?

Hi Paul - Ripper was enjoyable. Not quite what I expected but it was OK.

I went to the library's used bookstore today for the first time in a long time. I picked up three new books for a total of $7: The Yacoubian Building, THe Holder of the World and The Tale of Halcyon Crane. The last one was recommended by the friend I was with. Mukherjee is one of my favorites, and the Arabic novel sounded interesting.

Who knows when I'll get to them.

#36 Hi Beth, not me who recommended The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, so I can't take that credit. But I'm glad It's interesting and grabbed me right away.

"One of my friends is from New Orleans, and she remembers riding the buses and moving the colored sign back."

To have such memories. Pretty amazing.

Hi Nancy - I'll have to look back; I'm pretty sure someone recommended it to me not too long ago.

Hi Ellen - Yes, my friend Adrienne and I had a great discussion about this book. It does seem to promote discussion, which is good. She also talked about how different attitudes are about race in the north and south -- and the north doesn't always come out better. As we can see from Wilkerson's book.

Next: Arrow of God, which sounds like it's Achebe's personal favorite and a library book, Thirty Girls.

21. The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells - Thanks to whoever recommended it to me.

"How strange, for the present to change the past!...Isn't this the time traveler's curse? I did not see what was to come, but I saw the possibilities. And the pain of seeing life and happiness in people I knew to be dead in other times, it was like that sad sense of the past, when the glass warps how we perceive things. I could not ever be there with them, truly. Because I was both seeing them, and remembering them."

This novel is a beautifully written exploration of grief. Greta loses her twin brother to AIDS, and becomes depressed. Eventually she decides to undergo shock therapy. The premise of the novel is that the shock allows her to travel to other times, times when her brother is alive. She goes to 1918 and to 1941. The same people are there, but she begins to realize that "A shift in the weather, and we are a different person. The split of an atom, and we change. Why would I expect my brother to be the same one I'd known?"

This is not your typical time travel novel; it's much more. An unexpected little gem.

On to Arrow of God and Thirty Girls.

Gretta Wells sounds lovely. It's on my wishlist now.

Hi Rhonda - It was lovely - nice description. Greer writes well, and I was surprised how well he did with a female pov. I have issues with most male writers who attempt it.

Hello Beth -- lovely reviews here. Re: The Warmth of Other Suns: what can I say? This should be required reading in all American history classes. What more compelling case could be made? On to the list it goes.

Re: The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells -- lovely review! I have never heard of this book before.

Have a great weekend.

>47 BLBera: Oh, that one sounds interesting - wishlisted!

Hi Beth, count me among those adding Greta Wells to the wish list. I, too, am often skeptical of male authors' attempts to capture female pov; when it is done well, I'm very pleased about that.

Suddenly wondering about the fact that I don't have the same skepticism when a woman writes from the male pov. But chalking it up to the old wisdom that those in less powerful groups are generally much more knowledgeable about the pov of those in power. They have to be.

I have Greta Wells on my Kindle, Beth, and your review makes me want to get to it soon. Andrew Sean Greer did a reading in Iowa City not long ago, but I had a conflict and missed it. I also have his The Confessions of Max Tivoli on my Kindle.

Hi Anne - Thanks. You will love The Warmth of Other Suns. I had never heard of The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells either. Someone here recommended it. I have to go back over my thread because I don't remember who.

Hi Amber - I'll be anxious to hear what you think of it when you get to it.

Hi Ellen - Yes, I think women can get into men's minds much easier than men into women's. It's the whole double consciousness thing - the group without power has to be able to read those with power. Greta Wells really surprised me. I'll be anxious to hear what you think of it.

Hi AMy - I hope you are recovering. I had never heard of Greer. Have you read The Confessions of Max Tivoli?

No, I haven't read Max Tivoli either. It was one of those Kindle daily deals that I scooped up for a rainy day!

I might explore more Greer. I was impressed with Greta Wells.

Well, back to Arrow of God.

Hi Beth - I hope you're doing well!

>47 BLBera: - While time travel is not one of my favorites devices, that does sound interesting. I'll see if my library has it.

>53 porch_reader: I've had Max T. on my bookshelf for quite a while now. Maybe I'll check out some reviews and see if it's worth keeping.

Hi Kerri - I'm not into time travel, but this book worked for me. It was more of an exploration of grief.

Hi Judy - Let me know what you think of Max T. if you decide to read it. I was very impressed with the writing in Greta Wells.

>59 BLBera: Coincidentally, I just read a review of The Story of a Marriage in the New Yorker, from April of 2008,written by John Updike. Not altogether favorable, I might add. At the end, he stated that the book is 'sentimental, overritten, overcalculated novel that nevertheless proves moving at the end, pulling all its prevarications and flourishes into an affirmation of the unideal everyday as it was experienced fifty years ago". Curious combination of praise and criticism.

Hi Judy - I haven't read The Story of a Marriage, but it sounds like Updike didn't know what to think about it.

Just, "Hi, Beth." (I think that if women do get more accurately into men's minds, it's because they care more about doing it. Just saying.....)

Peggy - You could be right. Every once in a while I have to do a little rant when I see a woman poorly portrayed by a male writer. I think it's much more common than the other way around.

I HATE GROUP PROJECTS.

Quick defence for the outnumbered male of the species here. Not all chaps portray women woodenly; I agree though that a portrayal beset with condescension and stereotype can be annoying.

On a similiar topic, Hani gets into my mind as much as she is on it with her rather strange habit of taking over my FB page. At least here I am free from her protectionist tendencies. The other day an ex-staff contacted me by "whats app" (which I never use or look at); Hani replied and it was possibly the best looking lady ever in my employ. At least she was able to verify by pretending to be myownself whilst I was sleeping that my conduct towards ex-staff had always been above board. And I slept happily through it all!

Have a lovely weekend, Beth.

Hi Paul - Defense noted. I thought maybe I would hear about it; I debate the issue with my male colleagues constantly.

Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction (Formerly known as Orange)

"This year's longlist, revealed on the eve of International Women's Day 2014, honours both new and well-established writers, featuring six first novels alongside two previous Orange Prize winners; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who is longlisted for her third novel, and Suzanne Berne longlisted for her fourth novel. One author appearing on this year's list has previously been longlisted for the Prize and a further five authors have been shortlisted."

The Shadow of the Crescent Moon
Reasons She Goes to the Woods
The Bear
The Luminaries
Burial Rites
The Dogs of Littlefield
Eleven Days
The Flamethrowers
A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing
The Undertaking
Still Life with Bread Crumbs
Almost English

Read
Americanah
The Signature of All Things
The Lowland
The Burgess Boys
The Goldfinch
All the Birds, Singing
The Strangler Vine
MaddAddam

Interesting list. I haven't heard of some of these but am off to check to see if my library has copies of some of them.

Hi Beth! Oh, I hate group projects, too. Ugh. And collaboration is what it's all about in school -- even right from kindergarten. I actually can't think of anyone who does like it, no matter what the age.

Good luck, whatever it is!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

>66 BLBera: Well, I'm embarrassed. The only book on that list that I've read is The Burgess Boys.

*Happy weekend wave*

I LOATHED group projects in school. Is this for one of your online classes? How does that work?

Regarding male authors writing women well, An Unnecessary Woman is an outstanding example. Also, maybe Coetzee in In the Heart of the Country.

I too always hated group projects! I do get why it's important to work in groups, but I hated the idea of not being 100% responsible for my grade. There's something horribly unfair about that when one is shelling out thousands of dollars for a degree. Luckily, I never had an awful grade experience with a group project.

Thanks Anne, Katie and Kerri for the solidarity re: group projects. I think they are generally hated by good students. I have one for one of my online classes, and it is challenging, to put it mildly.

I've been checking out the titles for the Orange long list (sorry, I still think of it by that name), and several are not yet available in the States. A couple are on order from the library. Americanah was one of my favorite reads from last year, so is my favorite so far. This is the prize list that most seems to align with my reading interests, so I try to read several, especially the authors I'm not familiar with.

Hi Diana - Thanks for stopping by.

Judy - I think many aren't available here yet, so you have an excuse for not having read them. :)

Kerri - Thanks for some examples of men who can write women well. I know they're out there; I just get exasperated when I see women portrayed as being mostly interested in men.

Beth, thanks so much for the Orange long list! I hadn't thought to look for it, but it is March, isn't it? The only one I've read is The Luminaries, and it will probably do well since I rather disliked it. I'm off to check out the rest.
I used to feel pressured to assign group projects. I tried to build in lots of leeway for personal credit so that good students wouldn't have to do all the work or be dragged down by slackers. At the same time, I wanted the not-so-good ones to benefit from seeing the way good students think and work. All in all, a huge headache! That was in high school though.......

In the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, she talks about group projects, their popularity in both schools and businesses, and why they are not good learning experiences for a significant part of our population. Yet, group think persists and is even growing despite evidence that creativity suffers. I found the book quite validating. ;-)

I'm glad to be in such good company with my loathing of group projects. The only positive experience I had with a group project was in grad school (library & information science), where I didn't feel like I had to carry the whole load to be sure of getting an A. One of the group members had a PhD in microbiology, and another group member had work experience in the project's focus area.

Hi Peggy - I just did an idle search - I thought it was early for the Orange long list, also. I was happily surprised. I used to assign group projects, but students had such a hard time finding time to meet that I have abandoned it for the most part.

Hi Lisa - My book group is going to read Quiet next month, so I will pay special attention to the section on group projects. I've heard mixed reviews, so I'm anxious to read it.

Hi Carrie - Doing group projects online is an additional challenge. My group members don't answer/read emails I send and when we chat, just say things are going well. I suspect many will wait until the last minute. Argh.

Speaking of book clubs, mine met yesterday to discuss The Warmth of Other Suns. It was universally liked, quite the accomplishment for this group. It was one of the best discussions we've had. A couple thought that Wilkerson could have used an editor in some spots, that she repeated herself. I read it over a month or so, so I didn't notice that so much. Most agreed that this book should be part of American history curriculum in high schools. It was probably the best nonfiction discussion we've had.

I've heard mixed reviews, so I'm anxious to read it.

I'm curious to know what other readers are saying who didn't like Quiet. The only negative thing I read was that it wasn't a self-help book (a plus in my estimation). I listened to it on audio, so my main quibble was that I couldn't look up the citations to the research she quotes. It's hard to evaluate nonfiction when you can't assess the research.

I haven't heard of many of the long list books either, Beth. Although I recently added The Bear to my wish list after seeing a library recommendation. Interesting list.

Susan Cain did a very nice TED talk about the ideas in Quiet. I think that the TED talk is a really good intro for extroverted folks.

I personally thought that the book over-simplified things somewhat, but it's nice to see different learning styles getting some respect.

Hi Beth, I really must get to Quiet as I've had it for quite awhile since it was a Kindle Daily Deal quite some time ago. Another male author who wrote a really astounding novel from a woman's POV is Arthur Golden,Memoirs of a Geisha.

As far as group work in schools (cooperative learning), the thinking is that it's training for future adult work situations where an individual may have to work with others on company projects and so forth. Also, it's thought to create an atmosphere of how to divvy up tasks and come to a consensus as a group. Research may well show that it isn't the best learning experience for all students but I think the idea is that the work environment that people are bound to find themselves in eventually, is not composed of a single person making decisions, but people working together to come up with solutions to thorny problems.

>80 brenzi: group projects are my whole experience in my field (IT), in spite of the assumption that people in my field are introverts. The difference is that there is someone managing the effort, working out the plan, etc. It's not magic, as my frequent aggravation attests, but it may be what is lacking in academic exercises

Lisa - I think some thought Cain oversimplified the issues -- see Rhonda's comments. I have a paper copy, and I see that there are lots of notes. You would lose those when listening to it.

Hi Judy - I thought The Bear: A novel sounded good, too. It's on order at my library, so I reserved it. Quite a few first-time authors.

Hi Rhonda - I'll look for the TED talk.

Hi Bonnie - My daughter, who is a very quiet person, just read it and is anxious to discuss it. Thanks for the Golden rec. I haven't read that although I've heard good things about it.

I see value in group work - I've just never come up with a perfect formula yet, I guess. Online group work is very challenging; I think if I were to assign it, I would set up very specific guidelines and touch points.

Hi Judy - Good idea to have someone in charge.

Great ideas about group work.

23. Arrow of God is the third in Achebe's trilogy that starts with Things Fall Apart. It centers on a priest Ezeulu. While change is coming, the novel is about Ezeulu's internal struggles. He agonizes over his relationship with his god, the white man and his people. Lots of proverbs. Our class discussion has centered on language, why Achebe chose to write in English and the proverbs he includes. Wonderful book that shows a culture struggling against outside influence.

Still reading: Under the Wide and Starry Sky and Thirty Girls

Group projects: hate them. Always have, always will.

>66 BLBera: I've only read Americanah and The Lowland. Guess I'd better get busy.....
I own a copy of The Luminaries and I have The Goldfinch on hold at the library.

Hi Ellen - It will be interesting to try some of the books on the list. Last year I thought the list was pretty strong; because I'm not familiar with so many of the authors, this year, so far, I'm not so sure. I have THe Goldfinch on reserve, but I think I'm about 30 on the list.

I have to admit that I'm a bit sad (perhaps even irrationally mad) that Hild isn't on the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist. Instead, it is on the Nebula list and it's neither sci-fi nor fantasy. Grrr!

I hope you're doing well, Beth.

Hi Kerri - Isn't it irritating when people have to label original works? I haven't read Hild yet, but it's on my list because of your enthusiastic recommendation.

I hate that good books are put into genre categories and then not considered "serious" or "literature."

Don't get me started.

I'm almost done with Under the Wide and Starry Sky. It was an ER copy, and I will be happy to pass it on to anyone interested. I'll review it more fully, but I do recommend it. Just PM me with your address.

24. Under the Wide and Starry Sky
Just as she did in Loving Frank, in Under the Wide and Starry Sky, Nancy Horan brings to life the wife of a famous man. This time, her subject is Fanny Stevenson, the wife of Robert Louis Stevenson, or Louis, as he was known to his family and friends. Fanny also had ambitious to write, and she kept diaries and wrote many letters, all of which Horan draws on.

Fanny van de Grift Osbourne Stevenson was a remarkable woman. In 1875, she left her cheating husband Sam Osbourne and took her three children with her to Antwerp to study art. It was during this stay that she met Stevenson. After they married, they traveled all over the world, looking for places in which Louis was healthy. Eventually they settled in Samoa.

Horan brings Fanny to life, revealing both the joys and frustrations of her marriage to Stevenson, who never supported her ambition to write: "How could Louis not know that creative energy so possessed her mind and body some days she thought she might go mad from it. That sometimes it took fourteen hours of grinding work before the forces inside her had been sated and she could lay herself down to rest." Still, she persisted and lived an extraordinary life -- for any time. Horan's novel does justice to a fascinating woman.

A thumb for that review, Beth. You make me wish I had looked more carefully at the ER list when that one was offered!
One more word about group work.......... I think that possibly one reason people have a negative experience in high school is that teachers have not been industrious and careful in designing their assignments. It is not an easy way to teach, and I'm afraid that lots of folks don't do the pre-planning that makes a group able to function successfully.
Oh! Wait. You don't want your copy of *Starry Sky*. If nobody else is interested, I'd love to have it!
Meanwhile, I didn't know that the Nebula list was out, so I'm off to look for it, AND I have Hild yet to read. I guess the science fiction crowd appropriated it because of N. Griffith's earlier work.
Yours is a good thread to keep up with!

Thumb from me too, Beth. Great review! I enjoyed Loving Frank, and this one sounds intriguing.

Peggy - First come...Message me your address and I'll send it off to you.

Thanks Anne - If you liked Loving Frank, I think you'll like this one.

My class has a little over a month left. Right now we're finishing with Chinua Achebe and starting The Handmaid's Tale. I have to present on The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse, so I'm trying to get that one going, too. I think I'll probably have to finish the Atwood first. I don't like to have more than one novel going at one time.

That is a nice review of Under the Wide and Starry Sky, Beth.

Hi Ellen - Thanks. Fanny Stevenson was such a remarkable woman, Horan would have had to work to make it dull. I'm sure many wives of famous men have the same frustrations -- especially during the time Fanny lived.

The Handmaid's Tale is sucking me in -- every bit as good as I remember from when I first read it almost thirty years ago. And the story still seems relevant.

I think I am going to read The Handmaid's Tale for "Atwood April." Don't know why it's taken me so long to get to it....

>86 BLBera: - I hate that good books are put into genre categories and then not considered "serious" or "literature." I totally agree. The weirdest thing about this one is it's historical fiction. There is a seer aspect to the Hild character, but magic doesn't really figure into it. Weird.

Enjoy The Handmaid's Tale! It's been a while since I've read it. Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to squeeze in an Atwood for Atwood April.

Hi Katie - The Handmaid's Tale is great. For my class we are talking about language and how words are so important. The narrator plays with words, uses several meanings: "I wait. I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes a speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born."

I'll be anxious to hear your comments.

Hi Kerri - I hope your week was not too hard. What really bothers me is that so many of the novels that are consigned to genre categories are by women. Don't get me started on that. I'm rereading The Handmaid's Tale for class; I would have liked to get to MaddAddam finally, but oh well. I am enjoying rediscovering this one.

I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale, too. Some of my grade 12 English students choose to read it for their novel study; and I've been impressed with their notes on it, too.

Hi Nancy - Welcome back. I hope you brought some sun with you. Yes, I think The Handmaid's Tale is very accessible. I've never taught it but might have to think about it.

>66 BLBera:: Beth, I still call it the Orange Prize, too. I have read:
Americanah
The Goldfinch
Eleven Days
The Burgess Boys
Maddaddam
The Lowland
(roughly in the order I liked them)

On hold:
The Bear
Still Life With Breadcrumbs
The Signature of All things
All the Birds Singing
The Luminaries

That ought to keep me busy!
Btw, also not a fan of group projects. Either everyone wants to be the leader or no one does!

Hi Donna - You have a good start on the Oranges. I plan to read some of them regardless. For me, this is the list that most aligns with my taste, so I'm always excited when it comes out.

Morning Beth- Good review of Under the Wide and Starry Sky. This sounds like a winner. I've been meaning to get to Loving Frank for years. I better move that one up too.
Glad you are enjoying the Handmaid's Tale. It was my first Atwood and remains my favorite.

Hi Mark - I hope you have a relaxing Sunday. I recommend both Horan books. The Handmaid's Tale seems timeless. I think I am enjoying the reread more than when I read it the first time. We're focusing on language for our discussion. She plays with words; there's no reading, so this is the only way she can savor language: "Household: that is what we are. The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to hold, till death do us part. The hold of a ship. Hollow."

Wonderful.

>47 BLBera: Your review of The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells has caught my interest, Beth. I'll look out for that one at the library.

>85 DorsVenabili: Kerri, that's because Hild still hasn't been published in the UK yet and the Women's Prize for Fiction is based on UK release dates. Hopefully it will get picked up by next year's longlisted. So don't be mad yet, but you have my permission to be mad next year if it gets overlooked :-)

>87 BLBera: Under the Wide and Starry Sky has also gone on the wishlist Beth.

Hi Heather - I found The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells surprisingly well done. It gave me a lot to think about. I also enjoyed Under the Wide and Starry Sky - Fanny Stevenson was a remarkable woman.

I'm guessing I won't get to any of the long list this year except what I've already read Beth which includes The Lowland, The Signature of All Things, The Luminaries and The Burgess Boys. I'm pretty much reading off the shelf these days. I do have The Goldfinch but I'm also not attempting long books these days. I know I had Loving Frank but dang if I can locate it right now. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little Horse was excellent but I love just about anything Louise Erdrich writes.

Wow! So much going on here, Beth! I have had The Last Report on the Miracles at Little Horse on my shelf for a while and need to get to it soon. I've only read The Lowland, The Goldfinch, and The Burgess Boys from the long list, but there are several others that I'd like to get to. Of those, The Goldfinch was probably my favorite. Hope you have a good week!

I love L. Erdrich too, and I haven't read *Last Report* yet. Doggone it, it's hard to read everything all at once, but it's hard not to try.

Hi Bonnie - Great that you are reading off the shelf! Some of the books for my class are rereads and some I owned, so that's good. You've read a fair number of Oranges. I recommend Loving Frank; it was an unexpected book for me. I didn't expect to love it, and I did. I'm with you on Erdrich although I think her early work is her best stuff.

Hi Amy: I haven't read The Goldfinch yet, but I've heard so many glowing reviews that I want to get to it. I have been reading mostly class stuff. Speaking of which, how are you doing with Whitman? I am really far behind. My favorite Orange of the ones I've read is Americanah. I LOVE that book.

Hi Peggy - You're right -- too many books, too little time. I need to find a job that pays me to read.

Well, back to The Handmaid's Tale. My friend Katie wrote a great review of The Outcast Dead, which I have from the library, but I have managed to resist so far and do my homework. I'm feeling very virtuous. :) Of course, if I finish The Handmaid's Tale today, maybe I can sneak in the Griffiths book...

Hi Beth! Nice to catch up with what you are reading. I am contemplating a reread of The Handmaid's Tale as one of my possibilities for for Atwood April. I still haven't gotten to Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse despite including it on my list for the past three months! One day... I just started Americanah and though I am only two chapters it I am really enjoying it.

Hi Anne - I am loving The Handmaid's Tale. It is certainly worth a reread. When I'm done with that I will read The Last Report of Miracles at Little No Horse for my class. That is one way of getting to books. :)

At the same time, I have some library books I'd really like to get to.... I need more hours in the day.

I'll be anxious to hear what you think of Americanah.

So, Beth, are you going to finish the Atwood today so you can finally get to the new Ruth Galloway?!?

Katie - I am really going to try. That has been sitting on my desk, so tempting... And I am nearly done with The Handmaid's Tale and have finished with my discussion posts for this week. I should reward myself, right?

Absolutely you should! I'l wave my pom-poms to cheer you on ;-)

Hi Beth,
I've put Under the Wide and Starry Sky into my amazon shopping cart (this is a very, very dangerous option).
It has a Scotland connection!! :-)

Katie - Bad influence, you. :)

Ellen - I forgot about the Scottish connection. You will LOVE Fanny. She was an amazing woman. I gave away my copy, or I would send it to you.

25. Thirty Girls is based, unfortunately, on a true story. In 1996, over a hundred girls were abducted from St. Mary's College of Aboke, Uganda. Most were in their early teens. Minot has borrowed heavily from nonfiction accounts to tell their story. In the novel, Sister Giulia follows the rebels and manages to get all but thirty of the girls back. The novel alternates between the story of Esther, one of the girls who was forced to stay and a journalist, Jane, who travels to Uganda to write the story of the girls.

Esther's story was heartbreaking -- and realistic. She tells of the brutal things the prisoners were forced to do, of rape, pregnancy, and death of friends. The process of recovery after her escape seemed believable. I found Jane's story less compelling, but I liked the portrayal of the expat community in Kenya; it reminded me of my Peace Corps days. I liked the book a lot, but if I could find a nonfiction account, I would probably prefer it.

I'm almost done with The Handmaid's Tale, which is awesome.

>115 BLBera: "I gave away my copy, or I would send it to you."
Thank you for the kind thought, Beth. I'll happily purchase it through amazon or at the U Bookstore.
:-)

Hi Ellen - I was thinking about books with Scottish connections -- I think some of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books are set in Scotland. Highly recommended.

26. The Handmaid's Tale - I upgraded this to a five-star read. Atwood's virtuosity with language is wonderful. Set in the near future, the United States has been taken over by a kind of theocracy. I say kind of because, well, using the Bible literally may follow the letter, but not the spirit of the words. The narrator is known only to us as Offred. She tells a chilling tale of the new roles allotted to women.

Next: The Outcast Dead and The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse.

Beth - I read The Handmaid's Tale for the first time last year, and I think it would definitely hold up to a re-read. Chilling is the perfect word to describe it.

And I am so far behind on Whitman. I'm hoping to get back to it at some point, but the semester is hitting its busy part. The nice thing about the videos is that I can come back to them. I was enjoying reading the poem along with the commentary.

>103 souloftherose: - Thank you, Heather! That's right! You've made my day. No easy task.

Hi Beth! I hope you're having a nice Wednesday.

>115 BLBera: - I may skip this one. Were you in Kenya in the Peace Corps? I feel like perhaps you've told me this already, but I've forgotten.

Hi Amy - I'm happy to hear you are also behind on the Whitman. I, too, am hopeful. I love The Handmaid's Tale so much I am thinking of teaching it this fall...

Hi Kerri - I hope your Wednesday is going well. The weekend is getting closer. I was in the Dominican Republic in the Peace Corps; the expat community vibe was what I was referring to -- that might be the same everywhere -- lots of drinking, etc.

I didn't love Thirty Girls; I think it's because I've read nonfiction pieces about similar cases. The journalist's story didn't work for me. Still, I didn't hate it either. Probably reading pieces here and there between books for my class didn't help, either. So, yes, I think you could skip this one.

27. The Outcast Dead
"After lunchRuth will still experience that old Sunday afternoon dread- a heady mx of undone homework and uniform drying by the fire, cosy and sad at the same time." This is why the Ruth Galloway series is so appealing. Ruth is a person I can identify with. A working mother, she struggles with guilt about leaving her child in daycare, yet liking her job. Even if she could, she wouldn't stay home.

Children are the center of this mystery. This one is a great mix of an historical and present day mystery. When Ruth finds a skeleton with a hook hand, there are immediate questions about whether it could be Mother Hook, a woman hanged for killing a child in her care, with the suspicion that she may have killed many more. At the same time, the police are investigating the death of a toddler. Good mystery, hard to put down.

Now, on to The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse. I also have The Blazing World from the library, and since Siri Hustvedt is one of my favorites, I might have to take a peak at it.

A friend just sent me this. I've never heard of many of these authors.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kim-church/literary-masterpieces-you_b_5022851.htm...

>122 BLBera: I think the only one I've heard of is Emily Carr, thanks to one of Louise Penny's Gamache books.

I'm currently reading The Outcast Dead. I really like this series even though it's been a bit uneven. I really like Ruth.

>122 BLBera:, from that list, the only one I've read is The Call which I liked. It was very different.

>122 BLBera:: That's an interesting list, Beth. I adored both The Brothers K and The River Why by David James Duncan. Both were five-star books for me! I read them ages ago and still recall many of the details which is fairly unusual for me. I haven't read any of the others, although I enjoyed Emily Carr's book about the totem poles in the upper northwest of the U.S. and in Canada. I can't recall the title.

Hi Carrie - It's always fun to get alternate lists. I might check some of these out.

Hi Joanne - I am a Ruth fan, too. I like her friends, too. I'll watch for your comments. I was taking care of Scout and reading it, so it creeped me out. Probably not a good book to read if you have small children.

Hi Donna - I will check out Emily Carr. I hope some of the books are in my public library.

I started The Blazing World and it sucked me right in. It fits well with the essay I'm writing about A Handmaid's Tale for my class. More later.

The Blazing World looks really interesting.

>117 BLBera:-" The Handmaid's Tale - I upgraded this to a five-star read. " That is music to my ears, Beth. This was my first Atwood and I immediately awarded it five big ones. Is this your only Atwood for the month?

Hi Rhonda - I have loved both Hustvedt novels I've read : The Sorrows of an American and The Summer without Men. I have so been looking forward to her new one. The first line: "All intellectual and artistic endeavors, even jokes, ironies, and parodies, fare better in the mind of the crowd when the crowd knows that somewhere behind the great work or the great spoof it can locate a cock and a pair of balls." She just jumps right in. This might have to go on my great first line list.

Hi Mark - I am working my way through Atwood's essay collection In Other Worlds. I don't know if I'll finish it this month, but I'm working on it. A Handmaid's Tale had 4 1/2 stars before...

How are the essays? I am making my way through Negotiating with the Dead and it's good but not making me do cartwheels or anything. (Which is probably a good thing ).

Hi Mark - I've only read a couple of the essays - one was a letter to the people who had a campaign to pull A Handmaid's Tale from the library. The one I'm reading now talks about her early reading (comics) and making up stories with super heroes. Her first ones were flying rabbits: "Their names were Blue Bunny and White Bunny, and they are modeled upon two unimaginatively named real-life stuffed animals who did indeed go flying through the air, propelled by an age-old technology called 'throwing.'" I love it! I think the first part of the book dwells on her reading experiences and the second half she talks about authors who have influenced her.

So far, so good.

Hi Beth, I enjoyed that list of "Underappreciated Literary Masterpieces" and have added a few to my wishlist. You are so right that there isn't enough time to get to all the book that I would like to.

So did I Judy. I loved the excerpt from the Lively stories. I would get that book just for that story.

That's a great list of underrated books, Beth. The only one I've read is The Hour of the Star, which was excellent. I wonder if the Scott Davis that the author of the article refers to is my friend who works at City Lights on weekdays? His name is Scott, but I don't know his last name.

Excerpts from a Family Medical Dictionary sounds particularly interesting, so I've added it to my wish list.

Hi Darryl - Are you back home yet or still traveling? Several books fom the list also made my wish list. I love book lists!

The Orange short list:
Americanah
The Lowland
The Undertaking
The Goldfinch
Burial Rites
A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing

I've only read the fist two so far. I'm surprised at what didn't make the shortlist.

I've been intrigued by Burial Rites since I first heard of it. Americanah is also on my list since I liked Half of a Yellow Sun so well. The Goldfinch sounds interesting but the size is a little off-putting for me. I'm not as excited about reading The Lowland since I was just lukewarm about The Namesake when I read it earlier this year. It's one of the rare books where I've liked the movie better.

>135 BLBera: Wow! Thanks for my first look at the short list, Beth! I have a couple of them but no plans to start either yet. Also thanks for the underrated books list. I am sure and certain that anything Margaret Laurence wrote is wonderful although I've read only two so far.
And I've added The Crossing Places to my wish list so that I can start in the right place. I'm pretty sure that Suzanne is also a big fan, so the two of you will eventually have a convert, I'm sure.

Hi Carrie - Yes, I picked up Burial Rites when I was in the bookstore the other day. It sounds interesting. Adiche is brilliant. I have loved all I have read by her. I did not love The Lowland. I did love The Namesake though...I was surprised that it made the short list, while Atwood didn't. I really loved The Burgess Boys, too, and I thought it would make the short list.

Hi Peggy - You're welcome. I've read the top two on the list and will probably get to a couple more sooner or later. You will love Ruth Galloway. Katie and Joanne are also fans. I'll be interested to see what you think of this series.

>120 BLBera: - Got it.

>122 BLBera: - Interesting list. I recently bought The Diviners and had no idea it shows up on banned books lists! You learn something new every day. That's the truth.

I really should get back to those Ruth Galloway books. I keep saying that!

Hi Kerri - I've been wanting to read Margaret Laurence. Yes, we do learn something new every day. Ruth is fun - right now I have so many good books from the library that I don't know what to read next. What a problem! I do have to finish the Erdrich book for my class, so I guess when I'm done with The Blazing World that will be next.

>135 BLBera: I arrived back in Atlanta the Saturday before last, Beth.

The big surprise for me was that The Luminaries wasn't chosen for the BWPF shortlist. I've also read Americanah, which I liked a lot but wasn't wild about, and The Lowland, which was a bit of a disappointment. I have The Goldfinch and A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, and I'll read them later this spring. I mentioned on my thread that Rachael (@FlossieT) wasn't fond of Burial Rites, so I didn't buy it last month although the topic is an interesting one (she did like A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, though). I may read it anyway, and if I do I'll probably get The Undertaking as well.

Enjoying the discussion of the Orange Prize candidates, Beth. I've got several of these on my list to get to: Americanah, The Burgess Boys, The Lowland, and will await your thoughts on Burial Rites. Caught a book bullet here for The Undertaking. Presently reading The Goldfinch, but it'll take me a while: it's a chunkster and work is, as usual, crazy busy.

Hi Darryl - I'm glad you are home safe. It sounds like you had a great time. I LOVED Americanah but agree about The Lowland. It didn't work for me. I'll read some of the others on the long list, too. This is the prize that most aligns with my reading tastes, and I mostly like these books.

Hi Nancy - I can't mention Americanah enough. I thought it was brilliant. I loved The Burgess Boys as well. I agree that The Undertaking sounds interesting. Too many books!

My classes are winding up, or down, and my reading time is limited right now. Still I did manage to finish a library book that was due today:

28. The Blazing World is the story of artist Harriet Burden. It's a novel structured like a scholarly biography. The fictional editor, I.V. Hess, has collected Harriet's diaries, interviews with family and friends and reviews from art shows. There is much to love about this novel, but I REALLY loved The Sorrows of an American and The Summer Without Men and was a little disappointed.

Still, there is much to love: Harriet, Harry, is a great character, a frustrated woman artist who felt she never got the recognition she deserved from the art world. But, in the "Editor's Introduction," I.V. Hess basically summarizes the novel, taking away a lot of the dramatic tension. So, the sections of Harry's diaries, in which she really comes alive, work the best for me. Otherwise, I felt the work felt a little cold.

I also love the questions raised about perception and gender although I thought Hustvedt was a little too heavy handed at times. This won't work for everyone; but Hustvedt is a smart writer who tackles big issues and deserves recognition.

Now, on to The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse.

International Film Festival is in town, and I went to see the film "Half a Yellow Sun" based on Adichie's novel. It was a lot more focused on the relationship between Olanna and Odenigbo than on the war, but it was a decent film.

I'm loving THe Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse.

I don't know a thing about Siri Hustvedt, so thanks for another bullet or two or three, Beth..... I do know about L. Erdrich, and I look forward to *Little No* one of these days. When I consider everything good and unread on my shelves, I wish I were a speed reader. When I am into a really good book, I long to slow it down.

Hi Beth! Thanks for posting the Orange shortlist. I started Burial Rites last night and liked the beginning. That will be the 4th book I've read on the SL. So far, Americanah is in 1st place closely followed by The Goldfinch.

Molly will be celebrating her first birthday on Easter. My, hasn't this time flown by? This is the first grandchild of mine that I have seen on a weekly basis during babyhood. It has been such fun to see all the changes. Hugs to you and Scout. I think of you two on Tuesdays while I'm doing my "MollyThing"!

Hi Beth!

>144 BLBera: - I still have to read the book, but I was unaware that there's a movie. Good to know.

I hope you're doing well.

Hi Peggy - Hustvedt is definitely worth getting to know. Last Report on the Miracles is great! I'm almost done with it. I know what you mean about speed reading. I look at my stacks of unread books and wish I could retire and read.

Hi Donna - I'll be watching for your Burial Rites comments. I don't know when I'll get to it. Wow! I can't believe Molly is going to be one already. Scout just turned eight months. She is a little sweetie.

Hi Kerri - The book, of course, is much better than the movie, but the movie was OK. I'm busy with end-of-semester stuff.

And, of course, I volunteered to host Easter at my house.

29. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse is now my second favorite Erdrich book (after Tracks. This is the story of Father Damian, previously Agnes DeWitt. He/she lived most of his life disguised as a priest on the Ojibwe reservation. Father Damian is a wonderful character. This book has great stories, humor and tells of a life well lived. Almost five stars -- I thought loose ends were tied up a little too neatly in the end...

Next: The new Nevada Barr mystery, Destroyer Angel set in the forests of northern Minnesota. It's a library book with many people waiting for it, so I hope it will be a fast read.

Hi Beth,

I got my copy of Under the Wide and Starry Sky and I appear to have accidentally selected a large print copy. Sigh. Oh well, I can read it without my glasses!

Oh, and Tracks is my favorite Erdrich, too!

Hi Ellen - I hope you're getting all your work done. When does your school year end?

Enjoy Under the Wide and Starry Sky when you get to it. Large print. Ha.

If you love Tracks, you will love The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. Nanapush returns and is his usual trickster self.

30. Destroyer Angel is a fast-paced novel set in northern Minnesota. Anna Pigeon and some women friends decide to take some time off and camp for a few days. This story is one of the reasons I don't like camping; men with guns appear and kidnap Anna's friends while she is canoeing by herself. So the adventure starts as Anna follows the group through the forest, trying to find opportunities to rescue her friends. A rip roaring adventure.

I think this could stand alone if you haven't read other books in the series, but you might appreciate Anna more if you are familiar with the series. It might also make a good audiobook, if available.

Back to Quiet.

Then I'll check out my library books to see what's up next.

>151 BLBera: It sounds like you enjoyed the latest Anna Pigeon installment much better than I did. That one did not work for me.

Happy Easter!

>151 BLBera: Beth, I cracked up with your reason for not liking camping. I suppose it's a worry, but I have camped lots without that experience. I think, actually, that convenience stores are statistically more dangerous than campgrounds.

I am not a mystery person right now, but if that changes, maybe I will check Anna Pigeon out. She sounds fun.

Lori - I did enjoy this one although lately I think the series is more uneven. I was in the mood for something that I didn't have to think too much about.

Thanks Diana - Happy Easter to you.

Hi Rhonda - I guess I was at an impressionable age when I saw "Deliverance." :) I camped when I was younger; I just don't enjoy sleeping outside anymore. I like hiking and picnics, but I like a roof over my head when I sleep.

Anna is an interesting character, and the settings of Barr's books are mostly national parks because Anna is a park ranger -- that's Barr's background, too.

Curious how you are enjoying Quiet, Beth. Its tags make it sound more like a textbook than a novel: introversion, non-fiction, psychology, sociology.

Nancy - I am enjoying Quiet; it's a selection for our book group, which met yesterday. I haven't finished it yet; I'm reading about temperament and nature v. nurture right now. Our discussion was excellent; we talked about how (most of us are introverts) we hate "ice breakers." Many of us knew a supervisor who is really into games, etc. We talked about gender and introversion. I'm not sure there's anything really new in the book, but it does validate quiet people, and it turned into a great book club book, lots of discussion. I'll comment more fully on the book when I finish it.

I really must get to Quiet soon. I'm definitely an introvert. However, if I'm in a group of other introverts, I'll most likely be the chatty one in the group. I do think I've become less introverted with age.

Hi Carrie - Quiet is certainly a book to generate discussion, and some of the research on personality is fascinating.

I'm reading Love and Treasure now, and it's great so far. I've been looking forward to it. I've liked the other novels by Ayelet Waldman that I've read.

I'll be watching for your thoughts on Quiet too, Beth. I do a little research on personality at work, and I was impressed by how well Quiet summarizes the research evidence about introversion/extraversion, while giving it a fresh spin. The introverted students in my classes have appreciated the validation of their way of interacting with the world.

I'm also interested to hear your thoughts on Love and Treasure. It caught my eye when it came out. Is Ayelet Waldman married to Michael Chabon? I don't think I've read anything by her, so I'm interested in whether Love and Treasure is a good place to start.

Hi Amy - Yes, Ayelet is married to Chabon. She wrote a mystery series that was really good. I don't remember the titles, but there are four or five, I think. The protagonist was a lawyer really conflicted about stopping or not stopping work when she had kids. The other novel of hers that I've read is Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. I liked that one a lot, so I have been watching for others by her. This one is a historical novel, and I'm about a third of the way through. I really like it.

I've been thinking about how I can apply the ideas from Quiet in my classroom...

Hi Beth, I have Quiet saved on my iPad and you're making me wish I would just pick it up and read it. Of course, I think that every time I see it mentioned on the threads LOL. I hope you figure out ways to use the ideas in your classroom.

I hope you're enjoying The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse:-)

Hi Bonnie - I hope all is going well with the rehab. Quiet is one you can pick up, read a chapter and put down. I LOVED The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. It is now my second favorite Erdrich.

31. Love and Treasure is a historical novel based on the Hungarian Gold Train that was confiscated by the Allies at the end of WWII. It follows, Jack Wisemann, a captain in charge of the contents, his granddaughter and a Hungarian woman whose necklace was part of the loot. The characters are well developed, and the story, as it moves from time and place kept me interested.

As all stories that touch on the Holocaust, it is the story of a loss: "The wealth of the Jews of Hungary, of all of Europe, was to be found not in the laden boxcars of the Gold Train, but in the grandmothers and mothers and daughters themselves, in the doctors and lawyers, the grain dealers and psychiatrists, the writers and artists who had created a culture of sophistication, of intellectual and artistic achievement. And that wealth, everything of real value, was all but extinguished."

Next: I'm continuing with Quiet and In Other Worlds

I enjoy reading stories of the Holocaust as long as they aren't too close together. I am always so amazed that the Nazi regime was allowed to continue its extermination course for so long. Even now, I'm appalled at the similar situation that seems to be developing with a registration process in Ukraine.

I have Love and Treasure on my wishlist, great to know you found it a good read, Beth.

Hi Lori - in Love and Treasure. the we hear about the Holocaust after it happened. Even though one of the main characters liberated the camps, he never talks about it. It is scary what's happening in Ukraine, especially with its history of anti-Semitism.

Judy - I will be anxious to hear what you think of Love and Treasure when you get to it.

Still reading: Nonfiction - Quiet and In Other Worlds and fiction - Death Come Quickly, a library book that has to go back soon.

32. Death Come Quickly is the latest in the China Bayles series. In this one, a friend of China's and her husband's is killed in a supposed mugging. Then they find that her film students were making a documentary about a cold murder case, and it begins to seem like it wasn't just a random mugging. Nice, light read in this series.

Hi Beth! I bought Quiet some time back, and hope to get to it this year. I'm enjoying your comments about it. Hope you're having a great weekend.

How is little Scout?

I will echo Anne's post above ^^ regarding Scout and Quiet. That is a book I need to read to find some validation for my extroverted introverted personality! I really like the subtitle of the book. I played cards with a group the other night and could hardly think because of all the chatter. I kept thinking to myself, "What on earth do they find to talk so much about"? Answer: NOTHING! Blah, blah, blah!

Hi Anne - Scout it great. Thanks for asking. I babysat yesterday, and we had a good time. She changes every day.

Hi Donna - Cain has done a good job pulling together the research. I'm working my way through Quiet slowly.

I started an ER book I got awhile ago, The Lost Sisterhood. It's a thriller about the search for the Amazons. It's a nice book for a rainy Sunday.

33. The Lost Sisterhood is an adventure story alternating between the present day and the late Bronze age. Fortier takes the Iliad and the brief mentions of women warriors in Homer and imagines the Amazons. She alternates the Amazons' story with the modern day story of Diana Morgan, a scholar with an interest in Amazon stories. When Diana is asked to go to an archeological dig that supposedly reveals that Amazons were real, she can't resist. And the adventure begins.

Enjoyable, fast paced thriller with a twist; the women are the ones kicking butt and taking names. This would be a great beach read -- if it ever again is warm enough to go to the beach.

That one sounds interesting, Beth!

Hi Katie - It was a fun read. It's almost 600 pages, but I zipped through it.

Hi Beth! The Lost Sisterhood looks interesting.

A while back you asked about when our school year ends. We are on the quarter system so graduation is June 14. It makes for a long haul from early January to the middle of June. I much prefer semesters.

Hi Ellen - The Lost Sisterhood would be a great vacation read, interesting, fast paced.

Ugh - You have a long year. Do you get a break? Our semesters are longer than anyone's -- 17 weeks. But we're still done mid May. Hang in there-- it will go fast.

^ I will get a break when I take vacation at the end of August. As "Professional Staff," I'm on a 12-month contract so I'm really not on the academic quarter that professorial staff get to be on. But I get generous vacation leave so I can't really complain. And you are so right, it will go fast. This coming week will be wild: Tuesday a major training (yep, I'm the trainer) for a similar staff at another university in the midwest, and then on Thursday I present to the Board of Regents. I get so nervous when I have to present to them. I can hardly wait for this week to be over. Then P and I are going to Victoria for a couple of nights for her 60th(!) birthday.

Whizzing through and catching up if that makes any sense at all.

Have a lovely weekend, Beth.

Ellen - Hand in there. This is the last week for my classes, so I am trying to finish up. Have a great birthday getaway.

Hi Paul - Thanks for stopping by.

34. Home and Exile is a series of essays based on lectures that Achebe gave. He talks about the importance of stories to one's culture and identity. When he was a young boy in school in Nigeria, his class was assigned the book Mister Johnson. It was by an Irishman who had lived in Nigeria, about Nigeria. It said things like: "the demonic appearance of the naked dancers, grinning, shrieking, scowling..." Achebe discusses the long history of depictions of Africans as less than human. After he read this, he realized that all stories are not harmless.

This is a little book with a lot of big ideas. Achebe hopes that the twenty-first century will see more stories told by people of the developing world. He says: "literature is badly served when an author's artistic insight yields place to stereotype and malice. And it becomes doubly offensive when such a work is arrogantly proffered to you as your story."

35. Powder and Patch was on my Nook. Amusing, as all of Heyer's stories, it tells the story of Philip Jettan, who is in love with his neighbor Cleone. He loves farming and has no interest in dressing up or in society, but Cleone wants him to have a little more polish, so he goes away to Paris to learn about the stylish world. Amusing - not one of Heyer's best. My sister and I were talking about Heyer, wondering if part of the reason we like her is because we read her when we were growing up and feel nostalgia.

I don't really like romance, but Heyer's books are so amusing and well written that every once in a while, I pick one up.

36. The Uncoupling - I really liked this, but I want to think about it a little more before I comment.

My turn for The Goldfinch finally came, so I will be reading that for the next little while. There are 35 reserves on it, so I won't be able to renew it.

Otherwise, I know I will read As I Lay Dying for my book club this month. No other plans.

Beth, you've got a doorstopper with The Goldfinch! Will be curious to know what you think of it. I reread As I Lay Dying (audiobook, actually) a couple of months ago; thoroughly enjoyed that one, too.

I read Powder and Patch a couple of years ago when a friend loaned it to me. I think it was one of her earliest books, and it wasn't quite as polished as some of her later work.

Hi Nancy - I have high hopes for The Goldfinch -- it's such a huge time investment. I haven't read As I Lay Dying for years, so it will be fun to reread it.

Hi Carrie- It makes sense that it is an earlier book. Still, it had its Heyer moments.

*long time lurker alert*
(that would be me)
>179 BLBera: so you will ahve 3 or 4 weeks to read The Goldfinch? WIll that do? We have a fee to pay for gettingout brand new popular books, so I will wait (and wait and wait) to get that one out. I will probably wait so long that I will end up forgetting about it and going on to something else! So fickle am I.

I love the title As I Lay Dying, it is almost a saying these days, it is so well known. I feel I should read it for that reason alone.

Hi Megan - Lurk away! Actually, I only got the book for two weeks. For books with a long list of reserves, no matter how many pages it has, we only get two weeks. The first two hundreded pages are very good. I WILL get it done in time.

Unfortunately, I'm also looking at other library books that are now teetering on my desk, thinking some of them will have to go back unread.

>184 BLBera: That's definitely the problem with library books. I put a lot on hold, but sometimes by the time they come in I am too busy with something else.

Beth, I was lucky and able to borrow The Goldfinch from a friend. She let me take as long as I needed to finish it. If you leave out the part set in Las Vegas you won't miss that much. Haha. I almost quit at that point but I'm so glad I moved on. I'll look forward to your comments. Are you taking the summer off from your studies?

Did you see the Pulitzer announcement? The Goldfinch won in this year's fiction category. It's a good thing you were already on the holds list. It will probably get even longer now.

De-lurking Beth to say that I'll be curious to see your reaction on The Goldfinch. That is one that I keep going back and forth and I can't decide if I want to read it or not!

Hi, Beth. I hope you'll make me want to tackle The Goldfinch. I put it on my Kindle when it was a cheap daily deal, but I have been reading so many other whoppers that I just can't warm to the idea of reading it. Blonde, for example is going well - I'm able to read 50 or so pp a day and will get to 500 this afternoon. At that rate there are still 230 or 40 to go, so you see why I'm not eager to dive into another big one.
And I love Heyer just because.

Beth, I'm with Donna on the Las Vegas chapters of The Goldfinch. But bear with it! It is SOOO good!

Like Peggy, I picked up The Goldfinch when it was a cheap Kindle offering. Unlike Peggy, I've placed a moratorium on long books as I recover from a book funk. I may read it this summer though, Beth.

Wow! Visitors. I've been neglecting LT lately, so this is an unexpected pleasure.

Rhonda - I was just looking at my pile of library books, trying to prioritize. Some have holds on them, so I can't renew them. It's a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Hi Donna - I am enjoying The Goldfinch; right now I am in Las Vegas, and it's working for me. Poor Theo. I'm done with classes now, but I will teach this summer, so I'm giving myself a week off before I start preparing. That should give me time to finish The Goldfinch.

Hi Carrie - I did see that The Goldfinch won the Pulitzer. I was on the reserve list for a long time before I got it, and there are many waiting for it still.

Valerie - Thanks for delurking. I really like The Goldfinch so far. Unless the last part really falls off in some way, I will probably end up recommending it. For such a long book, it does seem to move quickly.

Peggy - I wish I would have gotten The Goldfinch for my Nook -- I think it would be a great candidate for an ereader. But I know what you mean about reading longer books. Sometimes one needs a break.

Nancy - Queen of the long books this year! I am enjoying Las Vegas so far. I agree that it is very good. I love Tartt's eye for detail.

Bonnie - I hope you get over your book funk soon. You've had a lot of life stuff going on, though. How's the future grandchild doing? Do you know the sex yet?

Well, back to reading. Thanks for stopping by, everyone.

You're done, right? **BIG smile**

Hi Ellen - Yes. Summer classes start on June 2, so I'm giving myself a week off to play before I start class prep. I also have to write my sabbatical report.

Halfway through The Goldfinch - it is a wonderful novel.

Checking in!

Enjoy your time off, Beth. I hope you are able to squeeze in lots of reading time.

Jealous already at the thought of a full week off. Enjoy, Beth.

Hi Lori - Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Judy - I'll just be happy to finish The Goldfinch, which I am really enjoying, but it is quite the tome.

Hi Paul - It is nice to be able to not think about school for a week. Although I have to admit, I am. I found myself planning mentally this morning, so I probably will start preparing this week... I just can't help myself.

The Uncoupling is based on Lysistrata, a comedy by Aristophanes in which women withhold sex from men to stop a war. When the new drama teacher, Fran Heller, comes to a New Jersey high school and puts on the play, women in town fall under a spell; they lose all desire. At heart, this novel is about the power of literature and how we come to take things for granted. I really liked it a lot. My one quibble would be the fact that the end explanation of the spell seemed a little too contrived. Still, worth reading.

About the power of literature: "At its height, was a knockout of a spell, fortified by a classic work of literature -- a play that lasted since it was written, and which lasted even now, in this age of very different gratifications. Like any really good book, the play had held the people who ventured into it, and then, when it was over, it had released them."

Still reading The Goldfinch. Tartt's writing is great, and she has created a memorable character in Theo Decker.

I'm glad that you're enjoying The Goldfinch, Beth, as I plan to read it next month.

Hi Darryl - The Goldfinch was great. I will be anxious to hear what you think of it.

37. "Caring too much for objects can destroy you. Only -- if you care for a thing enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn't it? And isn't the whole point of things -- beautiful things -- that they connect you to some larger beauty? Those first images that crack your heart wide open and you spend the rest of your life chasing, or trying to recapture, in one way or another?"

The Goldfinch is the coming-of-age story of Theo Decker, but it is also about the enduring qualities of art. Theo Decker is 14 when his mother is killed in an explosion. His father's whereabouts are unknown, so Theo is taken in by the family of a friend. Theo is a great character; we follow him through his ups and downs for 15 years. At times, we want to throw things at him, but isn't that a sign of a memorable character? But this is more than a character study; it has some surprising twists. My one quibble is that is dragged in places - it could have used some editing.

But, it's worth reading.

Next: As I Lay Dying

I am feeling ambivalent about The Goldfinch, but you have almost pushed me over into wanting to read it.

Hi Rhonda - I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected. But it is a major time commitment at almost 800 pages. I'm on the 200-300 page plan for the rest of the month. I did get it back to the library on time though. :)

Still reading As I Lay Dying, mostly hated by my book club. So, I guess we can strike Faulkner off our list.

Glad you enjoyed The Goldfinch, Beth : ). No argument from me that it could have used some (more) editing! Enjoy As I Lay Dying; I listened to a superb audio version of that a couple months ago.

Hi Nancy - The Goldfinch was great - unexpected in some ways. Certainly a worthwhile read.

38. As I Lay Dying is not my favorite Faulkner, but it does have some of his dark humor and trademark passages. Anse Bundren has promised his wife Addie that he will bury her in her birthplace, which is about forty miles away. This is the story of the Bundrens' misadventures as they take Addie to bury her. Great characters.

Next: a library book All the Birds, Singing

I'm happy to know that The Goldfinch won your approval, Beth. That makes me a lot more interested in getting on with it --- when I can.
Congratulations on polishing off another year!

Hi Peggy - I think The Goldfinch is definitely worthwhile -- and it goes pretty fast considering the length.

39. All the Birds, Singing was on the Orange long list and available at my library, so I picked it up. Evie Wyld is a young writer, originally from Australia. This novel is set on an inhospitable island off the coast of England and Australia. It's a tragic story of a life scarred by one big mistake.

Jake Whyte lives alone and raises sheep on an island that is cold, rainy and muddy most of the time. When something starts to kill her sheep, she is afraid her past is catching up with her. Jumping between past and present, we see the contrast between her life in the hot desert of Australia and this cold rainy island. Wyld does a great job with description. A creepy, atmospheric story.

Next: Son, the last of The Giver series and the next library book that is due.

Hi Beth! I have an ARC (I think) of The Goldfinch, sent to me by a friend before it hit the shelves. I really want to get to it soon. Maybe I'll forego the Kindle and just take The Goldfinch with me. It might take my whole Scotland vacation to read it and I'd only have the one volume to lug around.

Hi Ellen - The Goldfinch might last for your trip -- but it is a BIG book, weighty to lug around. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it when you get to it. When is the trip? Is it coming up soon?

40. Field of Prey is the latest in the Lucas Davenport. This isn't as good as others in the series -- too much macho crap and too much violence towards women. It is fun to read a series set in Minnesota, and Sandford knows how to pace his stories and is a decent writer. So, I'll give him a pass on this one and expect more next time.

41. Son is the last book in The Giver quartet. I was disappointed. The ending seemed to come out of nowhere, and looking back, I think The Giver is strong enough to stand on its own. I wouldn't bother with the other three books.

Next: I'm looking at my library books to see what's due next and what I'm in the mood for. Summer classes start on June 2, so I have to get ready for them. I'll try to finish Quiet and In Other Worlds.

I imagine it would be hard to top The Giver since that was and excellent book all on its own. I have plans to read the other books in the quartet but will be going in with the expectation that it probably won't top the first book. Can all the books be read as stand-alones?

I've been swinging back and forth on whether to continue on from The Giver. I loved the ambiguous ending and perhaps I will simply leave it there and not carry on.

OK, OK must read The Goldfinch....at some point, especially since it may win the Booker, The Pulitzer and The National Book Award haha. Well it's possible Beth. Isn't it? Anywho, I have the Kindle edition safely stored away and possibly July will be the month.

Hi Valerie - I think each book can stand alone. And actually, I think Son is the weakest one.

Hi Judy - I also liked the ending of The Giver and think she could have left it at that.

Hi Bonnie - The Goldfinch is a surprisingly fast read for such a long book -- although as I said a little judicious editing in some parts wouldn't have hurt. Still, it's one of my top reads so far this year. Really? It could win all those prizes? I don't know that it's that great....

42. Quiet is a great discussion book. I found validation for my introversion here, but the parts I found most interesting were the discussions of the implications of being an introvert in the workplace and in school. Cain does a good job of summing up research in personality. The part I found less convincing was the part in which she tries to connect other traits, such as sensitivity, to introversion. It lead to a lively discussion in my book club, and gave me some things to think about as an educator.

Next: The Devil's Star - from the Harry Hole series.

43. The Devil's Star is another great Harry Hole adventure. In this one, Harry has been on a monthlong bender and is finally getting kicked off the police force. His last case, though, turns out to be a serial killer, and he is forced to worked with Tom Waaler, a cop he has been trying to prove is dirty. There were enough plot twists and turns in this one to keep me guessing. It started off a little slow, but picked up steam and it was hard to put down for the last hundred pages.

Next: A change of pace to a graphic history: Safe Area Gorazde

44. Safe Area Gorazde is a brilliant graphic work about the war in Bosnia, specially in Gorazde. Joe Sacco spent some time in Gorazde and uses pictures to show the horrors of war. Each panel reinforces his message, and the people come alive. He makes sense of the complicated politics of the countries that made up the former Yugoslavia.

Next: a library book Dust

Hi Beth, just by reading the tags that are attached to Dust I an intrigued. Can't wait to see what you think of it.

Hi Judy - Owuor can write - great descriptions, but I'm struggling with the beginning of this book. I'll keep going for a while. Her style is very -- dense -- I guess.

Hmm, I also just went and had a look at the tags for Dust and am intrigued. Will be interested to see how this one works for you, Beth.

Hi Nancy - As I continue to read, it seems to flow a little better. I'll keep going, but it may take me a while. It is almost 400 pages long.

Dust is already on my wish-list, so I will be curious to read your review.

Beth, your reading is moving along as fast as the sesons! I can't believe we begin the month of June tomorrow. I loved the quote you chose from The Goldfinch. I agree with your comments wholeheartedly! I just picked up All the Birds, Singing from the library yesterday. With all the rain we've been having, I'm kind of in the mood or a creepy, atmospheric book. Have a great weekend!

Hi Rhonda - I will let you know - I'm warming to it.

Hi Donna - I know; it doesn't seem like June is already here. And my sabbatical is over. :( Summer school classes start on Monday, so my reading will slow down.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of All the Birds, Singing. Have a great weekend.

Hi Beth! Our trip to Scotland isn't until the end of August so I have lots of time to figure out what I want to take in the way of reading material. I had been so sure I would purchase a Kindle but now I'm finding myself reluctant to spend the money.

I also loved Safe Area Gorazde and I'm now reading Footnotes in Gaza which is quite substantial for a graphic.

I hope you've had a lovely weekend!

Hi Ellen - August will be here sooner than we think. I love my ereader; but besides travel, I also use it at the gym. I'm not sure I would think it is worthwhile if I just used it for travel.

Footnotes in Gaza goes on the list.

I hope things are quieter for you now that school is nearly done.

45. The Redeemer is another winner by Jo Nesbo. Harry has to get used to a new boss and try to find a hired killer from Croatia, who seems to be able to change his appearance at will. As usual, Nesbo has plenty of twists and turns, and he kept me guessing until the end.

I picked up this one and have been neglecting Dust. I'll get back to that now.

I still have to read The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, which is on the TBR shelf. I've only read The Bat which I liked just fine.

Hi Ellen - I started with The Redbreast and went on with the series from there. All of the ones that I've read have been excellent thrillers. Maybe a little more violent than I like, but I do like Harry. I think Nesbo develops the characters a little more than in thrillers in general.

I might be thrillered out for a while, now, though, and Dust is getting interesting. I also have to finish Life for my book club.

Ah, you remind me that I need to get to Nesbo still, Beth. I have them, just need to read them! I like thrillers starring well-developed characters : ).

Hi Beth! Hope you enjoyed your time off -- you sure did some great reading! I hope to get to Quiet sooner rather than later. How is little Scout?

I just saw Dust on the list of new e-books available at my library, so I threw it on the WL. Look forward to your final thoughts on it, Beth!

Hi Nancy - You do like the Scandicrime, don't you? You should try Nesbo. I started with The Redbreast, which, I think may have been the first one translated. It was excellent, but I have liked all the ones I've read so far.

Hi Anne - Yes, my sabbatical is over. :( I did do great reading for my classes. I think you might appreciate Quiet. Scout is so much fun; she is so busy now that she is crawling and pulling herself up on things. I can't believe that she is going to be 10 months old next week. This year has flown by.

Hi Katie - I will definitely let you know what I think of Dust. It was one that Amazon recommended for me, and it was available in my library, so I decided to try it.

I would swear that I posted on your thread this morning, Beth, but I don't see it. Did I write to someone that I thought was you???? I have some unread Nesbo. That was one thing. The other is that I've started The Goldfinch and want to read and read, but I need to finish at least one thing I have going now before I give it a lot of attention. (I'm going to feel pretty peculiar when I find this post on somebody else's thread.)

Hi there Beth, Scout is ten months old already? Where does the time go? I have The Redbreast sitting on my shelf so I guess I should actually, you know, read it.

Hi Peggy - I'm laughing here. I wonder where you posted? I found that The Goldfinch moved along relatively quickly for a book that long. There were some places where it would have benefited from some editing...

Hi Bonnie - I know. This year has flown by. I think I was planning Vanessa's baby shower about this time last year. I recommend Nesbo if you like Scandicrime. Some are a little gory for me, but Harry is a great character.

Dust. I know nothing about this but I am intrigued... Elizabeth Bear?

Hey Ellen - Nope. Yvonne Adhiambo Owour - a first-time Kenyan author. I don't always pay attention to the touchstones.

Hi Beth, I'm glad to see you liked The Goldfinch. One of these days I'll get to it!

Have a great week!

>237 BLBera: LOL -- and they can go in such weird and unpredictable directions!

Hi Joanne - Thanks for stopping by. The Goldfinch is a good read even though it could use a little more editing.

Hi Ellen - Yes, those touchstones are funny sometimes.

46. Dust misses the mark for me. Although clearly talented, Owuor's language becomes a little too labored at times, with phrases like: "Night crickets, cicadas, cooling earth. Another breach. Life pushing at thresholds, encircling two beings. In a shared gaze, denuded presence." These poetic passages interrupt, making me think, "Oh. Another poetic phrase." Owuor tries too hard. Is the story about Ajany Oganda, mourning for her brother, about Kenya, about her father? It's hard to say. Still, Owuor has promise.

Now reading: Life -- and loving it. The insight into the music industry is fascinating, and Richards is engaging. Also MaddAddam, which I am enjoying. More when I'm finished.

Hi Beth, that first year in a baby's life goes by way too quickly. That's why I've been burning up the highways between Missouri and Denver! Hope has two teeth and will be getting more soon gauged by the amount of drool!

I re.ally liked The MaddAddam Trilogy. Looking forward to your comments.

Wow Donna! Hope has two teeth already? Scout just got her fourth! I know what you mean by time passing. My daughter just said that she wished Scout would slow down a bit.

I've liked the trilogy, too. I'm anxious to see how it ends.

I will be curious to see how you like MaddAdam. I liked the first two in the series, but couldn't get through MaddAdam I'm not sure if it was the book or the timing.

Have a great weekend.

I haven't finished Life yet, but my book club met today. We were split on our thoughts about the book; half loved the book (I'm in this half) and half really hated Richards.

Passages like this have won me over:
"She was Mum. She sorted me out. She fed me. She was forever slicking my hair and straightening my clothes, in public. Humiliation. But it's Mum...There was music all the time, and I do miss her so." He can't be all bad if he loves his Mum, right?

Also, his comments about music and how he creates are brilliant although I suspect you have to like the Rolling Stones or really be interested in music to appreciate them...

He's made some horrible life choices, but I'm quite enjoying hearing about his life. More when I've done.

Oh, hi Rhonda - I'm enjoying MaddAddam. I've been reading it in bits and starts because I've been trying to finish Life for my book club. Because I just reread The Handmaid's Tale, I'm not as impressed with MaddAddam. I do like the humor, though. Toby's stories to the Crakers are hilarious.

For some reason I just have no interest in Richards' life. But I do like the passage you quoted about his mum. :-)

I hope you have a great weekend, Beth!

Beth, Life was one of my top reads last year. I listened to the audio version and it was fantastic. I felt like I was sitting down with Keith Richards and having a conversation with him.

Hi Ellen - Thanks for stopping by my much ignored thread of late. I'm finding the bits about music fascinating, but I can see the book wouldn't appeal to everyone... See book group. We were split.

Judy - Did Richards read it? I know it got rave reviews when it came out... I would love to listen to him read it. It is written in a very conversational style.

Just dropping out of lurk to say a quick hello. Hope you get in a good summer's worth of reading!

Beth, just dropping in to catch up. I've not kept up with Atwood's recent novels at all. But I've loved the older ones I've read, including The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, Alias Grace, The Cat's Eye, and more … thinking I'd like to reread Alias Grace but that hasn't happened yet.

Life, I expect, is quite a read! How could it be other?

Beth, Richards did read a small portion of it. Johnny Depp was his younger voice (and did a great job) and the main portion of the book was read by a fellow called Joe Hurley and he did an amazing job.

Hi Peggy - Summer reading is going slowly since summer school started. I need more hours in the day!

Hi Nancy - MaddAddam is the last book in the Oryx and Crake trilogy. If you liked that one, you'd probably like MaddAddam and The Year of the Flood. I just reread The Handmaid's Tale and I think I appreciated it more this time.

I'm enjoying Life; I'm just starting the part when he is into heavy drug use. He admits he is lucky to be alive. It's amazing he can still put two thoughts together.

Hi Judy - I'll have to look for the audiobook. It sounds great. Since it is in such a conversational style, I imagine it's easy to listen to.

Still reading Life and MaddAddam.

Hi Beth! I've been lurking but don't think I've made my presence known in a while, so "hello!"

Has transitioning back to work after your sabbatical been hard or about what you expected?

Hey Katie - I'm glad that I started with a summer class -- I have to ease into all of the grading, class prep, etc. It's coming along. It's just that there are so many distractions!

47. MaddAddamis the last of the books in the trilogy of Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood. After the pandemic that wiped out most of the world's people, this is the story of the survivors. Atwood does a great job imaging the challenges that face people used to a mechanized, computerized society. How do we build? Cook? What about medicine? Writing? When Toby finds old diaries, she wonders about the worth of written words: "is that what writing amounts to? The voice your ghost would have, if it had a voice? If so, why is she teaching this practice to little Blackbeard? Surely the Crakers would be happier without it."

She ends her trilogy on a hopeful note; yes, we can rebuild.

Next: Still reading Life and I'll start a library book The Late Scholar

Our library had its used book sale today and I ended up with five books for $5, mostly vacation reads:
Night Soldiers
A Beautiful Blue Death
Up at the Villa
The Savage Garden
The Daughters of Mars

I don't know about the vacation reading, but your are bound to be happy with Daughters of Mars, Beth. At least, I certainly hope so! I'm also interested to see what you think of the Lord Peter/Lady Peter book. I think I may have read the first J. Payton Walsh, but it's been so long ago that I can't remember.

I think A Beautiful Blue Death and The Savage Garden would be great vacation reads. The setting of The Savage Garden will make you want to pack your suitcase and head for Italy.

Hi Peggy - The Paton Walsh books have been fun; she does a good job with the tone and keeps them close to the originals. I have enjoyed them. In this one they go back to Oxford. I don't know when I'll get to these books, but I had heard them recommended here, so I thought I would try them.

Hi Carrie - I think maybe I heard about A Beautiful Blue Death from you. And I know there are several Furst fans around.

Well, back to Life and The Late Scholar.

I'm going to my family reunion next week, and it's a four-hour drive. We leave on Saturday, but I have to come back for class on Monday and Tuesday, so I'm going to look for some books on CD to listen to since I'll have two round trips to make.

48. The Late Scholar is the fourth Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane novel by Jill Paton Walsh. These are enjoyable reads for Wimsey fans; Paton Walsh does a good job of keeping the tone like Sayers, yet moving forward in time. This novel takes place after the war. Peter has become the Duke of Denver, his mother is getting old, and his oldest son will soon be old enough to enter Oxford.

Peter and Harriet return to Oxford for this outing. Peter has to mediate a dispute in the College of St. Severin. Of course, dead bodies start to turn up, and Peter and Harriet -- with Bunter -- have to figure things out. Nice, light entertainment.

I'm continuing with Life and trying to decide what to take to read on vacation -- a family reunion in Wis. -- about a four-hour drive so I'm looking for some books to listen to on the drive. If I don't finish Life before then, I might look for the audiobook that Judy recommended.

I went back to the library's book sale today with my sister and cousin's daughter. The prices were reduced and I found three more books -- We bought a bag for $5, so I guess about 50 cents a book.
The Way to Paradise
Burning Marguerite
The Tipping Point

As I continue with the Richards memoir, I'll look through my library books to see what's due next.

Hi Beth -- hooray for library sales. What fun! Hope you're having a good week.

Hi Anne - Thanks for stopping by. It's rainy here -- good excuse for staying in and watching Wimbledon. Go Rafa and Serena!

Hi Beth, one has to love .50c a book! Raining here, too. Good excuse for staying in and reading : ).

Yes, Nancy. I feel like I'm living in the Pacific Northwest these days. Rain, rain and more rain. However, in my area, the farmers are happy, so I can't complain too much. I guess it's good for the corn.

Yes, reading, too. I'm always torn when tennis is on...

It's raining here too! Not all day every day, but scattered thunderstorms almost every day. My dog must think he'll melt in the rain. He doesn't like to go out in it, although he doesn't mind baths at all.

It sounds like I should give MaddAddam another chance. I think I tried to read it when not in the right mood.

Have a great vacation!

It's been raining here too, Beth so it sounds like the Pacific Northwest weather is all across the country. I'm fairly sick of it myself. Your comments about MaddAddam make it sound like I might like it and I don't usually like dystopian novels.

>263 cbl_tn: As Carrie said, I've been surprised by the frequency of our thunderstorms this year. We get rain almost every day. Meanwhile, I have a friend about 6 hours to the east who is having to water his own garden because they aren't getting it.

Hi Beth. I see you picked up a copy of Night Soldiers. It's one of my favorites by Furst.

I hope you're having a nice weekend despite the weird weather. A bit of Junuary.

Hi Carrie - More rain... The Mississippi is really high; I crossed it over the weekend. Some roads closed because of high water in other places. I think we're having record rainfall for June.

Rhonda - I liked MaddAddam as much as the other books in the trilogy -- but you're definitely right. One has to be in the right mood to read these. Handmaid's Tale is by far my favorite.

Bonnie - You could try Oryx and Crake, the first in the trilogy and see how it goes. I'm not a huge dystopian fan either, but Atwood is such a good writer that I have loved hers.

Hi Lori - Our area was dry, so the rain, at least in the areas where they haven't gotten six inches at once, has been beneficial. But it would be nice to have a couple of dry, sunny days in a row. I'm starting to feel a little mildewed.

Hi Ellen - I picked up Night Soldiers because I remember your liking Furst a lot. I've never read anything by him. Glad to know I picked out a good one totally by accident.

I should finish Life today. Then, I think Vertigo 42, the latest Richard Jury mystery. It's been too long! Also, I do have papers to grade and a class to prepare for.

I forgot that you're in the area that's had so much flooding! I'm glad you've stayed relatively dry so far. I hope the excess rain ends soon and goes somewhere that it's needed.

Thanks Carrie. It seems we go from one extreme to another.

49. Life is amazing. Keith Richards is lucky to be alive (he admits it) and it's pretty amazing that he remembers as much as he does. The parts that I liked the best were the parts when he talked about music, composing and how the Stones got their sound. He is an innovative, imaginative musician and always a student. He made some bad life choices; he admits to his drug use and is grateful that his children have turned out as well as they have. I hated his attitude toward women, the groupies, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he's had a pretty astounding life. Interesting story -- oh, and there are recipes too.

My book club was split on this one. One woman really objected to the language, while another thought he was too self absorbed. The people who liked it were most impressed with the descriptions of the music -- it's really hard to write about music in a vivid way. Richards does that.

Next: Vertigo 42

Hi Beth,
I hope you like Alan Furst as much as I have! I've only read 3 (maybe 4?) of his works but P has consumed every one she could get her hands on.

Your comments about Life make me want to read it --- and I really didn't think I was going to be interested. :-)

Ellen - I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I've been listening to Stones music as I read so I can listen to what he points out about various songs. I found the audiobook that Judy recommended and listened to bits, just to hear, and it's pretty good, too.

Well, I guess that wraps it up for June. Time for a new thread.